How the UK has its own rainforests – and you stay the night with beaver tours, sound bathing and ‘koyt’ cabins
WHEN you think of rainforests, you might think of the Amazon or the Congo rainforest.
However, the UK is also home to a number of temperate rainforests - despite them being very rare.
A temperate rainforest is one that is found with a mild climate but heavy rainfall.
Once covering as much as 20 per cent of the UK, they now just cover 0.4 per cent.
In Cornwall, Cabilla is a unique temperate rainforest with an ancient oak woodland.
The Eden Project has dated the trees to be as old as 3,664 years.
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Merlin Hanbury-Tenison, who grew up at Cabilla, told the : "We’ve all grown up thinking of rainforests as tropical rainforests and that’s how I grew up, not realising there was a rainforest on my doorstep – a temperate rainforest, the most stunning habitat we have in the UK."
He added that hundreds of species can live on an oak tree, saying it was "basically Avatar".
And Merlin and his partner Lizzie, who are now guardians of the area, have launched the Thousand Year Project to restore nature at the rainforest along with local landowners and farmers.
This includes reintroducing 200 acres of woodland as well as protecting the current rainforest.
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They have already seen the return of wild animals including Eurasian wood cats and wild boar, and you can even go on beaver tours to follow the animals.
The guided tours let guests meet the two beavers who have returned to Bodmin Moor - Sigourney Beaver and Jean-Claude Van Dam.
Other activities including "forest bathing" - meditation in the woods - as well as wild swimming in the River Bedalder and sound experience meditation.
If you fancy staying, there are 12 "koyt" wooden cabins, which can each sleep two people.
Inspired by Cornish "Quoits" each hut has a king-size or twin bed, as well as a log burner, toiletries and large triangle windows.
Also onsite is The Barns, with bathrooms including monsoon showers and underfloor heating for the colder months.
Also inside is a full kitchen, communal dining area, sitting room and library, and even a screening room for watching films.
Onsite bar Daphnes services drinks and cocktails while you can buy everything at Cabilla at the shop, including the toiletries and blankets.
Workshops such as yoga or meetings can be booked at The Studios, while spa treatments can be found at The Pigsty Spa.
To stay, four-day retreats start from £775pp with meals included.
Or you can book a stay at The Pig at Harlyn Bay who has teamed up with , where weekend breaks start from £865pp.
Other temperate rainforests in the UK include the Cambrian Wildwood in Wales as well as the Caledonian Forest in Scotland.
Nearby is the Eden Project, which has the largest indoor rainforest in the world and is often called the "8th wonder of the world".
Following the success of the £14million project, which opened in 2001, another Eden Project is set to open in the UK.
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Set to open along the coast of Morecambe Bay in Lancashire, across the four domes will be indoor and outdoor restaurants and even a tidal swimming pool.
Building is expected to start next year, and will open by 2026.
