By Ian Wilkinson Ian Wilkinson shares his recent experience of the gift of softening and surrender on Embercombe’s flagship personal development programme The Journey in March 2023. In recent years I have wandered lost in the wilderness trying to find my purpose and meaning. An old friend has told me time and time again – if you know who you are, you will know what to do. I never really got it, but I did eventually focus instead on trying to understand who I am. That river finally washed me to the beach that is Embercombe and to The Journey. I arrived having vowed to surrender myself totally ..read more

By Darran Hughes Darran Hughes shares his recent experience of healing, discovery and empowerment on Embercombe’s flagship personal development programme The Journey in November 2022. “I invite you to spend some time exploring that…”, were the words Stefan gently spoke, as I sat alone on the edge of a roaring fire late one evening. I looked at him, knowing in my heart he was right, as at that moment I recalled mythologist Joseph Campbell’s quote “The thing we seek, is in the cave we most fear”… It was just one of the many pivotal moments and unfolding in the process of self-discovery th ..read more

Embercombe’s Rewilding Lead Laura Fairs shares some tips on how to help our feathered friends during the challenging winter months: This can be the most difficult time of year for small wild birds. Prolonged days of frosty weather restricts their food supply as the bugs and beasties they feed on retreat, in order to protect themselves from the frost, in places the birds can not reach. But even more importantly, this weather also removes birds regular water supply. Small birds can die of dehydration at this time of year even faster than they can die of starvation. Their normal water supply is ..read more

Watch this recent online webinar with Embercombe’s Rewilding Lead Laura Fairs as she joins Rewilding Britain‘s latest discussion and shares learnings on how to rewild a piece of land on a smaller scale here at Embercombe in Devon. In this webinar, Rewilding Britain welcomed two Network members, Kate Morley from Hill Crest in Devon and Laura, to talk about how to rewild on a smaller scale. They discussed their experience and what they’ve learned from each of their projects in Devon to inspire other rewilders on their journey, and help to create a sense of community as this movement gains mome ..read more

By Darran Hughes Darran Hughes shares his recent experience of joining Embercombe’s Autumn Rewilding Camp as he discovers rewilding is not just about the land and plants and animals but about rewilding our souls, our relationships, our communities and ideally our culture.  It’s hard to imagine it’s been nearly a decade since George Monbiot first released his best-selling book “Feral”, which I first read two years after its publication in 2013, and then again while tramping 282 miles around the countryside earlier this year. As a topic, over 6,000 people in the UK search google for inform ..read more

Ashleigh Brown, Co-founder of Ecosystem Restoration Camps and facilitator on Embercombe’s Rewilding Camps, shares her experience of our land as it rewilds, on healing the world, and getting stuck in and making things happen. Embercombe is an oasis. It’s a haven for all life. Many people arrive feeling parched, personally, emotionally and spiritually, and the land here, so buzzing and thriving with many years of loved poured into it, holds and receives you in a way hard to put into words.  Embercombe has been a site of tenderness and love since it came into the guardianship of Founder Mac ..read more

Gabrielle shares her personal journey of nature connection and healing, as she lives and works as part of our Volunteer Team on our wild land in Devon. ~ Photography and words by Gabrielle O’Connell ~ For a year now I’ve watched Embercombe dance through the seasons. One bright, summer day in 2021 I drove through the gates to visit a friend volunteering here. So distracted was I by the abundance of beauty and people, I lost track of time. I never went home that day, but instead I curled up beside my friend in her cabin. We listened to the owls in the tree above and talked about community. Lik ..read more

Embercombe is pleased to announce a new Lottery-funded community rewilding project that will start at the beginning of July, aimed to reconnect isolated individuals and rural families to our beautiful 50 acres of land and help alleviate the strain the pandemic has placed on our community’s mental health, incomes and relationships. This project will create new opportunities to be outdoors and connect with our various nature spaces such as our woodlands and meadows, and take part in positive, social, regenerative activities that will give a renewed sense of purpose and wellbeing to the communit ..read more

Join us for a new series of free Wellness Days in our Medicine Wheel Garden and Community Orchard for communities in the Teign Valley and around Devon. We will be restoring our heritage apple orchard and traditional medicine garden from October 2022 as we explore the world of wild medicine and plants throughout the four seasons together, and will be open to anyone interested in learning about plants and natural remedies, tree and orchard care, how we can deepen our relationship with the natural world and its benefits on our health and wellbeing.  Our series of free events will allow you t ..read more

Bug hotels and their benefits to wildlife Our Community Rewilding Days are in full swing, and recently a wonderful group of volunteers from our local community gathered together to help build (in our opinion) the most beautiful EmBUGcombe bug hotel on 3 September, also joined by a few of our Autumn Experience weekend participants. The best bug hotels are eco-friendly, and provide a safe space for insects to shelter, lay their eggs, and seek refuge from predators and can be built using upcycled materials and with various pine cones, dry grasses and leaves, rotting wood, bark and more stuffed in ..read more