Wray Valley Camping restores rare rainforest
A Dartmoor campsite has had six acres designated a wildlife site after a seven-year project restored a rare temperate rainforest fragment.
Wray Valley Camping's six-acre fragment of temperate rainforest on Dartmoor has been designated a Devon county wildlife site. The recognition follows a seven-year restoration effort by owners Michelle Grist and Kevin Chamberlain.
Also known as Atlantic woodland, this rare ecosystem depends on high humidity, consistent rainfall, and mild coastal temperatures. It once covered 20% of the UK but now more than 95% of it is gone. Devon's damp climate and exposure to the Atlantic Ocean make it one of the habitat's last strongholds.
Restoration of a rare habitat
Michelle Grist, a retired environmental consultant, and her partner Kevin Chamberlain built the sustainable campsite from scratch. Their long-term project involved restoring the adjacent temperate rainforest and wet woodland. Michelle said it was actually difficult getting on to the land because while the drains upland had been cleared, their land was completely flooded.
They worked with several organisations to revive the woodland. The work included planting 1,200 native plants, establishing 200 metres of new hedgerow, and adding 45 native saplings. Invasive species were also removed. The campsite's entire estate covers four hectares, or ten acres.
A low-impact approach to access
The campsite now offers four 'Nearly Wild' pitches for visitors to sleep beside the restored rainforest. The owners deliberately limit the site's impact. There are no electric hookups, cars remain in a parking area, and campers use wheelbarrows to transport their gear. Kevin Chamberlain admits this approach divides opinion but says it is intentional. He said that if you're asking people to make a bit more effort to protect this environment, it tends to attract those who appreciate it.
This philosophy extends across the carbon-negative operation. It uses borehole water and solar power, and offers discounts to guests who arrive on foot, by bicycle, or by public transport. A short sustainability trail around the site explains the restoration work to visitors.
Connections and contrasts on Dartmoor
The Wray Valley Trail, a seven-mile walk and cycle track, runs along the edge of the rainforest. It retraces the route of an old steam train line and links the villages of Moretonhampstead and Lustleigh to Bovey Tracey. The trail acts as a low-impact gateway for exploring eastern Dartmoor and its prehistoric monuments.
The source contrasts this careful management with Dartmoor's most popular temperate rainforest, Wistman's Wood. That site suffers from eroded paths and damaged mosses due to high visitor numbers, despite conservation efforts to double its size.
Wildlife and wider recovery
Guests at Wray Valley have reported sightings of birds like the pied flycatcher and stonechat, and insects like the oil beetle. The site is part of a larger mosaic of habitats that includes ancient woodland and a nearby Site of Special Scientific Interest at Bovey Tracey, which supports adders and ground-nesting birds.
The owners say they have been surprised by guest enthusiasm, with a visiting horticulturist helping to catalogue plants and scout groups joining woodland management activities. As the embers of sunlight fade behind the tents, the sounds of stoats, owls, and bats become audible in the absence of everyday white noise.
