Low Hows Wood

Ancient temperate rainforests are some of the rarest habitats on earth. They are important carbon stores and home to a rich variety of specialised animals, plants and fungi. The Borrowdale Oakwoods are one of England’s largest remaining pieces of temperate rainforest that once spread from the north of Scotland down the west coast of England, Wales and Ireland and are part of a long standing cultural landscape.

Borrowdale’s rainforest has been declared a new National Nature Reserve, giving the ancient woods the protection they need to stay healthy and maintain their niche ecosystem. This section of Low Hows Wood is owned by the National Trust, and included within the tenancy of Hollows Farm.

Currently, Low Hows Wood is in a livestock exclusion, meaning Hollows Farm does not use the woodland area for grazing pasture for any sheep or cows. This is being reviewed by Natural England and the National Trust in July 2025, with the hope to use a limited number of native breed cattle at certain times of year to conservatively graze the woodland, helping with the regeneration of new saplings and poaching the ground for soil aeration.