Finding the most remote place in England is harder than you'd think. No public transport, no roads, no sign of human habitation - just online route finders confidently directing cars up a grassy track. But miles along gravel forest roads in the far north of Northumberland lies the largest contiguous rewilding site under single ownership in the country: the 7,500-acre Emblehope Moor, recently purchased for £8.5m by Restore, a nature restoration company that apparently believes in putting its money where its mouth is - and then handing the deed over to the community.
The goal? Bring back golden eagles, curlews, black grouse, and beavers to a moor that once served as a grouse shooting estate, sheep farm, and dog-training ground. Restore still needs to raise £4m to fund its 20-year scheme, but here's the twist: after delivering biodiversity and financial returns, and repaying the £4.5m Triodos Bank loan, the site will be handed over to local community or charitable ownership. 'We want to prove that the bank is paid back, investors get their two-times return but we don't need to become the next for ever laird,' said Benedict Macdonald, founder and director of Restore. 'We're keen to leave a well-funded community project for the future. It's not an aggressive land-holding model; it's both a capitalist and community model.' Translation: they're trying to take the greed out of land acquisition, which is either revolutionary or just common sense.
Environmentalist Ben Goldsmith has hailed the area as 'Britain's Yellowstone' - which is a bit of a stretch, but let's roll with it. Nearby, Rothbury, the largest estate to come on the market in 30 years, is the target of an unprecedented £30m fundraising appeal by the Wildlife Trusts, nearing its goal. Other estates like 12,000-acre College Valley and 4,000-acre Hepple Wilds are also ramping up nature restoration, while the vast 148,000-acre Kielder Forest is being managed for biodiversity by Forestry England. Macdonald admits, 'We're not the size of Yellowstone but we're in England's largest wild landscape by a long factor.' So, more like a very ambitious postage stamp.
Emblehope, a site of special scientific interest (SSSI), already hosts merlin and prospecting golden eagles, along with trout, salmon, red squirrels, and pine martens. But first, Restore must tackle the parched peat moorland - a hidden network of land drains have left it drier than a stand-up comedian's wit. Patches of sphagnum moss, usually water-filled sponges, are dry. Modelling suggests rewetting could store an additional 100,000 cubic metres of water - about 40 Olympic swimming pools. 'It's going to be a massive exercise to identify the exits of water from the land,' said Macdonald. Beavers may eventually help, but first, they need to introduce Exmoor ponies to munch down the dry 'thatch' of moorland grass, which is 'quite dangerous from a fire point of view.' Nothing like a controlled grazing animal to prevent an uncontrolled blaze.
The dense sitka spruce plantations, which harbour little life and provide cover for goshawks, are destined for the chop. Removing them will hit long-eared owls and crossbills, but Macdonald worries about the 'little shitkas' - baby sitkas that pop up from wind-blown seed. The solution? Plant broadleaved screens around the edge to block the seeds. Because if there's one thing rewilding needs, it's more fences.
As for lynx, Restore is wary. A survey suggests 72% of locals favour reintroduction, but sheep farmers are vehemently opposed. Macdonald says, 'We have no funded plans for lynx, and we have no wish to be in the reintroduction party,' though he admits the economic argument is compelling - research next year will quantify the tourism potential. In the meantime, Restore is keeping the estate's farmer and gamekeeper, who know the land intimately. 'What surprises me is how surprised people are that we've retained staff who know so much about the land,' said Macdonald. The gamekeeper has been looking after some of Britain's highest densities of birds of prey, and 'these guys work 18-hour days, they live and breathe the area.'
Funding for this grand experiment comes from forestry (removing sitkas), cattle, sheep, future eco-tourism, and government payments, but most income is expected from natural capital: carbon credits and '30x30 Restore units' - corporations pay for restoring 30-metre by 30-metre patches. Macdonald says, 'It's perfectly natural for large corporates to sponsor big sporting events across the world. In nature, in England, this is a big event.' So, corporate sponsorship for nature - because if we can't have the Yellowstone of Britain without a few logos on the beaver dams, so be it.