Working in partnership Pine Marten Havens
Visit a Pine Marten Haven
Martens on the Move has been working hard with four national partners to develop Pine Marten Havens in Scotland, England and Wales where people can visit woodlands and learn about these incredible animals — and how we can improve woodland habitats to help pine martens thrive once again. Each Haven site celebrates all things pine marten with new wildlife hides, engaging information boards and life-sized pine marten silhouettes hiding in the forest waiting to be spotted!
The third and final Pine Marten Haven will be launched at Wentwood Forest, near Newport, Monmouthshire on Saturday 6 September in partnership with Woodland Trust Wales and Natural Resources Wales
Join us and find out more about pine martens, their habitat and how you can help!
For thousands of years following the last Ice Age, most of Britain was covered in trees and woodlands. These woodlands were home to more wildlife than any other habitat.
Ancient woodlands now only cover around 2.5% of Britain and many of those remaining are in poor condition. Our Pine Marten Haven sites demonstrate how we can improve our woodlands, not just for pine martens but for all wildlife. Healthy and diverse woodlands provide food and shelter for a greater variety and number of our native animals... which will thrive alongside the pine martens.
Working in Partnership
Wentwood in Wales – with Coed Cadw and Natural Resources Wales
Kirroughtree in Scotland – with Forestry and Land Scotland
Wallington in England – with National Trust
Located near Newport in southeast Wales, Wentwood Forest is part of what was the largest ancient woodland in Wales. The woodland is now a Plantation on Ancient Woodland Site (PAWS) managed by both Coed Cadw and Natural Resources Wales.
The woodland is home to 70 different species of birds and pine martens have been recorded on this site following the successful reintroduction of pine martens to Wales and Gloucestershire between 2015 and 2021. In the spring, Wentwood is known for its blanket of bluebells, while in the autumn colourful fungi are plentiful.
There are also Bronze Age Burial sites located in Wentwood Forest. These are thought to be more than 3,000 years old... and would have been created at a time when pine martens and other carnivores were more abundant across Britain.
Visit Coed Cadw’s website to plan your visit to our Wentwood Pine Marten Haven.
Pine Marten Haven Launch
Join us on Saturday 6 September from 12.30 and find out more about how we are working with Coed Cadw (Woodland Trust Wales) and Natural Resources Wales to help pine martens thrive. Book here to join a free guided walk. NB advance booking is optional. Walk-ins are welcome on the day but please arrive early as spaces are limited.
Kirroughtree is located in the south of Galloway Forest Park, Britain's largest forest covering 300 square miles in Dumfries and Galloway. The forest is owned by Scottish Ministers on behalf of the people of Scotland and managed by Forestry and Land Scotland (FLS).
Kirroughtree is the perfect place in this area for Martens on the Move to share the pine marten story as pine martens were reintroduced into Galloway Forest Park in the early 1980s with den box installations starting in the forest in 2003. Since then, this pine marten population has slowly been growing and moving into the surrounding landscape.
Galloway forest is full of wildlife, including ospreys, red deer and red squirrels, and has a variety of walking trails for everyone to enjoy. Kirroughtree Visitor Centre is considered the ‘gateway’ to the wider Galloway Forest and there is a café and bike shop onsite. The forest is sustainably managed for harvesting timber used as building materials for housing, furniture and to make paper.
Visit Forestry and Land Scotland's website to plan your visit to our Kirroughtree Pine Marten Haven.
Located northwest of Newcastle, Wallington is owned and managed by the National Trust. The 5,321 hectare estate is the largest intact estate owned by the National Trust and includes a large country house built in 1688, a hidden walled garden, lakes, wonderful woodlands and farmland.
There are a number of conservation management projects taking place at Wallington that focus on native species, including controlling grey squirrels to support the red squirrel population; providing refuge areas for white-clawed crayfish; and beaver reintroductions.
Martens on the Move will be supporting the National Trust team to deliver the ‘Wilder Wallington’ project that aims to turn Wallington into a place that works for people and nature, including making 'wildlife habitats bigger, better and more joined up'. This landscape-scale approach to nature conservation is crucial for healthy and sustainable ecosystems.
Visit National Trust's website to plan your visit to our English Pine Marten Haven.
Our partner sites
Dr Stephanie Johnstone, Martens on the Move Project Manager, said, “We are so excited to be working in collaboration with our four Pine Marten Haven partners. It means that we can offer so many more opportunities for people to learn about pine martens and how they can support their recovery. It also means that local community groups can get involved in hands-on habitat improvement work and monitoring in this joined up approach to pine marten conservation.”