Welcome to Wild Woodbury in Dorset, where an extraordinary transformation is underway. Once an intensive farm, this 170-hectare site is now one of the UK’s most ambitious rewilding experiments, led by Dorset Wildlife Trust.

As the rains have poured in, a new river has emerged—spanning up to 100 metres wide. Hidden watercourses are resurfacing, lapwings and nightjars are nesting once more, and adders slip through the grasslands. Even the nearby village is helping shape the future of this recovering landscape.

But rewilding isn’t just about letting water back in—some ideas worked, others didn’t. So how exactly did this land change so dramatically?