Free, Fun, Friendly, Family Events run by The Wildlife Trusts on the Rothbury Estate!

The Wildlife Trusts' mission is to work with the communities who live and work on and around the Estate. They are developing a vision for the future management of this iconic and remarkable landscape.

They have organised some great recreational and learning activities!

A fantastic list of free summer activities is planned for August. For details, click on the event you are interested in.

Fun and Informative FREE Family Events

There are a wide variety of events taking place this summer, for all the family.

Rothbury Estate Family Events 17th - 21st August 2026

The events are almost all outdoors so require outdoor shoes and clothing. Spaces are free and are limited on each event, so booking is essential. See the clickable links to the booking pages on EventBrite:

Guided Walk to Caudhole Moss (age 12+) Monday 17th August, 10-12:30pm

iNaturalist Training and Field Trip (all ages, smartphone required) Monday 17th August, 1-3pm

Garleigh Bug Hunt (children and parents) Tuesday 18th August, 10-12pm

Phytography: plant based photographic printing (all ages) Tuesday 18th August, 1-3pm

Cups, Rings and Ramparts: a guided walk to Lordenshaw (all ages) Wednesday 19th August, 1-3pm

Garleigh Junior Bog Survey (age 8+) Wednesday 19th August, 1-3pm

Bogs, burials and boundaries: a guided walk on Garleigh Moor (all ages) Thursday 20th August, 10-12pm

Squirrel Craft (children and parents) Thursday 20th August, 1-3pm

Oaks, Foxes and Emperors: Moths of Caudhole and Garleigh (all ages) Friday 21st August, 9:30-11:30am

The WLT's plans are to continue with nature-friendly, regenerative farming. Nature's recovery is at the heart of future planning for the Estate.

The Trusts insist that whilst putting nature first they will be respecting the rural traditions of our region.
"We will show how nature, community and the rural economy can work together, with people and wildlife thriving side-by-side. We will enhance public access so that more people, locally and from across the UK, can explore and learn about the history of the area and the wonderful wildlife found here".

When the community first learnt Max Percy had put the land up for sale, the fear was that "a sovereign wealth fund or major business could be interested in buying the Rothbury Estate".

We have not come across anybody who is arguing against the need to keep this outstanding, precious landscape intact.

Yes, of course, there are a few loud online voices arguing that the WLT will 'ruin the land', and things should be left as they are.
The point of the Hefted/Future of the Rothbury Estate Event held on 5th June 2026, eloquently made the point that this landscape has never stood still, it has continually been changing.

For the majority of folk the fear was how to ensure the preservation of the rich history and precious wildlife for future generations. How to prevent the land being broken into multiple ownerships.

The purchase by the Wildlife Trusts ensures that this will not happen. The plan for the 40 mile wildlife corridor, with the Estate at the heart of it, is incredibly exciting!

At one of the many information-giving talks held by the WLTs, six strong points were made in an attempt to counter the misinformation which, unfortunately, is being shared in some quarters.

These are the points that are stressed:

We have no plans to introduce Lynx in Rothbury!
We are not ending farming on the estate.
We didn't stop the shooting or heather burning
No one is being forced out
We are not anti-sheep
We are not reducing access

We have a last chance to dig deep to ensure the target funding is reached. You can donate here to secure the purchase of the Estate.

You can listen to a wonderful podcast in The Guardian: The fight to save a historic English landscape - podcast