Listen free for 30 days

Listen with offer

Preview
  • British Woodland

  • How to Explore the Secret World of Our Forests
  • By: Ray Mears
  • Narrated by: Ray Mears
  • Length: 9 hrs and 22 mins
  • 4.7 out of 5 stars (77 ratings)

£0.00 for first 30 days

Pick 1 audiobook a month from our unmatched collection - including bestsellers and new releases.
Listen all you want to thousands of included audiobooks, Originals, celeb exclusives, and podcasts.
Access exclusive sales and deals.
£7.99/month after 30 days. Renews automatically. See here for eligibility.

British Woodland

By: Ray Mears
Narrated by: Ray Mears
Try for £0.00

£7.99/month after 30 days. Renews automatically. See here for eligibility.

Buy Now for £12.99

Buy Now for £12.99

Pay using card ending in
By completing your purchase, you agree to Audible's Conditions of Use and authorise Audible to charge your designated card or any other card on file. Please see our Privacy Notice, Cookies Notice and Interest-based Ads Notice.

Summary

Brought to you by Penguin.

Nobody sees and understands woodland better than Ray Mears.

With deep natural history knowledge and practical woodcraft skills, gained over a lifetime of learning from the world's last remaining indigenous peoples, Ray offers a different way to experience our wooded landscapes. He challenges the old concepts. He looks to our ancestors and shows how man's hand in shaping woodland is critical. We are not separate from nature, we just need to ensure that our interactions have a positive impact.

With the emphasis on interaction, British Woodland is structured by usage. We learn that sycamore and clematis are among the best woods for burning, pine and oak help us navigate, and hawthorn and beech have edible leaves. Rope can be made from willow, utensils and tools from hazel, and historically, weapons were made from yew and wych elm.

With Ray as our guide, encouraging this aboriginal sense of connection to individual trees, our appreciation of wooded landscapes will change. We can learn how to live inclusively in nature, for our own wellbeing and enjoyment, and also for the future of our planet.

©2023 Ray Mears (P)2023 Penguin Audio
activate_Holiday_promo_in_buybox_DT_T2

Listeners also enjoyed...

The Forager's Calendar cover art
We Are Nature cover art
Our Magnificent Bastard Tongue cover art
My Outdoor Life cover art
The Lost Rainforests of Britain cover art
Practical Survival Skills cover art
Around the World in 80 Trees cover art
Words on the Move cover art
Trees of Power cover art
The Nature of Oaks cover art
The Hidden Life of Trees cover art
Living Planet cover art
Gathering Moss cover art
Orchard cover art
Woodsman cover art
Journeys to Impossible Places cover art

What listeners say about British Woodland

Average customer ratings
Overall
  • 4.5 out of 5 stars
  • 5 Stars
    64
  • 4 Stars
    8
  • 3 Stars
    3
  • 2 Stars
    1
  • 1 Stars
    1
Performance
  • 5 out of 5 stars
  • 5 Stars
    63
  • 4 Stars
    5
  • 3 Stars
    2
  • 2 Stars
    1
  • 1 Stars
    1
Story
  • 4.5 out of 5 stars
  • 5 Stars
    57
  • 4 Stars
    9
  • 3 Stars
    3
  • 2 Stars
    1
  • 1 Stars
    2

Reviews - Please select the tabs below to change the source of reviews.

Sort by:
Filter by:
  • Overall
    4 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    2 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    4 out of 5 stars

Mumbles

Lovely book but Ray Mears doesn't do a great job of reading it. He doesnt maintain a steady volume. For example, he goes quiet as a sentence goes on. As a result, I find myself changing the volume as I listen so as not to miss things.

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

2 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

Vital Reading

Vital reading for all those living in the UK & beyond. Insightful, inspiring & yet balanced.

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

  • Overall
    4 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

fascinating

lots of interesting facts about the history of trees and how they shaped how we live and work. lots of info on individual trees and their characteristics. told in a very interesting way. at first I found the chapters hard to understand as I thought the tree species chapter would resemble the main chapter such as 'fire'.

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

Simply Brilliant!

I love this audiobook! It's packed with interesting and useful information, with wonderful narration by the author. It was worth buying just for the introduction to pickled walnuts!

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

Ray has so much knowledge

Such a great book I think the world leaders should be made to read maybe they will learn something

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

1 person found this helpful

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

A fascinating history of Britain's trees and woods

Ray Mears is a British national treasure and this book reminds us why. His years of experience burst from every page.

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

Another great book by the master

I gave been a fan of Mr Mears for many years.. this is another great book about our natural surroundings and the connection peoples have had with it throughout history.

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

Totally fascinating

A wonderful book exploring the deep connections between woodland and us. Fascinating and brilliantly written (and read) Ray imparts his knowledge with the magic of a storyteller I didn’t want it to end…but I’m sure I will be listening again soon.

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

2 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

One of the most interesting books I’ve listened to

A wonderful insight into British history and British woodlands, one of my favourites for sure

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

Really interesting

Interesting and thoughtful. It makes one aware of one’s ignorance! People need to be aware.

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!