We are hugely fortunate to be the custodians of one of the largest areas of unspoilt temperate rainforest in the entire UK, described by Rewilding Britain as the “best rewilding site in the country!” The Leighon Estate on Dartmoor, Oxygen…
Dartmoor National Park
Spanning 861 acres, Leighon is a striking example of natural beauty.
Nestled within the Bovey Valley on the eastern edge of Dartmoor National Park, the Leighon Estate is a landscape of rare ecological significance. Spanning 861 acres of moorland, pasture, ancient woodland and river systems, it sits at the centre of a network of protected habitats, connecting Yarner Wood, Bovey Valley Woods, and the wider East Dartmoor landscape.
Leighon is home to one of England’s finest surviving fragments of Temperate Rainforest, a habitat of extraordinary biodiversity, where ancient trees are draped in lichens and mosses, and rare species persist in a landscape shaped over centuries. Yet like much of the UK’s natural environment, it has been degraded over time by overgrazing, invasive species, and unsustainable land management.
Today, Leighon represents a once-in-a-generation opportunity: to restore a lost ecosystem at scale, reconnect fragmented habitats, and demonstrate what nature recovery can look like across a nationally important landscape.
Rainforest Restoration
At the heart of Leighon is the restoration of one of England’s last remaining temperate rainforests.
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Biodiversity Net Gain (BNG)
Leighon is being developed as a leading example of Biodiversity Net Gain.
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Property Development
Alongside ecological restoration, we are carefully unlocking the potential of Leighon’s built environment.
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A place to inspire—demonstrating what is possible when nature is given space to recover.
Our vision for Leighon is to restore one of England’s most rare and ecologically significant landscapes—rebuilding its ancient temperate rainforest, reconnecting habitats across the wider Dartmoor landscape, and creating a thriving environment for both nature and people.
By working with natural processes, reducing historical pressures, and carefully integrating sustainable land use, we are transforming Leighon into a resilient, living landscape—one that delivers long-term value for biodiversity, climate, and local communities, while demonstrating what large-scale nature recovery can achieve in the UK.
Rainforest Restoration
We are restoring Leighon as a dynamic mosaic of habitats—where woodland, wetland, grassland and moorland function together as a single ecological system.
This includes expanding and restoring the Atlantic Rainforest and riparian corridors, planting 22,700 trees, removing grazing pressures and invasive species and allowing natural regeneration to reconnect fragmented woodland areas. New hedgerows and scrub habitats will act as ecological stepping stones, improving connectivity and resilience across the Estate.
Biodiversity Net Gain (BNG)
Through habitat creation, enhancement, and long-term management, the Estate will generate high-quality biodiversity units that deliver measurable, lasting ecological uplift. Positioned within a network of protected landscapes, such as grassland, shrubland, hedgerows, and watercourses, Leighon offers a unique opportunity to deliver BNG at scale—supporting both nature recovery and sustainable investment in the natural environment.
Property Development
Leighon’s redundant agricultural buildings present an opportunity for sensitive conversion — potentially creating ecotourism accommodation or educational spaces that deepen the connection between people and this remarkable landscape. Our approach ensures that development enhances, rather than detracts from, the Estate’s natural setting, creating places where people can live and engage with nature.
Explore our interactive landscape vision map for the Estate.
A landscape-scale restoration project across Dartmoor National Park.
Leighon is already contributing to the recovery of one of the UK’s most significant and fragile ecosystems.
Across the Estate, existing habitats are being protected and enhanced—from ancient temperate rainforest and species-rich grassland to the Becka Brook and its wider catchment. Early actions, including reducing grazing pressure, improving water systems, and restoring buildings for local use, are beginning to create the conditions for long-term ecological recovery.
The figures to the right represent the long-term impact we aim to deliver through restoration—measured over the lifetime of the Estate.
7,000 tonnes of CO2
removed through woodland creation
9 km
of watercourses restored
3 homes
provided to the rural community
Articles from across the Estate
Meet your Estate Manager
As Estate Manager at Leighon, Archie oversees the ecological restoration and stewardship of this 861-acre Dartmoor estate — His work includes managing delivery of Leighon’s Biodiversity Net Gain programme, overseeing the 22,700-tree woodland creation scheme verified under the Woodland Carbon Code, and driving restoration of the Becka Brook corridor. With a background in marine biology, he brings both technical depth and a genuine passion for nature recovery to his work at Leighon.
Email Archie