10 Tips for Buying a Woodland | Off Grid | Bushcraft | Camping

Here are 10 tips if you are looking at buying a woodland in the uk for camping, Bushcraft and off grid projects. Having recently bought my own woodland, I wanted to give you some tips on things to think about before you take the plunge and buy a woods. A number of these tips (including cost per acre etc) are relevant to the year that this film was made (2022) and so they might become outdated. It is important that you do research to find out the most up to date information on buying a woodland.

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[matthewsleeman]

Great video as usual. As a planner in the UK, I would add check your permitted development rights as sometimes they can be removed and look at the planning history around as you may end up with a housing estate next door or something or if you're near a quarry they may blast and operate machinery. A big thing to check is whether there are any tree preservation orders in place either on singles trees all whole areas. If there are you'll need to get permission from the council before carrying out any works not just felling. Failing to do so can result in prosecution. Also be aware of bats and birds. They are protected, so disturbing them is an offence. Be sure to carry out surveys before taking a tree down and do it outside of nesting season. You touched on minerals rights, which is important, as in Cornwall the chances are someone else will own them being the Duchy or whomever. This will give them the right to exploratory drill on the land and there's not much you can do about it. With public rights of way just be aware that it's an offence to obstruct them, even with a gate and note that some byways allow for vehicles. Another thing is to check whether it's common land which can allow for free roaming and even grazing. Also if you have Ash in the forest it might be harder to identify dieback in the winter months.

[Ever_green]

I am very impressed by you. Well me and my friends are too joung to buy a woodland. But a very smal part of the Woodland next to out house is ours. We build a camp there. In the sommer we will hopefully sleep in it. Your videos are very helpful. Our next projekt is a little log house. Thank you for showing the people the buity of old crafts and nature.

[ABCampingTony]

Wow, who knew any of this? I didn't and I'm from the UK. Found this thoroughly informative and fascinating. Not enough to want to move back to the UK but still, makes you wonder. Thanks for the great video. Tony

[QSOutdoors]

Man, I wish someone would do exactly this video but for Sweden. This is SO useful.

[silverdm]

Thanks so much, really envy being so young and owning your our wood. I am 73 and on the same quest!

[judebrown]

Wow, so that's how it works! I often drive from my home in Kent down to relatives in East Sussex and there are regularly signs on trees saying "Woodland for sale". They would make me sad or anxious that someone would buy them to build on so we'd lose some more of our beautiful heritage. So comforting to think that there are good folk like yourself who purchase for the sheer pleasure of using and managing a wood in the traditional ways.
I do have friends here in our fairly rural village who got together with their neighbours when the woods backing onto their gardens went up for sale. They all purchased the piece which backed onto their own property. Some extended their gardens, leaving the safe trees and putting in tree houses and garden rooms etc, some left nature to take its course knowing that there was no chance of it being built on.
Thanks for another lovely video Mike.

[MynewTennesseeHome]

I'm in the USA and I live in my woodland/homestead. Most of your suggestions are universally applicable but here in the USA land seems to be more available. I live, farm and enjoy 10 acres divided into 4-5 acres pasture/farming and the rest old growth hardwood/conifer woodland with a creek through it. Great hunting and foraging.

[CrownPrinceEscalus]

Looking forward to the "my woodland life" series. If I may inquire, I would be very much interested in minimal and optimal woodland maintenance. What are the common tasks, frequencies, how much time and what kind of equipment do I need to set aside, etc. Thank you.

[tomwilson]

Hi Mike, I would also add that if you are intending to purchase woodland it would be prudent to instruct your Solicitor to check for land contamination, under Part 2A of the Environmental Protection Act 1990 the purchaser can be held liable for the clean up of any contamination even if this is historic. It can prove to be quite costly.

Also check for Tree Preservation Orders, these can complicate matters and require you to liaise with the Local Planning Authority should you wish to do any work on them be it planned or unplanned. Similarly check for any influence of your woodland on any adjacent structures/property outside the boundary and not within your ownership, you could find yourself liable for any damage caused.

I would also add with reference to funding of the purchase there are companies that specialise in providing Mortgages for woodlands, Ecology Building Society are one such company that offer this.

[toberwine]

Excellent guide, very factual and well presented!
Just one minor point - the definition of ancient woodland varies in different parts of the UK and isn’t always based on existence since 1600. Basically it depends on when the earliest accurate maps were done….

[Div-Hour]

Hello brother had to go on my mobile to comment because watching on tv . You and your dad are legends you have and deserve everything that you appreciate in nature . Hearing the mic drop on the grey squirrel the back drop helps

[GingerJ]

Thanks Mike the price per acre has certainly increased in East of England we are looking at an average of £15k per acre. A lot of the really nice woods are parcelled into 3-5 acre chunks and I often wonder if there is an expectation to give rights of way to allow access through one’s wood so neighbours can access their area. Cheers

[rgober]

I'm in the USA and most of the area around me is considered farm land. Has plenty of woods around but I didn't know land sold just for woods. We have plenty around but mostly people just buy land and live and farm on it with woods around them.
Nice to know about it all tho. We didn't have any restrictions on our land when we bought it. Just have to abide by county rules for your area or if any state laws. Very different than your area it seems. Thanks for the info and am loving your channel.👍👍👍👍👍

[cthompson]

Very good video. My father was a soil scientist for the department of agriculture here in the US. You can get a report on the quality of the soil on a plot of land fairly cheaply. Also, if the land you want to buy is near any current or former industrial site you want to have the soil checked for hazardous materials.

[SWATStrachan]

It might have been worth mentioning that there may be restrictions on what you can build within your woodland as well. From what I've read (admittedly, quite some years ago) most will allow storage facilities and shelters, but nothing that could be considered a cabin or residence. When it comes to retirement I always thought that I'd like to have a patch of woodland to call my own, with a log cabin built in the middle, but I don't think many sites would permit that.

[ArielleViking]

Very interesting and informative video. Well researched and beautifully explained. A really valuable video here, Mike. 👍

[stuartmccloud]

Im looking to buy some woodland in the UK and im loving this video, thanks Mike

[BritishBeachcomber]

I bought a 63 acre UK farm in 1993. The mature 10 acre mixed woodland was valued at £500. That's just £50/acre. Woodland now sells at £15, 000/acre. *Crazy.* Every townie wants a country retreat.

[abbev]

Yes! I'm not from the UK but this was still VERY useful! Much appreciated

[chriscrane]

I’m in the US but still a very informative video. Thanks for sharing.