LOST WORLDS

YOU MAY NOT KNOW IT, BUT THE UK IS HOME TO SOME OF THE PLANET'S RAREST RAINFORESTS, FULL OF NATURAL MAGIC. STEP INTO A FASCINATING WORLD OF FERNS, FUNGI AND FAIRIES

Words: JO TINSLEY

My first encounter with a Celtic rainforest happened by chance. Walking beside the Crinan Canal, a nine-mile channel connecting the Clyde Estuary with the Inner Hebrides – known as Scotland's prettiest short cut – I spied stone steps that vanished into a mess of ferns. How could I resist such an enticing path? I soon found myself in a hushed stillness where stunted oaks and hazel, festooned in lichens and moss, clung to the hillside. Epiphytes (plants growing on plants) jostled for light and unfurled fronds in the moist air. As I climbed, wood warblers trilled in the canopy. I was entranced. A mere 15 minutes later, I emerged blinking into a familiar landscape of sheep-nibbled hills and wind-swept bracken. I had inadvertently taken a detour through one of Britain's last…

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The Simple Things (Digital) - 1 Issue, April 2024

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