About Us
Welcome to The Rewilding, where we bring people together to gather and connect (in real life) at our beautiful spot on the wild and rugged coastal salt marshes in rural Lancashire.
When you visit The Rewilding in Lancaster, we aim to inspire you, ground you and energise you, leaving you with a deep sense of connection. We want every guest to feel at home having experienced the magical sense of place we love so much about our spot here at Patty's Farm.
We hire our space, perfect for hosting retreats, events and immersive experiences as well as celebrations with family and friends.
We run our own program of events, signature immersive wild dining experiences and nature retreats with a focus on human rewilding, food stories and nature connection.
And we have a collection of 4-star holiday cottages and cabins through our sister business onsite at Patty's Barn sleeping up to 65 people.
From farming roots, we have strong ties to the land and are very connected to our location and surroundings, from the expansive salt marshes looking out toward the Lake District, the inland pastures, woodlands and our 3-acre Rewildiing plot amongst many ponds and quiet spots for stillness.
We put our heart and soul into creating unforgettable experiences and every guest can expect a friendly northern welcome, fresh air, and a unique location with plenty of corners and spaces to explore and enjoy the outdoors.
Why Rewilding?
Get to Know Us
I first came across the term "rewilding" in 2019 and it deeply resonated with me.
The definition "restore (an area of land) to its natural uncultivated state" At that time I had just left my job overseas to come back home to the family farm to begin something new. There was a lot of uncertainty at this time but this feeling of rewilidng myself first, felt strong. The more I read the more 'human rewilding' became so obvious, and the more I continued down this path the more strongly I believed we must start with rewilding ourselves first. I worked up my own definition of human rewilding "To consciously restore to a more natural, wild state in order to rebalance and repair, used especially with reference to the undoing of domestication and conditioning. Human rewilding is a holistic, intentional way of living."
Truthfully, over the past year or so I feel the word 'rewilding' has got out of control and now comes with much weight, it's used politically and has ironically created a 'land grab' mentality for corporate greenwashing and government subsidies. There are many inspiring trailblazers within the rewilding movement who have shown first-hand the wonderful success stories of environmental rewilding, this has been done consciously, with a historical understanding of the land and in collaboration with the community and farmers. On the other hand, there are an increased number of voices that are so intensely polarizing and in my opinion are anti-environmental and sending the mission in a backward spiral.
It's all quite simple. Let's work together collaboratively with land owners, food producers, and communities and create nature-friendly practices that are instilled in us and what it means to be a human, by first rewilding ourselves first.
Michelle x
Hi, I'm Michelle,
Your Host
Founder, Event Producer and Community Builder
The-Rewilding
I’ve hosted and facilitated events all over the world, bringing people together, designing immersive experiences and creating beautiful spaces where people can connect with themselves, each other and nature... in real life!
I’m fascinated with the concept of human rewilding, being part of a community and bringing people together is where I thrive. Having travelled the world, I’ve returned home to the countryside to take on the challenge of leveraging my global experience to connect people and deliver meaningful experiences in nature.
I grew up on a dairy farm, left home at 18 for university and have been living in some of the most populated cities around the world ever since, very much the opposite of what it is to live a rewilded, rural life. 13 years on and the homing beacon drew me back. Why?
City life became increasingly confusing and overwhelming, hence, hitting my 30’s and focussing on ‘rewilding’ myself and my lifestyle. Over the years I’ve gotten very clear on my values and this lifestyle I started out with, fits the bill. I have a lot of gratitude for my upbringing, running wild, making dens and being free-range and feral is what I always knew. I put it down to this freedom I had as a child that made me curious about the world and the passion I developed for nature, travel and culture.
Our family farm business has evolved over the years, and with uncertain times in British agriculture, it continues to do so. The move into renewable energy through anaerobic digestion, and tourism with our holiday cottages, Patty's Barn.
Bridging the gap between the countryside and city life is something I've become increasingly passionate about. Over the past 10 years I've witnessed the increasingly rapid disconnect humans have with the natural world. I'm one of the lucky ones who experienced life pre-mobile phones and computers. Today, I find it hard to wrap my head around how much this is impacting our daily lives, our connection with one another, our planet and the devastating impact it is having on our natural world, on our mental wellbeing, creating a broken 'new normal' for our future generations.
I'm on a mission to keep meeting you in real life with in-person gatherings where we do in person 5 sensory activities humans and welcome you all along the journey.
Our
Location
The Rewilding at Patty's Barn in Lancaster is centrally located in the UK, a 1-hour drive from Manchester and The Lake District and a 10-minute drive from the historic city of Lancaster.
Where the coastline meets the land, no matter what time of year you visit us there is an opportunity to embrace the seasons. From the spring awakening to the rugged wild winters.
Address:
Patty's Barn
Cockerham
Lancaster
North West
United Kingdom
LA2 0DY
Email:
