Our Story
Walls in the Woods is a family business — run by Rachel and Lee, Mark and Erin, their two kids (Ellis and Eden), and Otis the dog. What started as buying a patch of woodland turned into a proper family adventure, and now we're sharing it with others.
The woodland itself is 25 acres of ancient, semi-natural habitat — three distinct zones ranging from old-growth oak to seasonal ponds. Come spring, the floor turns blue with native bluebells, and the mix of undisturbed ground and ancient trees supports a real range of wildlife.
How it Started
In 2021, Mark and Erin bought the first parcel of woodland. It was called Ellis Wood— the same name as their son — which felt like too much of a sign to ignore. Not long after, Rachel (Mark's sister) and Lee came on board as the rest of the woodland was purchased, and what started as one family's patch of trees became a shared adventure for all of us.
It was never really about building a business. We wanted somewhere to spend more time outdoors for our own wellbeing, and somewhere the wider family and friends could be outside together too.
A Rare Find
We were lucky to find a piece of land like this — it's classed as ancient woodland, meaning there's been continuous woodland cover here since at least the 1600s. That matters more than it might sound: the UK is one of the least wooded countries in Europe, and ancient woodland now covers just 2.5% of the UK's land area. What's left needs looking after. We see ourselves as guardians of this place, and we're committed to improving its habitat over time.
Meet The Family
It takes the whole family to look after 25 acres of ancient woodland. Here's a bit more about who's behind Walls in the Woods.
Mark runs a software company called Liveforce, helping event staffing agencies manage their temporary workforce, while Erin runs an accountancy firm called WallsMan Creative, working with businesses across the creative industry — artists, writers, designers and makers of all sizes.
Rachel is Operations Coordinator for sustainability and biodiversity at Kingston University, driving positive environmental change across the campus and beyond. Lee is a freelance ecologist, writer and conservationist specialising in birds, with over 40 years' field experience across European species and two decades studying Brazilian birdlife, alongside broader ecological consultancy work spanning bats, dormice, reptiles and invertebrates.
Then there's the next generation — Ellis and Eden, growing up alongside it all — and Otis, our Tibetan Terrier. He's the family pet, loved by everyone who meets him, and very cute to boot.
Why We Do This
Every experience we run is designed to work with the woodland, not against it. The income it generates goes towards its upkeep and towards increasing the wildlife here — not because we have to say that, but because this is ancient woodland, and it isn't ours to use up. We're guardians of it for as long as we're here, and we'd rather grow slowly and get it right than rush and get it wrong. That means testing every new idea against one simple question: does this help the woodland, or does it just help us? If it's not the first one, we don't do it.