Follow Hannah Dale’s deeply personal journey as she returns her Lincolnshire farm to nature, celebrating the return of an astonishing variety of wildlife.

Hannah Dale, the artist and founder of the award-winning nature-centric gift company Wrendale Designs, takes you through a year on her farm in rural Lincolnshire where, alongside her husband, she has undertaken an ambitious rewilding project. Together, they are attempting to return the land to nature and increase the number of species their land is able to support.

A Wilding Year  explores how one family have been able to embrace the beauty to be found in untidy landscapes, heralding the return of skylarks, meadow pipits, hobbies, polecats and many more species to their farm. The land was originally claimed from marshy wetlands, and leaning into the land’s natural inclination to be wet has also yielded amazing ponds and pond life.

This rewilding journey has also provided Hannah with new sources of inspiration for her paintings. A Wilding Year  is both a journal and a sketchbook, in which Hannah keeps a visual record of the incredible variety of species she finds on the farm.

This fascinating account of a year spent in nature brings to life the beauty and power of wildlife in every season.

This charming book, first published in 2014 but now reissued in a larger size to give the author’s beautiful images even more chance to shine, features 50 quintessentially British birds and animals painted by Hannah Dale in her uniquely quirky, characterful style. From the red deer to the harvest mouse, from the sparrow to the barn owl, the nation’s favourite creatures are brought to life by this award-winning artist, really bringing out the character in each creature. Additional smaller pictures include their tracks and feathers, to help you identify where they’ve been near even when you can’t see them. The author has also provided insightful and entertaining text to accompany each animal portrait, and it all adds up to an irresistible gift package for any nature lover.