Thirlmere, Lake District

Help protect a vital water supply and enhance biodiversity while proving your team a restorative day in nature.

Thirlmere is home to ancient woodland remnants, recovering peatlands, and the reservoir that supplies drinking water to over 80,000 homes and businesses across northwest England. This is a landscape under increasing pressure from climate change, flash floods, and invasive species - but also one of exciting transformation. And we need your help.

As part of the Thirlmere Resilience Partnership, the John Muir Trust is working to restore this landscape to a more natural state, including the planting and care of rare montane scrub species such as downy willow. Work party volunteering days offer your team a meaningful way to get involved in practical conservation activities - helping to boost biodiversity and protect a vital water source for tens of thousands of people.

Your team’s efforts will leave a legacy - reviving an ecologically vital landscape and securing the supply of one of Britain’s most important water supplies for generations to come.

Below is an image of the land at Thirlmere. On the right, you can see the woodland that once covered this area; on the left, the landscape has been stripped bare by human activity. The result is not just a devastating loss of biodiversity — the deforested land is now far more vulnerable to flash floods. These floods have caused millions of pounds’ worth of damage to the Thirlmere reservoir and temporarily disrupted water supply for tens of thousands of people.

By enriching the land with its natural seed source, removing invasive species, and planting a variety of montane species, this landscape will begin to regenerate and recover — supporting not only local biodiversity, but also the long-term health of the reservoir.

Conservation Activities

Before embarking on any of the below activities, please note that the activities are subject to availability and may change on the day due to weather conditions. We will discuss the abilities of your group with you to ensure the activity suits the abilities of the group.

Ranger-led walk (all year round).

Explore the Thirlmere site and learn about its unique habitat, our conservation work and our future plans with the Thirlmere Resilience Project. Our Conservation Officer will guide you through areas rich in biodiversity, highlighting key species and sharing their stories with your team.

• Level of difficulty: medium to high – the route can be adapted for varied abilities. All routes will involve walking over rough ground.

Tree nursery work (October to April)

Your team can get hands-on with conservation at Thirlmere by helping to plant montane scrub seeds and young trees. Tasks typically include sowing seeds in our sheltered polytunnel, watering, weeding, picking out seedlings, potting plants, preparing plants for planting out, splitting established plants, and taking cuttings. The polytunnel provides shelter during wet weather, and toilet facilities are available approximately one mile away.

• Level of difficulty: Low

Tree planting

Once the young trees we’ve grown from seed are ready for planting, we’ll take you and your team to various locations across the site — ranging from low-level areas at 100m to high-altitude sites around 600m. The difficulty varies significantly depending on altitude and terrain.

Higher-altitude planting takes place on steep, craggy ground, where a good level of fell fitness is essential. Participants should be confident navigating steep terrain while carrying a day bag, trees, and planting tools. Lower-level planting still requires a good level of fitness, as it often involves walking several kilometres over rough ground with materials and equipment.

• Level of difficulty: High

Tree maintenance (all year round)

Learn about the maintenance of specific trees and check them for signs of health, retube, re-stake, and undertake other nurturing activities that will strengthen the trees. All tools will be provided.

The task itself isn’t too physical, but it can involve a walk into site over rough ground.

• Level of difficulty: Medium

Non-native conifer removal (September - April)

Cutting back invasive conifers to encourage the regeneration of native woodland, which strengthens biodiversity and improves the landscape’s ability to adapt to the effects of climate change. This involves removing non-native conifer saplings or young trees across the catchment, using loppers and handsaws and can be quite physical. It is a task that can be done at a pace that is comfortable for the participant.

• Level of difficulty: Medium

Bracken bashing (May-August)

Bashing and cutting down bracken to prevent it from overwhelming native plants. This allows wildflowers, young trees, and other species to thrive, and improves soil health. To help broadleaf trees to establish, bracken is controlled at various locations across the site. This involves hitting or cutting the bracken at its base to avoid competition with young native trees.

• Level of difficulty: Medium

How many people can take part?

Up to 12 people can take part in volunteering at Thirlmere. If you would like us to host a larger work party, please get in touch and we can look into accommodating a larger group.

What do I need to prepare?

We’ll provide everything you need, including a full kit list, logistical details, risk assessments, and a tailored plan for your visit.

Transport

• Please consider carpooling where possible to reduce carbon emissions.
• Parking is limited to 10 medium-sized vehicles.