Gabriel Hemery's Blog: Gabriel Hemery

The Forest Guide England

I’m excited to reveal the cover and more details of the last in my triptych of forest guides: The Forest Guide England.

The Forest Guide England: Copses, Woods and Forests by Gabriel Hemery

The Forest Guide England follows the publication of The Forest Guide Scotland (2023) and The Forest Guide Wales (2025), published with Bloomsbury Publishing Plc.

The Forest Guide series features the finest woodlands of Britain, from the largest forest to the smallest copse. Information and specially commissioned photographs celebrate their beauty, purpose, history, current nature, and ownership. Descriptions guide visitors in exploring more than 1000 forest sites across Britain. The Forest Guide series is published by Bloomsbury Wildlife.

This latest in the series features 380 of the most scenic, wildlife-rich and historically significant woodlands in England. From precious remnants of temperate rainforests to lesser-known wildwoods and urban copses, English woodlands offer places of sanctuary for both wildlife and people.

The book is divided into eight regions, each beginning with a summary of its woodland heritage. The 380 site entries contain details of ownership, designation, area, forest type, precise access details (including grid reference, post code and what3words reference) and a description of key features of interest. With clear maps and hundreds of remarkable photographs showcasing England���s plants, animals and landscapes, this is an essential book for adventurers, ramblers and wildlife enthusiasts. Wherever you may be in England, with this guide you will never be far from a fascinating forest site.

Publication is due February 2026. You can pre-order a signed copy here.

Pre-order your copy

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Visiting the RPS Landscape Exhibition 2025

A few months ago I announced that one of my photographs had been selected for a national touring exhibition organised by the Royal Photographic Society (RPS). I recently enjoyed visiting the opening exhibition outside Southwark Cathedral in London – the first of several venues across Britain.

RPS Landscape Exhibition 2025 at Southwark, LondonRPS Landscape Exhibition 2025 at Southwark, LondonRPS Landscape Exhibition 2025 at Southwark, LondonRPS Landscape Exhibition 2025 at Southwark, London

The RPS Landscape Group national exhibition takes place throughout 2025 and into 2026, and features photos chosen after a competitive process among its 1000 members.

The exhibition will be presented at different venues throughout the year, and is free to enjoy. The exhibition remains open at Southwark Cathedral in London before visiting Bristol Central Library on 21st June, and then moving northwards, reaching Scotland in Spring 2026.

17 May – 8 June 2025: Southwark Cathedral, London21 June – 13 July 2025: Central Library, Bristol2 – 18 August 2025: Bridge Field, Rushcliffe (Trent Bridge, Nottingham)6 – 21 September 2025: Yorkshire Museum / Dame Judi Dench Walk, York4-26 October 2025: Chester Cathedral, Chester8 – 23 November 2025: Crow Park, Keswick (National Trust)2 – 17 May 2026: WASPS, InvernessWinter & Spring 2026: Dates to be announced

The exhibition features 80 beautiful prints, their subjects ranging from London to Antarctica. The photographs feature land and sea, rural and urban, and big scenes to intimate abstracts.

My image is titled ‘Good Morning’ and features long shadows and rich colours from the rising sun in the Wittenhams area (including the Wittenham Clumps) of south Oxfordshire. What the RPS doesn’t know is that many of trees in this image were planted by me some 30 years ago, which adds another level of personal satisfaction for me. You will find my image on Board 5. It is also featured as the main image on the RPS website.

Visit the RPS website

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A Journey Through Trees

In summer 2024 I was invited to speak at the Wooden Boat Gathering whose members had gathered at Lake Windermere in the English Lake District. I am pleased to share a recording of the talk which has just been released.

Gabriel describes his journey through trees and how he believes caring for forests and planting more trees is a shared responsibility. Drawing upon drawings, photographs and fascinating histories, we learn how humans emerged from the forest, built empires using their timber, and may turn again to trees to live sustainably.

The two-day gathering was held at the wonderful Windermere Jetty Museum, surrounded by boats. In my talk – A Journey Through Trees – I provided an overview of the state of Britain’s woodlands and some context for the challenges we all face in the tackling the climate emergency and nature emergency. I also introduced the work of Sylva Foundation, a charity I co-founded in 2009, including education activities at the Sylva Wood School. Finally, a little bit about my writing and some of my (then) recent books. Scattered throughout are examples of my tree and woodland photography, many of which (unsurprisingly) feature boats to please this specialist interest audience!

I am very grateful to the Wooden Boat Gathering for inviting me to speak and for sharing this high-quality recording of the talk. A special thanks to Megan Henwood.

Read more about the Wooden Boat Gathering.

Swallows and Amazons (c) Gabriel Hemery

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A Big Thank You to The National Trust

I owe a big thank you to the forestry team of The National Trust who have helped me immensely during book research undertaken for The Forest Guides of Wales and England.

Today I had the pleasure of visiting The National Trust’s Ebworth Estate near Stroud in the Cotswolds, donating a signed copy of The Forest Guide Wales to the trust’s new Woodland Library.

Author Gabriel Hemery (left) donates a signed copy of The Forest Guide Wales to The National Trust’s new Woodland Library, received by Matt Stanway at Ebworth.

I met with Matt Stanway, Trees and Woodland Advisor for National Trust properties across Southwest England and Wales. I enjoyed a personal tour of the nascent library, and a productive meeting where we were joined by Head of Trees and Woodlands, John Deakin. Matt and I then enjoyed a spectacular walk in spring sunshine through the woods.

Looking towards Painswick from Sheepscombe on the Ebworth Estate.

Ebworth is a stunning estate. A cluster of renovated farm buildings, built using the distinctive local honey-coloured stone, is surrounded by high quality stands of beech, often with vigorously growing yew and holly in the understorey. The magnificent Cotswold Commons and Beechwoods National Nature Reserve lies at the heart of the estate. Much of the wood was renamed Workman���s Wood in memory of John Workman OBE, passing ownership to the trust on his death in 2008. John Workman’s family had owned the woodland for generations, and he had been a forestry advisor to the National Trust for 50 years. He was a much respected forester and early adopter of close to nature silviculture.

I have other links with the Ebworth Estate through my work with Sylva Foundation, a charity I co-founded in 2009. Staff and students at the Sylva Wood School have made a collection of stunning furniture using ash timber harvested from Ebworth – read more.

The Forest Guide: Wales £25.00

A guide to exploring 325 of Wales’s most scenic, wildlife-rich and historically significant woodlands.

In stock (can be backordered)

The Forest Guide: Wales quantity Add to basket SKU: 9781399409124 Category: paperback book, shopTags: book, forest guide

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Talking Trees at Ely

I recently had the privilege of being invited to deliver the 2025 Osmond Lecture at King’s Ely School. While there I was given a personal introduction to the Great London Plane Tree of Ely.

King’s Ely School was founded in 970, making it one of the oldest schools in the world. The students (aged 2-18) are very much connected to the modern day world however, thanks in part to their participation in national Science Week. In fact, it was Science Week which led to my invitation because the school had chosen to focus on trees for the 2025 event. The topic of trees was inspired by a truly awesome specimen of London Plane which grows in the school grounds.

It’s thought that the Great Plane Tree of Ely was gifted to the Bishop of Ely by Charles II in 1674 to plant in his palace garden, which now falls within the grounds of King’s Ely school. The tree now has a girth of about 10m, and its three huge main stems stretch more than 30m in height. The top of the tree is visible from nearby streets, but the tree itself is only accessible by invitation so I was delighted to have a personal introduction to the tree by David Day (Chair of the Board of Governors) and Will Temple (Manager of Grounds and Gardens).

I then headed inside to deliver my lecture to some 300 students from the senior school, plus staff and governors. I talked about the art and science of forestry. I was delighted by the great questions which followed, and was pleased to gift a signed copy of The Tree Almanac 2025 to a student who won an interactive tree quiz.

The introduction slide to The Osmond Lecture 2025

I was delighted to learn that the school had recently been successful in fundraising to undertake conservation work on the tree. They are also conducting cutting edge science in understanding more about the tree so that they can care for it long into the future. News of the funding broke on the same day as my lecture – read article on the BBC. The grant will also support public open days so that more people can enjoy visiting the tree.

Find out more about King’s Ely School

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A Canal-side Walk

I recently enjoyed a beautiful canal-side walk along the Oxford Canal.

I walked from north along the Oxford Canal from Kidlington, passing by Thrupp and Shipton-on-Cherwell. The route passes by long stretches of narrowboat mooring, churches, pubs, and a Grade II listed lift bridge. The main Oxford to Birmingham railway crosses the canal, where there was a tragic train crash on Christmas Eve 1874 (34 died and dozens more were injured).

I reached Shiptonweir Lock (SP 48774 16978) before turning round to follow a path along the banks of the River Cherwell through a beautiful water meadow with pollarded willows, before returning to the canal towpath at Shipton-on-Cherwell.

There are several pubs along the route and the wonderful Annie’s Tea Room (good value and dog friendly) near the narrowboat turning (known as ‘winding) area at Thrupp Wide.

An all round great walk at anytime of the year and remember to take a camera is there is lots of interest.

All images taken with Leica Q3 (fixed 28mm lens) and edited in Adobe Lightroom. EXIF data is displayed by clicking on images.

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Project365 Limited Edition Photozine

I’m pleased to announce that my photozine for Project365 is now available to purchase. The special collector’s edition photozine is limited to 365 copies, featuring all 365 images from Project365.

Completing Project365

The concept of Project365 was to capture an original photograph every day, for 365 days. Many people I spoke with over the year assumed that I was selecting images from my archive, but no, the whole creative challenge was to capture an original photograph every single day.

I knew at the outset that there would be times this would be a real challenge. I wondered how the short and often grey wet winter days in Britain would tax me. How could I capture an image if I was at my office during daylight hours? How could I deal with dull and lifeless conditions outdoors? What if I simply forgot?

I made some notes before the project got underway, which reading again now are revealing. I was concerned that the project might create additional psychological burden in an already busy life. Would I manage to complete the task every single day? What might prevent me from doing so (not just time but major life events)? Would I struggle for opportunity and inspiration? I wondered if my high expectations to create an artful and quality collection, not merely a Instagram-like motley gathering of images, might be beyond reach. How much would image quality vary? I expected there to be some standout images, but what about the gaps between these?

Initially, waiting to start the project had a strange effect of curtailing creativity, almost if I felt I should hold something back. Once I got going in March 2024, I really enjoyed the challenge, although I can’t deny it create an underlying ‘pressure’ (I won’t call it a stress). I began to notice more opportunities in the mundane and everyday, which I would previously have ignored. I think what surprised me most was not so much the capturing of the image, but how much I learnt in editing images (Adobe Lightroom), especially try to reproduce some of the creative ideas I had in my head at the time of photo capture. By the end of the year, if I ever left the house without a camera over my shoulder, it felt like I was walking naked.

Here’s a gallery with some of my personal favourite images taken throughout the year (click an image to view fullscreen).

I will keep all 365 images from Project365 available to view at gabrielhemery.com/project365. It has been fun working on a photozine for the project, and I’m grateful to readers for showing interest in this. The collector’s limited edition photozine is now available to purchase from my shop – see below.

Project365 Photozine

A limited edition collector’s Photozine featuring 365 photographs taken between 1st March 2024 and 28th February 2025. Limited to 365 copies.

Printed on quality 150gsm silk paper. 28 pages. Size A4. Individually numbered and embossed for authenticity by Gabriel Hemery.

Visit my Shop to purchase a limited edition copy

Project365 Photozine £9.99

A limited edition collector’s Photozine featuring 365 photographs taken between 1st March 2024 and 28th February 2025. Limited to 365 copies.

Printed on quality 150gsm silk paper. 28 pages. Size A4. Individually numbered and embossed for authenticity by Gabriel Hemery.

 

In stock

Project365 Photozine quantity Add to basket SKU: pz365 Category: photozine, shopTags: photography, project365

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The Forest Guide Wales

The Forest Guide Wales is published! Available from all good bookshops, or signed copies direct from my shop.

A few pages from The Forest Guide Wales are available to see in the preview above.

Published by Bloomsbury Wildlife, the book is a guide to exploring 325 of Wales���s most scenic, wildlife-rich and historically significant woodlands. From precious remnants of temperate rainforests to lesser-known wildwoods and urban copses, Welsh woodlands offer places of sanctuary for both wildlife and people.

In this practical guide, Gabriel Hemery brings together the beauty, purpose, history and wildlife of some of the most extraordinary woodland sites in Wales, from the largest (like Tywi Forest, covering more than 6,000 hectares) to the smallest (measuring one hectare). Some woods are havens for rare wildlife such as the threatened red squirrel, spectacular lichens and the elusive goshawk. Others offer opportunities to explore archaeological features and discover some of Wales��� magical and hidden histories. Many are ideal for simply enjoying the spectacular Welsh scenery.

The book is divided into seven regions, each beginning with a summary of its woodland heritage. The 325 site entries contain details of ownership, designation, area, forest type, precise access details (including grid reference, post code and what3words reference) and a description of key features of interest. With clear maps and hundreds of remarkable photographs showcasing Wales��� plants, animals and landscapes, this is an essential book for adventurers, ramblers and wildlife enthusiasts. Wherever you may be in Wales, with this guide you will never be far from a fascinating forest site.

The Forest Guide: Wales £25.00

A guide to exploring 325 of Wales’s most scenic, wildlife-rich and historically significant woodlands.

Only 1 left in stock (can be backordered)

The Forest Guide: Wales quantity Add to basket SKU: 9781399409124 Category: paperback book, shopTags: book, forest guide

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Forest Guide Scotland Shortlisted for Award

The Forest Guide Scotland has been shortlisted for a Scottish Nature Photography Award and you can help select the winners!

The Scottish Nature Photography Awards celebrate nature, wildlife and landscape photography in Scotland through annual photography and video awards and other events, including an award that celebrates photographic books and you can help vote for the winners.

The vote is open from today and will close on at noon on Monday the 3rd of March 2025 with the result will be announced later that month.

Everyone who takes part in the online vote will be entered into a free prize draw for one lucky individual to win the entire shortlist of books.

Vote here

Thanks for your support and good luck!

The Forest Guide ScotlandShortlisted BooksArt & Nature in the Outer Hebrides by Bruce Kendrick (Whittles Publishing)Explore & Discover The Inner Hebrides by Christopher Swan (Fotovue)Explore & Discover The Outer Hebrides by Christopher Swan (Fotovue)Exploring Scotland’s Islands by Terry Marsh (Bloomsbury)I Burn But I Am Not Consumed by Alicia Bruce (Daylight Books)In Search of the Blue Flower: Alexander Hamilton and The Art of Cyanotype by Alexander Hamilton (Studies in Photography & Edinburgh University Press)Kelp by Mark Littlejohn (Kozu Books)Lowland Highlanders by John Irvine (Kozu Books)Northern Cairngorms by Ed Smith(Spot Height Publishing)Scotland from the Air by Shahbaz Majeed (Amberley Publishing)Scottish Highlands by Land of Light Photography (Land of Light Photography)Shetland: Your Essential Travel Guide by Laurie Goodlad (60 North Publishing)The Forest Guide Scotland by Gabriel Hemery (Bloomsbury)The Great Wilderness by Alex Nail (Alex Nail Publishing)The Point of the Deliverance by Alex Boyd (Kozu Books)Unseen Scotland: The Hidden Places, History and Lore of the Wild Scottish Landscape by Bryan Millar Walker (Greenfinch/Quercus Books)Wild Shetland through the Seasons by Brydon Thomason (Shetland Times)

Cast your vote

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Photograph selected for national exhibition

I am super proud that one of my photographs has been selected for a national touring exhibition organised by the Royal Photographic Society (RPS).

The RPS Landscape Group will be holding the national exhibition throughout 2025 and into 2026. It will feature selected photos chosen after a competitive process among its 1000 members.

The exhibition will be presented at different venues throughout the year. It will open at 17th May at Southwark Cathedral in London before visiting Bristol Central Library and then moving northwards, reaching Scotland in Spring 2026.

2025 venues

17 May – 8 June: Southwark Cathedral, London21 June – 13 July: Bristol LibraryAugust: Midlands tba6 – 21 September: York Museum / Dame Judi Dench Walk4 – 26 October: Chester CathedralNovember: tbaDecember: tba

2026 venues

March: Glasgow tbaMay: tba

The exhibition will feature 80 beautiful prints, their subjects ranging from London to Antarctica. The photographs feature land and sea, rural and urban, and big scenes to intimate abstracts.

Read more in the RPS website

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