Rewilding Small Spaces - Rewilding Retreat - Rewilding Learning Day

REWILDING SMALL SPACES

Rewilding Learning Day

Leith Community Croft, Edinburgh
£95
1 day
Fitness: Easy
Group Size: 15

Join SCOTLAND: The Big Picture's ecologist and keen gardener, Aidan Maccormick, to discover how rewilding can happen on your own doorstep – from window boxes and gardens to shared green spaces and allotments.

WHAT TO EXPECT

Rewilding is often thought of as something that happens at scale – across large estates or remote landscapes. But nature recovery isn’t only the work of big landholdings. It can also happen in small, everyday spaces, shaped by the collective actions of people across cities, towns and villages. 

This Learning Day will explore how gardens and small green spaces can play a meaningful role in restoring nature – creating and reconnecting habitats, supporting pollinators and helping natural processes recover. Drawing on ecological principles and practical experience, Aidan will show how thoughtful, low-intervention approaches can deliver real benefits for nature, climate and people. Whether you’re starting from scratch or looking to deepen your understanding, we’ll help you see your space – however small – as part of a much bigger picture.

The Learning Day will cover:

  • rewilding principles and how they apply to small spaces,
  • how to rewild everything, from window boxes to larger gardens,
  • choosing native plants to suit your space and conditions,
  • creating bee- and butterfly-friendly habitats,
  • soil health and subterranean life,
  • wildflowers and natural regeneration,
  • garden ponds, wildlife hedges and micro-habitats,
  • nest boxes, bug hotels and shelter for wildlife,
  • small-scale tree planting and natural processes in action.

This Learning Day is for you if: 

  • you are interested in learning how to rewild your small space,
  • you are a student or graduate considering a future in gardening or rewilding,
  • you are a professional or hobby gardener interested in adopting nature-positive methods,
  • you want to make a meaningful contribution to nature recovery wherever you live.

DATES

DATES GUIDE STATUS
DATES: 22 Jun 2026 GUIDES: Aidan Maccormick STATUS: Open BOOK NOW

PRICE

£95

PRICE INCLUDES

  • Tea/coffee/biscuits on arrival
  • All presentations and take-home resources
  • Certification for course attendance

PRICE EXCLUDES

  • Travel to/from the course
  • Lunch (please bring a packed lunch)
  • Personal expenses

THINGS YOU NEED TO KNOW

Timings

Arrival from 9.30am for tea/coffee/biscuits, for a 10am start. The day will wrap up around 3.30pm.

How do I get there?

The venue is Leith Community Croft.

4A John's Pl, Leith, Edinburgh EH6 7EL

The venue is accessible by bus and tram from central Edinburgh. It is a 30 minute walk or 10 minute cycle from Edinburgh Waverley Train Station. 

What size are your groups?

Our Learning Days are for groups of up to 15 participants.

Is the course suitable for me?

Some of the morning will be spent indoors before heading outdoors. After lunch, the afternoon will be spent outdoors (approximately 2 hours), heading out to the gardens/allotments and Leith Links Park. Please wear appropriate clothing and sturdy boots. We will be walking less than two kilometres, not always on paths and at a slow pace. 

Read our FAQ's for more info

Venue

The Learning Day will be run from Leith Community Croft in Edinburgh, the base of local charity, Earth in Common. Once a small neglected area of common good land at the northern extremity of Leith Links, members of the community saw its potential as an urban croft; a place to make healthy food and nature accessible to locals. 

It is now a thriving urban croft growing food, generating community solidarity and wellbeing, strengthening the local economy and contributing to community wealth-building and skills-training.

FIND OUT MORE

Suggest a Learning Day

Interested in joining one of our Learning Days, but haven't found the right topic to excite and inspire you yet? We're always on the look out for new ideas. If you have any rewilding themed suggestions, please contact our Rewilding Training Lead.

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GIFT VOUCHERS

Instead of buying material gifts, support rewilding across Scotland with a Learning Day gift voucher or donation certificate.