What if choosing your Christmas tree this year could also help protect one of Dorset’s rarest landscapes?
On 28 and 29 November, wrap up warm, pull on your wellies, a festive hat and head to RSPB Arne for our Dorset Christmas Festival, Pull a Pine. It’s a festive day out with a difference, where you can spend time together outdoors, soak up the Christmas atmosphere and take home your very own tree, all while doing something brilliant for nature.
A Christmas tree that makes a difference
We love trees, but nature needs the right trees in the right place.
RSPB Arne is home to precious lowland heathland, an incredibly special landscape supporting some of the UK’s rarest wildlife. Pine trees can quickly spread across the heathland, blocking out light and eventually changing the habitat completely.
By heading out onto the heathland and cutting your own tree, you will be helping us manage this special landscape and make space for the wildlife that depends upon it. Dartford warblers, Nightjars and Sand lizards are just some of the species that call the heathland home.
The tree you take home is not just another Christmas tree. It is a Christmas tree with a conservation story behind it.
Wrap up warm for a festive adventure
There’s something rather special about heading out into nature on a crisp late-autumn day in search of your Christmas tree.
Pull a Pine runs from 10am to 3pm on Saturday 28 and Sunday 29 November, with live music from Dr Beatroot on Saturday and Quinns Quinney on Sunday there will be plenty of festive cheer throughout the weekend.
Your ticket includes entry to Pull a Pine, car parking and your Christmas tree to take home. If one tree is not enough, you are welcome to take more than one. Every pine you take home is another one removed from the heathland, helping us care for this precious landscape.
Our café team will also be out on the heath with a festive tent serving refreshments, hot food and warming mulled cider.
Christmas shopping too
Once you have found your tree, head back to our wildlife garden, where the café and shop will be open.
Pull a Pine ticket holders will receive 15% off in the RSPB Arne shop during the event weekend, with some exclusions applying.
We will also be holding a special binocular and telescope event, with our expert team on hand to offer advice, whether you are looking for your first pair of binoculars, upgrading your equipment or searching for a present for a nature lover.
Give the gift of nature this Christmas
If you are searching for a present for someone who loves nature, why not give them an experience instead?
Our Hire a Guide gift vouchers are a wonderful way to give the gift of nature this Christmas. A private guided experience at RSPB Arne offers the chance to explore the reserve with one of our knowledgeable guides, discovering its wildlife, landscapes and conservation stories along the way.
It’s a Christmas present they can look forward to long after the decorations have come down. Click the link to find out more RSPB Events
Make Pull a Pine part of your Dorset Christmas
Pull a Pine is about much more than finding a Christmas tree. It’s about getting outdoors, spending time together and experiencing one of Dorset’s special places.
Most importantly, it’s your chance to do your bit for nature and take home a Christmas tree from RSPB Arne.
Take advantage of our Early Bird ticket special prices until the end of October. Click the link to book RSPB Arne events
