Europe's rainforest is a genuine rarity, but parts of the British Isles hold pockets of temperate rainforest, kept wet year-round by Atlantic weather systems rather than tropical heat, supporting moss and lichen found almost nowhere else on the continent.
The destinations on this list range from ancient temperate woodland shaped by centuries of consistent rainfall to smaller protected fragments that survived clearance elsewhere on the continent. Both are considerably less extensive than tropical rainforest but ecologically significant in their own right.
Visiting after rain rather than waiting for dry weather tends to reveal these woodlands at their most characteristic, since the wet conditions are precisely what defines them. Local nature reserves increasingly run guided walks specifically focused on these pockets.
