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A truly mighty Horse-Chestnut, its in the village of Saintbury near Broadway.
Roughly 6' across at the base.
What you got ?
I love a good tree thread!
Nothing (pics wise) recently unfortunately. I do love an old, gnarly tree though.
My favourites are perhaps the lovely yew trees we have in my part of the North Downs. You can almost taste the history, the fact they tend to grow along the side of ancient holloways makes them even more magical.
****in love a big tree. My old work was at a university whose grounds used to be a stately home's gardens- and they loved big trees. The house was all gone but the arboretum had run wild for decades before the uni was built, a lot was lost to storms etc but a lot survives... so right outside my office window was one of the oldest giant redwoods in europe, literally from the first seeds brought from the US. Not the biggest, he's in the wrong place and he's broken and split into two tops but, pretty bloody good.
I'd never really thought much about this sort of thing but it was a good place to inspire a bit of thought- you could step out of a stressful meeting and in 2 seconds be in Endor. Aside from the redwoods there's a load of other big examples, yuge red cedars right beside modern buildings, some massive old sycamores, a very ramshackle characterful cedar of lebanon, grand silver and noble firs, ponderosa and corsican and lodgepole pine and all sorts of cypress and acer... Like, I liked trees but trees plural, woods- I'd never really thought about individual trees
Imagine being Ted the gardener and the boss comes to you and says, plant this seedling, but plant it carefully because they grow to be the biggest trees in the world, but you're Scottish in 1850 so the biggest tree you've ever seen was on the scale of a scots pine. So you plant it, you die, the entire family pretty much dies, the house dies, and eventually in 2023 a new Ted the gardener has to deal with these bloody ridiculous supertrees.
Once I'd started noticing them, I couldn't stop- there's loads of places like it, some botanical gardens like Dawyck started out exactly this way, the arboretum at dunkeld too, and pretty often the buildings are gone or mostly gone, or the estate has shrunk so the main survivors are the big-ass trees from the conifer craze. Or Drumlanrig where there's a cool mix of modern forestry and old park trees. I've never made it to Cali to see the real big uns, I reckon when I do I might go a bit mad though
Yes!
Especially Sweet Chestnuts, I love the twists and shapes.
But big is good, get to see plenty in my line of work and the aim is to keep them up (with maybe the odd exception for Douglas Fir, but they are a production tree).
Trees are nature's powerhouses, they are bursting with vital life force. Embrace the Qi.
The best time to plant a tree was 20 years ago.
The second best time is today.
https://www.ancienttreeforum.org.uk/
Like big old trees? The ancient tree forum is the place for you!
Bedgebury. Before it became what it is now, it was a tiny car park in tumbledown walls, with free roam pretty much everywhere. So many amazing childhood memories of the mighty pine surrounded by a near ring of water. My sister, friends and I lost hours in the branches of that old chap.
I bloody love a good tree.
There's a big old ancient Beech on the edge of our village. Hollow and burnt out by local scrotes, but it still keeps going. A magical place to sit and just exist.
It's also the entrance to MTB Narnia...
https://www.ancienttreeforum.org.uk/ < Like big old trees? The ancient tree forum is the place for you!
Cheers for that link mate.👍
Love the Narnia pic!
I love trees. We live among them with a fair few 30-40m specimens, but nothing over 100 years old as the forest was logged in the 1920s.
It's tightly packed though, so no not easy to photograph.
Some of the stumps left behind from the original forest are impressive though, giving a sense of how big they were.
This is a photo of the Giant Tingle in Western Australia ... you can just see my wife at the base. There's an old photo somewhere of a car driving through it.
Not near me, but if I'm ever in Western Australia I'd love to climb this
@CheezybeanZ I know that tree well, my family owned lots of stuff around Broadway and Weston Subege and I spent a lot of my Childhood convinced there were evil spirits in that tree at night when visiting grandparents !
I love many of the 'granny pines' around the Cairngorms and other places in Scotland. You can stand below them and imagine the history of people and wildlife they have seen - there are pines which would have had wolves resting below them, even as larger trees.....Over 500 years old for a few.
[url= https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/50802847278_6aa1b4a70e_k.jp g" target="_blank">https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/50802847278_6aa1b4a70e_k.jp g"/> [/img][/url][url= https://flic.kr/p/2kpgSxY ]Cromlet Hill[/url] by [url= https://www.flickr.com/photos/matt_outandabout/ ]Matt[/url], on Flickr
[url= https://live.staticflickr.com/372/31972437422_e9267d5af2_k.jp g" target="_blank">https://live.staticflickr.com/372/31972437422_e9267d5af2_k.jp g"/> [/img][/url][url= https://flic.kr/p/QHi6K5 ]Aviemore ride[/url] by [url= https://www.flickr.com/photos/matt_outandabout/ ]Matt[/url], on Flickr
[url= https://live.staticflickr.com/891/42288829514_4f6fd2c678_k.jp g" target="_blank">https://live.staticflickr.com/891/42288829514_4f6fd2c678_k.jp g"/> [/img][/url][url= https://flic.kr/p/27qViGf ]Dunblane BB Gold & Silver DofE[/url] by [url= https://www.flickr.com/photos/matt_outandabout/ ]Matt[/url], on Flickr
Traces of what once was.
[url= https://live.staticflickr.com/7214/7338655466_452a8c722d_k.jp g" target="_blank">https://live.staticflickr.com/7214/7338655466_452a8c722d_k.jp g"/> [/img][/url][url= https://flic.kr/p/cbuwAw ]A wee wander round the Highlands[/url] by [url= https://www.flickr.com/photos/matt_outandabout/ ]Matt[/url], on Flickr
Some beautiful pics guys. I get a bit spiritual over old trees.
...and im proud of it!
Yew trees are pretty cool. Oak, Ash etc take several decades to be mature, Yew however takes nearly 900 years.
Wonderful, wonderful old things. The changes they've seen.
If any of you ever ride the Gospel Pass then take a few minutes to stop in Capel y finn and have a look at the yew trees in the churchyard. We used to play on them after Sunday School and I remember them as being special even then 50 years ago!
https://thetreehunter.tumblr.com/post/654763714114961408/capel-y-ffin-yew-trees
Not sure the Gloucester Tree is open for climbing anymore but the Dave Evans Bicentennial is and an absolutely fantastic/terrifying climb it is. That Giant Tingle is awesome but for me the big Karri or Tasmanian Mountain Ash gets the nod for awesomeness.
Bit closer to home the Kingley Vale Yew forest is incredible, must be one of the most atmospheric places iv been to in ages.
It's really heartening to see such interest in ancient and veteran trees; if you get the chance book on to a guided walk with the ATF, if you're really lucky Ted Green and Jill Butler will be present. We went round the Killerton Estate Park a few years back, great to fondle ancient trees alongside likeminded people. For those near Saintbury, nip over the hill to Chippy, the B4035 betweeen the Ebrington crossroads and the Charingworth turn has some nice examples of hedgerow Ash that have been through several pollard cycles and most now have extensive hollowing. If you're looking for big examples of a species, whether that is girth or height, the Tree Register of Britain and Ireland (TROBI) should be consulted, however like those in the ATF register not all the trees are accessible to the public.
Tasmania has some of the largest hardwood trees.
In 2008 when i lived there we did a trip with some mates as part of a movement trying to introduce a walking track aimed at stopping the logging of the old growth forests. Some of that area is now known around the world as Blue Tier.
I was going to post one of mine, but perhaps not.
Probably stretching the imagination a bit there 😛
Woodland trust ancient tree map is a great way to plan a walk:
Probably stretching the imagination a bit there
From little acorns, etc… 😉
Hubby and I are members of the 'Wood land trust'. If you love trees it's a great charity to join. They do a lot of good work (re planting, new planting, conservation work etc). Trees are just the best thing for the soul. Everyone needs trees.
Not sure the Gloucester Tree is open for climbing anymore but the Dave Evans Bicentennial is and an absolutely fantastic/terrifying climb it is.
@wildhunter2009 - i just noticed your post. I climbed one of them and the Diamond Tree back in 2009. Absolutely brilliant. Basically a load of Reo Bar hammered into the tree and some chicken wire to catch you if you fall. Can't believe H&S hasn't shut them down before.
https://exploreparks.dbca.wa.gov.au/site/gloucester-tree - looks like it's closed currently as is the Diamond Tree
But Dave's still open https://exploreparks.dbca.wa.gov.au/site/dave-evans-bicentennial-tree
Here's my wife coming down the Diamond Tree.
It's worth checking out Thomas Pakenham's books; some great photography and stories. There's a few Uk-centric ones with individual profiles of some big, gnarly trees.
Those north of the border might want to have a look at Donald Rodger's book . It's become one of my things to check before i go for a ride in an unknown area: in case there is any nice trees nearby to take a detour to.
There's a few massive pines in a quiet corner of Woburn backwoods outside Milton Keynes
Every time I ride past them they make me happy
Those look like giant redwoods. Beast mode enabled...
Mark,
There's an ancient yew with a hollow trunk down the road from you in Llanbedr churchyard. Like a small room inside and last time I saw it there were a couple of chairs in there. IIRC Llanbedr churchyard has some too.
Some yews must be older than the churches, wouldn't be the first time the upstart religion has adopted the old customs and sites to gain a toehold.
S
^^ From the net.
Damn, that's dad to see.
Some yews must be older than the churches, wouldn’t be the first time the upstart religion has adopted the old customs and sites to gain a toehold.
Certainly churches were established on existing pagan sites, in order to encourage the locals to come and worship, and the yew, along with oak and a number of other trees, as well as parasites like mistletoe were considered sacred.
Also, all parts of the yew are toxic, with the exception of the red flesh around the seed, which meant that livestock was kept away from churchyards, avoiding disturbance of the deceased.
Yew will also spread itself through its roots, and a branch that droops and touches the ground will establish itself as another tree, as well as the seeds. I’m going out around the woods above Castle Combe to find some established yew seedlings to fill up some gaps in my front hedges, along with some hawthorns, I’ve already planted a couple of holly that were growing at the bottom of my garden, to join some others already there. About half the original Pyrocanthus has died off, it’s at least fifty years old, so not too surprising, really.
Yews aren't considered mature until 700 plus years !
One theory i heard (though the age of some of those yews probably predates this!) is that they were effectively being cultivated for long-bow production and the only enclosure that was guarateed stock proof (so as not to kill off your livestock) was the church yard. Hence they grew them there. Churches were early munitions factories!
there are a couple of giant redwoods near me, along with many other beautiful specimens , rhinefield ornamental drive, my favourite stretch of road riding. stunning of you can get their early morning before the cars.
I found this fact out whilst on a redwood tour in yosemite! if you like trees wow you need to do it. it felt like you were walking through dinosaur times.
the tour guide said giant redwoods outside of yosemite are very rare, and most are in fact the smaller (but still huge) coastal redwoods.
I have a giant redwoods cone in my bedside drawer, tempted to plant it !
