TREES WORTH TRAVELLING FOR...

HOLESLACK WOOD YEW

An easy walk from St John’s Church, Helsington, Cumbria. Thought to be 1,600 years old, this yew is like an illustration to a fairy tale, with its bulging, fluted lower trunk. It’s the largest standing tree in these woods.

HOPE BAGOT YEW

In the churchyard of St John the Baptist Church, Hope Bagot, Ludlow, Shropshire. It stands precariously on a bank above a holy well, whose waters can reputedly heal eye complaints. It seems to know it’s in a tricky spot, so it has sent out limbs reaching almost 15m, which will hopefully anchor the tree for many centuries to come.

The Ankerwycke yew and (right) the Stow-on-the-Wold yews

ANKERWYCKE YEW

On National Trust land near Wraysbury, Berkshire. This is possibly where Magna Carta was agreed and where Henry VIII courted Anne Boleyn and proposed to her.

PULPIT YEW

In the churchyard of St James’s Church, Nantglyn, Denbighshire. This hollow tree outside the church of St James was turned into a pulpit, possibly used by 18th-century Methodist minister John Wesley. The lectern is reached by a set of stone and Welsh slate steps.

STOW-ON-THE-WOLD YEWS

In the yard of St Edward’s Church, Stow-on-the-Wold, Gloucestershire. For the gateway to Moria in Lord Of The Rings, JRR Tolkien is said to have been inspired by these two yews flanking the church doors. The roots grow forward so haven’t damaged the stonework at all.

MUCH MARCLE YEW

St Bartholomew’s Church, Much Marcle, Ledbury, Herefordshire. Benches inside the hollow trunk – installed in the 18th century – seat up to 12 people. The trunk is more than 9m in circumference.