Learn to love the great outdoors this summer
It’s time to branch out and appreciate the calm & beauty of Scotland’s woodlands by reconnecting with trees for your own health & wellbeing
THERE has never been a more important time to appreciate the calm and peace of Scotland’s outdoor spaces. From experience, we know that our heads feel clearer after being in forests or woodlands, but now journals such as Nature are publishing studies which show that there are measurable health benefits to being among trees. From the Icelandic Forest Service encouraging people to hug a tree during the pandemic to the Japanese concept of ‘forest bathing’ – we’re all embracing the power of trees. If you’re looking to reconnect with nature, the National Trust for Scotland is the perfect place to start. The Trust work to protect some of Scotland’s most loved places – including some very special trees.
At Balmerino Abbey in Northern Fife, the ruins of a 13th-century Cistercian monastery overlook the River Tay – explore the grounds and you’ll find a vast Spanish chestnut tree, believed to have been planted by Ermenguarde de Beaumont and King Alexander 2nd of Scotland. This stunning tree giant is thought to be around 400 years old.
Perthshire has long been known as Big Tree Country and one of its jewels is the stunning Hermitage. Apart from glorious woodland walks, this is one of the best places in Scotland to see magnificent Douglas firs – these trees are native to North America and are named for the botanist David Douglas. Born in Scone, he travelled the Americas in the 1800s, discovering and cataloguing new plants. Overall, he introduced over 200 new species to Scotland through horticulture.
In Dumfries and Galloway, Threave Garden and Estate is home to budding horticulturalists, who study at the Trust’s School of Heritage Gardening. The gardens are full of outstanding trees – but follow the Diamond trail, to admire the 60 trees planted to commemorate Threave’s 60th anniversary.
Within walking distance from the centre of Perth, Branklyn Garden sits on a hillside and surrounds the Arts & Crafts house of the garden’s creators, John and Dorothy Renton. From the early 1920s the couple sourced rare and unusual plants from across the globe, and thanks to Dorothy’s gardening talents, they thrived. This haven for plant-lovers has a huge variety of trees to admire – in the summer the magnolias and the feathery purple Japanese maple are breath-taking. If you’re planning a visit in the autumn, don’t miss the katsura tree, with its delicious burnt sugar scent as its leaves turn.
In the north-west Highlands, the beautiful gardens at Inverewe are host to rare and exotic species thanks to the effects of the Gulf Stream. Who would expect to see huge Californian redwoods here? There are also rare specimen trees such as the variegated turkey oak, believed to have been planted here in 1937. This place is a rousing tonic for the soul.