Kenmore - Loch Tay (Perthshire)

Giant Redwood - September 2008	Loch Tay

Coast Redwoods - September 2008

Thanks to Tam for sending his latest Scottish Redwood finds in September/October 2008. He says, "Not least of my findings were these I found at Kenmore at the head of Loch Tay in Perthshire. I remembered reading somewhere that there were some Coast Redwoods to be seen here and what beauties they are. I counted three Coast and a large Giant. All of these trees are over 8m in circumference. When I was showing the photos to my wife I remarked that at the base of these trees there always seems to be a scene of carnage with all the branches that fall off over the years, this can be seen in some of the snaps. There is a lovely woodland walk in among some huge trees including the Redwoods and some lovely examples of Douglas Fir and Silver Fir. The path is at the north eastern edge of the loch. I took this photo from the bridge over the Tay looking back towards the area where they can be found." Tam also mentions, "The one frustrating thing with such huge trees is attempting to get the whole tree in the photo. I don't suppose I have to remind you of this though Ron." Yes, it can be extremely tricky sometimes. A lovely set of Redwoods, in a lovely part of the world. I have visited the area around Loch Tay myself in the past, but sadly before I was "into" Redwoods, although there are plenty of other beautiful sights in the area on which to feast one's eyes.

Coast Redwood - May 2009

Giant Redwood - May 2009

Tam's discovery here was a gem, and on a recent trip to Scotland I went to see this marvellous location, although later I realised I had missed one of the three Coast Redwoods that he mentioned. Tucked away in a sliver of woodland between Loch Tay and the A827 road are a treasure trove of magnificent trees of various types. Most significantly (for me), there are a Giant Redwood (Sequoiadendron giganteum) and three Coast Redwoods (Sequoia semperivrens), although I only found two of the latter. Huge beasts of trees, these rank among the biggest in Britain, particularly the Coast Redwoods. There is a narrow walkway cleared through the length of the woods, but you will need your wellies in the wet season. On the day I visited it was very wet underfoot and so crowded it was difficult to get measurements, but it was well worth the effort. Off the track the wooodland looks almost like a jungle, particularly around the Coast Redwood where the discarded limbs have been left to pile up over the decades. The Coast Redwood in particular are the most striking I have seen so far, their broad but straight trunks being deeply furrowed with the usual soft bark. A view up along the trunk really does give the impression of a tree that has its origins firmly in the dinosaur era, with relatively thin branches sticking outward in an ungainly manner. This unusual strip of land hosts a collection of other rather stunning trees many of which, although not quite matching the Redwoods, display immense and stout trunks, some of which have a straightness and smoothness of form that is particularly eerie! The woodland definitely gives the impression of a site that was created some 150 years ago and laid out with a collection of several of each of trees that the landscapers knew would grow to become notable specimens. It appears as though, over time, its original plan or pupose has become lost and the land is now overgrown and tangled with feral trees and bushes. Still, it has become a terrific little adventure walk for those looking to find something quite unusual, so dig out your maps and hunt down this wild little treasure by the side of the Loch Tay. It is certainly easy to see why Perthsire is called Big Tree Country; walking through this glade one can almost get a sense of how it must feel to stand next to the American Giants.

Common Names and Latin Name	No.	Latitude and Longitude		OS National Grid	Elevation (above sea-level)	Height	Girth	Date Measured
		WGS84	OSGB36
Giant Redwood Sequoiadendron giganteum	1	N56.58581 W4.01022	N56.58597 W4.00888	NN 76635 45575	383ft (116.77m)	47.5m	8.5m	May 2009
Coast Redwood Sequoia sempervirens	2	N56.58604 W4.01034	N56.58620 W4.00900	NN 76628 45601	393ft (119.82m)	44.4m	7.9m	May 2009
	3	N56.58516 W4.01156	N56.58532 W4.01022	NN 76550 45505	354ft (107.93m)	46m	8.13m	May 2009
Girth was measured at 1.5 metres from ground