Launch of the Belsay Tree Trail!

We couldn't have had a better day for the launch of the fabulous Belsay Tree Trail. Blue skies, beautiful light, the perfect day for a stroll through the magnificent grounds and gardens of Belsay Hall, with Nick leading us to each of the 12 trees on this trail.

Nick Johnson' s Northumbria Veteran Tree Project has an important aim: to identify, map, and celebrate ancient, veteran, heritage, and notable trees across the regions of Newcastle, North Tyneside, and Northumberland. The aim is to conserve and protect these trees for generations to come, to enjoy the pleasures and benefits that these trees provide.

A fantastic part of the project is the Veteran Tree Map. On it you can locate all of the trees which have so far been mapped. Here is the Veteran Tree Map

Part of the ways we can celebrate trees is to let them tell us their stories - and a great way to do this, is through the Veteran Trees Tree Trail App. The first Trail created was at Heaton Park, the second is mine, the very popular Rothbury Tree Trail. The newest addition, Belsay Hall, is going to be a huge hit, I am sure. Let me tell you a little bit about it.

The Belsay Tree Trail.
The Trail begins just by the iconic Georgian Hall, a building inspired by the temples of Ancient Greece.
It starts with a warm welcome from the pretty birch glade. These silvery trees tell us about the Trail - and a little bit also about Belsay Hall.
Our first stop after this is the rather unusual Ulmus - not a traditional English Elm. This specific tree is called 'Jacqueline'. (You will need to download the App to find out why!). Jacqueline proudly tells us what she sees 'the best view in the house'.

The words which the Belsay trees speak have been written by Nick, and also, by members of the Northumbria region U3A creative writing group. Some of these writers also provide the voices of the trees, some of the trees' words are spoken by Belsay staff, and some by Nick himself.

The Douglas Fir with Fond Memories, (written and voiced by Nick) tells us about the famous Scottish plant explorer, David Douglas, who introduced these plants to the UK from North America in 1827. These remarkable trees can live for over 500 years. The Belsay tree is over 200 years old.

My favourite tree of the trail is the remarkable Spikey Mikey - I expect you can guess the species? A huge Monkey Puzzle tree, the grandchild of a massive specimen who stands proudly in the field opposite the castle.

Spikey Mikey's story is told by Antonia Azocar-Nevin. Both tree and speaker have Chilean heritage. Antonia is coming towards the end of her apprenticeship at Belsay. She told me that she has learned such a lot here, and that she loved being the voice of Mikey!

Beauty in Triplicate is a delightful part of the Trail. A tale of celebration and joy, but tinged with a deep sadness.

A special woman, dear friend to Belsay, called Maureen Taylor, loved these three interwoven stories. Maureen wrote some of the other tree tales, but loved the interplay of these trees, written and spoken by her human friends Caroline Davison, Julia Johnson and Cecilia Coulson.

On Monday, as we listened to the trees joking and telling their tales, a very loud and insistent robin flew from branch to branch, demanding our attention. It was a poignant moment. If Maureen had been alive to hear it, she would have smiled. Unfortunately, she died before hearing any of the Trail. She will always be remembered with great respect and love.

The Handkerchief Tree, one of the Beauty in Triplicate trees.

I won't tell you any more - as I am certain you will want to explore the Trail on the next fine day. You will soon find more information about it on the Belsay Website

The App can be downloaded from this website, just go to Rothbury Tree Trail