Just a short scenic drive from Loch Tay, in the hamlet of Fortingall, resides Europe’s (and possibly the World’s) oldest living thing. It’s estimated that the roots of this tree weave back over 5,000 years. Under a veil of coniferous needles you can see the relic trunks of what was once a huge, ancient Yew Tree. In 1769 the tree had a girth of approximately 56ft (17m) but sadly as a result of rapacious souvenir hunters, large sections of the yew were ‘appropriated’. Although sitting within the grounds of Fortingall churchyard, a new enclosure which it now occupies, had to be built to stop the tree from being completely destroyed.

Before the arrival of Christianity, the Yew was known as the tree of eternity. At around 500 years old, when most trees have died, Yews start to grow again. This otherworldly power led early people to revere the Yew and the Fortingall Yew Tree may have marked a place of worship for them. Archaeological evidence indicates this area has been inhabited for more than 5,000 years and three groups of standing stones and numerous large, cupmarked stones from that timeline can be found nearby. As with many ‘pagan’ sites, when early Christians arrived at Fortingall in the 7th century, they built their new church next to the Yew.

Over subsequent centuries, Yew trees continued to be cultivated within the enclosed grounds of Churches throughout Britain because although the Yew is toxic to livestock, the wood from these trees was best for producing longbows.