Tiny 'Lonely Tree' vies with UK giants to be crowned Britain's best

Wales Online

3 days ago

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A small, slightly bedraggled tree next to a Gwynedd lake is in the running to be crowned the UK's most iconic. The Lonely Tree of Llanberis is easily the smallest and youngest in this year's Tree of the Year competition but it has quickly become one of the most photographed in Britain.
Perched over pebbles in Llyn Padarn, and framed by Eryri's mountains, the young birch has survived against the odds to become a cherished local landmark.
Ten rare, ancient or at-risk trees across the UK have been shortlisted in the Woodland Trust's 2025 competition. They include a cedar tree climbed by The Beatles, an oak that may have inspired Virginia Woolf, and a lime representing peace in Northern Ireland.
Another entry is the Borrowdale Yews at Seathwaite, Cumbria, which were immortalised by Wordsworth over 200 years ago. Like the King of Limbs, in Savernake Forest, Wiltshire, which inspired the name of Radiohead's album, these trees dwarf the diminuative Llanberis entry.
Yet the Woodland Trust said that, despite lacking in stature, it is a 'a photographer's dream'. The charity added: 'Its bent, stretching shape has contorted in response to harsh weather conditions, making it a symbol of resilience and a fascinating focus for the lens through all seasons.
'The scene is everchanging as the lake levels rise and recede, with the tree alternately exposing its tenacious roots at the water's edge or clinging to its own tiny island as the surroundings are submerged.
In the right light, the reflections mirrored on the lake's surface are picture-perfect – so much so that the tree appeared in a 2021 Chromebook advert.' Join the North Wales Live Whatsapp community now
(Image: Douglas Crawford Tree Wise Urban Forestry/Woodland Trust/PA Wire)
In September 2024 , the Lonely Tree was temporarily off-limits when Netflix closed the Y Glyn lakeside area, also known as the "lagoons". The streaming giant was there to film major battle scenes for season four of The Witcher, starring Liam Hemsworth.
'Set for release later in 2025, we don't know yet if the Lonely Tree will make the cut,' said the Woodland Trust. 'But directors surely would have taken advantage of such a beautiful vista!'
It's thought the Lonely Tree of Llanberis is a mere 15-years-old – some two millennia younger than the Borrowdale Yews. Neither is it expected to survive much longer – there's more on this here.
Voting opened today (Friday, July 11) runs until 11.59pm on September 19. You can vote here. This year's winner will be announced on September 26, and will go on to represent the UK in the European Tree of the Year finals.
The 2015 theme is 'Rooted in Culture', which seeks to highlight how trees inspire creative minds and become ingrained in our cultural landscape.
Dame Judi Dench, patron of the Woodland Trust, said: 'Our oldest trees hold more stories than Shakespeare; some were putting down roots long before he began writing, more than 400 years ago. They are as much part of our heritage as any literature.'
The Beatles' cedar tree in Chiswick, which is around 300 years old, was nominated given that the band perched on one of its low-swooping boughs in a video for their song Rain in 1966. Sign up for the North Wales Live newsletter sent twice daily to your inbox
Meanwhile the Lollipop Tree on Salisbury Plain played a starring role in the final scenes of Sam Mendes's First World War film 1917. Knole Park Oak in Kent, thought to be Britain's tallest at 135ft, made the list as the tree believed to have inspired an epic poem in Virginia Woolf's novel Orlando.
A panel of experts selected nine trees for the shortlist, while the public chose a 10th as a wildcard entry. This year, David Treanor, from Glasgow, put forward the 'Argyle Street Ash', pointing to its reference in James Cowan's 1935 book, From Glasgow's Treasure Chest, as 'quite the most graceful ash I have seen'.
Laura Chow, head of charities at People's Postcode Lottery, which is supporting the competition, said: 'These trees have witnessed key moments in history, provided solace to war poets, been a supporting artist in a blockbuster film, and inspire reflection and creative photography as the seasons change.'
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