Remembering the felled tree at Sycamore Gap

I wasn’t sure what I would post today. I have lots of material but some of them are quite in depth and take an hour or three to write and the busy summer tourist season in London shows no sign of ending.

Sadly a few days ago something happened in the news that made my job easy when the much loved tree at Sycamore Gap by Hadrians Wall was illegally cut down. A teenage boy and man in his 60’s have been arrested. The hits on my old post went through the roof.

I met perhaps the most famous tree in the world at Sycamore Gap

My mother would have said that they deserve to be strung up but alas such things are now frowned upon, officially at least and so rather than spend eternity wishing the very worse for low-lifes, I thought I’d post a few photos of my last time with the beautiful tree at Sycamore Gap.

The tree has been famous for decades internationally with its feature in Robin Hood Prince of Thieves and few who were alive at the time will forget Bryan Adams proclaiming “Everything I do, I do it for you” from the base of the tree. It’s also starred in various local shows through the years but like many people, I have my own connection with the beautiful old Sycamore tree.

I first went there as a 2 year old in the very hot summer of 1976 and after driving by it from a mile or so distance several hundred times, I got to be up close and personal with it in July 2018.

It was a heatwave, fire warnings were plastered everywhere. The usually cool and boggy moors were all waiting to go up in flames. I remember waking over 20 miles along Hadrians Wall for charity that day and I’ve never been thirstier although I did chuckle and indeed sympathise with the people from warmer nations such as the Philippines and Australia who were wholeheartedly complaining that having planned for every eventuality and having packed and indeed were carrying everything but the kitchen sink, the one thing they didn’t plan for was hot weather or the need to carry water.

I got by with a tiny backpack with a few nibbles and a small drink every day despite doing more than twice the daily mileage that most would but nevertheless the chance to spend a few moments in the company and the shade of this wonderful tree was hugely welcomed.

It’s funny how much some people like trees. During the first break in London I went to see my 2 favourite trees in the City of London as I did 18 months ago after the freak hurricane that hit us that spring.

You can see above, a little sapling that was planted a few years ago that was likely always intended to be ready for an emergency situation though likely more for the tree falling in a fierce storm rather than wanton vandalism.

If all the things bad with humanity can be summed up by the thoughtless actions of a young criminal then perhaps the reverse is true with the countless thousands of people who have been posting about how they loved this special tree whether from in person or from afar.

My blogging budget doesn’t cover the lawsuits that would come in if I posted some of the amazing photos of Syacmoe Grap, particularly at night with the Northern Lights but there is a lovely montage of photos on the link below.

https://fb.watch/nmAwM4hR01/

The tree was a part of our lives, at least those of us who knew it. “I’m bereft,” said Dan Jackson, local historian and author of The Northumbrians. “Unlike so many landmarks in the north-east – the Tyne bridge, the Angel, Durham Cathedral – this was a beautiful living thing, perfectly situated in one of the world’s great historic landscapes.”l

Local artist Alfie Joey agreed. “If someone took an angle grinder to the Angel of the North, it would be awful, but you could put it back up. You can’t put a tree back up.”