A SUDDEN Arctic blast of hail and snow failed to stop the planting of a special sapling raised from the felled Sycamore Gap tree at a culturally important site in North Wales.
For more than 150 years, the iconic Sycamore Gap tree stood beside Hadrian’s Wall in Northumberland.
It became one of the most recognised and photographed trees in the UK and even featured in the blockbuster movie Robin Hood Prince of Thieves.
A national outcry and a wave of grief swept the nation with the news that it had been callously cut down in a mindless act of vandalism in September 2023.
Now, the tree’s legacy is destined to branch out again across all of the UK’s 15 national parks, including the Eryri National Park.
Seedlings raised from the tree are being planted in public access areas in every national park and in partnership with the National Trust.
The first was planted in Northumberland, and the second has been given a special home on a grassy knoll overlooking Yr Ysgwrn – the former farm home of World War I hero and poet Hedd Wyn, in the hills above Trawsfynydd, near Blaenau Ffestiniog, in Gwynedd.
The tree was planted during a special ceremony on Wednesday, March 25, just one of those being planted across England, Scotland and Wales in the coming weeks.
The planting also coincided with several ongoing events and activities marking the 75th anniversary of Eryri’s national park, a birthday shared with others including the Peak District, Lake District and Dartmoor national parks.
Each sapling was taken from a cutting from the original tree, grafted and cultivated as part of efforts to ensure the tree’s story continues to grow in landscapes cared for by national park teams, and in areas working with local communities, partners, farmers and landowners.
“While the original tree cannot be replaced, these plantings will ensure its legacy continues for generations to come,” said Eryri National Park Authority [ENPA] vice chair Ifor Glyn Lloyd.
He planted the tree at Yr Ysgwrn, during a ceremony watched and aided by ENPA’s chair Edgar Wyn Owen, its tree officer Rhydian Roberts and authority member Elfed Roberts.
He said: “It is appropriate for it to be be here, there are lots of Sycamores growing in this area and we are confident the soil here means it will do well.
“People will be able to come see it is in an open, accessible location, planting it here is ideal.
“Visitors and school children who come to this very important Welsh cultural and linguistic site, the former home of Hedd Wyn, will get to see it in this beautiful, peaceful place.
“We are turning what was a very negative event into a positive one, people will see it grow over the years and it will help keep the story of the iconic Sycamore Gap tree alive.”
Chair Edgar Wyn Owen said: “We really hope people, including the school children who come here, will come and visit it as it grows over the years and that they enjoy it, whilst visiting this beautiful and very important place Yr Ysgwrn.”
The first planting took place in Northumberland National Park, the home to the original Sycamore Gap tree, and the next have followed in Eryri National Park, Loch Lomond & The Trossachs National Park, reflecting the shared legacy across all three nations.
Jonathan Cawley, chief executive of Eryri National Park, said: “As Eryri marks 75 years as a national park, it feels particularly meaningful to plant a cutting from such an iconic tree.
“It is a reminder that conservation is always about the future and the landscapes we leave for the next generation.
“Planting it at Yr Ysgwrn, a culturally important centre, is particularly poignant, as it serves not only as a symbol of reflection but also of renewal and the enduring connection between people and place”.
