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Probably the loneliest tree in Britain is a rowan (Sorbus aucuparia) which stands in splendid isolation in the desolate wilderness of Rannoch Moor. It perches on top of a giant boulder, its windswept crown bearing testament to the extreme exposure with which it has to contend.
Remarkably, the tree has managed to maintain a hold in the crevices of its lichen-encrusted pedestal, its roots somehow seeking sustenance from a deep fissure in the rock.
This lonely rowan is now a well-known landmark on the busy A82 road.
An elevated position
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The secret of the tree’s survival is its elevated position, which keeps it out of reach of the relentless grazing by sheep and deer. Rowan, a species native to Scotland, is an opportunist of the tree world, and this particular tree has carved out its own niche in a harsh environment.
Rannoch Moor was not always so bleak and treeless. Between 5000 and 2500 years ago, Scotland’s climate was drier and more continental, causing the bogs to dry out briefly. A vast forest of birch and pine colonised the moor, only to disappear as the climate gradually changed again.
All that now remains are countless stumps entombed in a peaty grave, and a small remnant of native pinewood known as the Black Wood of Rannoch.
Where to see the Rannoch Rowan:
Beside the A82 trunk road between Glencoe and Bridge of Orchy, near the boundary between Highland and Perth & Kinross. Public access is available.
Images: copyright Edward Parker
