Zooming in, the subject of this celestial spotlight is the village of Killin at the end of Loch Tay:
The abandoned railway is now a rather spooky walkway
But it is a singular tree in nearby Fortingall that really impresses (and sends a shiver down my spine). It is reputed to be "the oldest living thing in Europe and possibly the World"
Which is why it is fenced off. In the past it has been vandalised and abused. What you see above ground are the remnants of a much bigger trunk (52ft around in 1769) that after natural hollowing out was hacked back for trophies and burnt to the point that wedding parties could process through the middle of it. It is the root system connecting the various remnants that has been dated as over 3,000 years old and possibly as many as 9,000.
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| The Fortingall Yew Fenced in |
Another remnant that caught my eye was this lichen covered gate.
I don't think anything has been through this gateway for a while. Halloween is approaching, just as well I don't believe in alien abduction...
