folklore
  • History , Latest Feature

Alexander II and the ‘ghosts’ of his galleys

August 18, 2020
Are the ships of a king's fleet immortalised in these curious carvings on the Isle of Luing?
  • History , Latest Feature , Megalithic sites

A folk tale, a battlefield, and a witch’s leap

July 19, 2020
A vivid tale is woven around these standing stones at Carse in Knapdale
  • History , Latest Feature

An old story of Craignish

February 04, 2020
A tale of skulduggery and honour is attached to the place-name of Port Mhic Isaaic
  • History , Latest Feature , Wildlife & Nature

Remembering the magic of mistletoe

December 08, 2019
Mistletoe traditions have been described as some of northern Europe's last surviving remnants of plant magic
  • Wild flowers , Wildlife & Nature

Meadowsweet

August 16, 2019
Over the centuries, meadowsweet has played an important part in our natural remedies, our traditions and our folklore...
  • History , Megalithic sites

Loch Nell: the Tomb of the Giants and a Serpent Mound

July 26, 2019
Not another chambered cairn! Yes, but this one comes with a twist...
  • British trees , Wildlife & Nature

The power of the elder

June 21, 2019
A guardian of half-forgotten places, the elder's magic is both old and dark...
  • British trees , Wildlife & Nature

Sycamore: colonist or custodian?

October 06, 2017
Often seen as an intruder in old woodlands, the sycamore still deserves a second glance for its beauty - and …
  • History , Scottish castles

Old Castle Lachlan: loyalty and loss

October 23, 2016
Ghosts of horses tend to come in different guises, some of them benevolent and some of them more inclined towards …
  • British trees , Wildlife & Nature

The fire of the ash

August 09, 2016
The ash is a beguiling tree, elegant in all seasons, and mother to a host of legends
  • Reviews

Book review: ‘Scotland’s Merlin’ by Tim Clarkson

July 14, 2016
“And in the battle of Arfderydd my torc was of gold…” From ‘Yr Afallennau’ (‘The Apples’), a poem in the …
  • Wildlife & Nature

Lesser celandine: greeting the sun

March 15, 2016
Star-like flowers of pure yellow welcome the first spring sunshine
  • Carved crosses , History

St Adamnan’s Cross in Glen Lyon

February 20, 2016
Who lived in this extraordinary glen, 1300 years ago? One man who did was St Adamnan, and this simple …
  • British trees , Wildlife & Nature

The spirit of the alder

August 23, 2015
Lover of riverbanks and boggy places, the alder forms a close bond between earth and water. No wonder …
  • History , Megalithic sites

The Devil’s Arrows: shafts of darkness

August 12, 2015
The people who put up these standing stones in North Yorkshire were obviously thinking big - but what on earth …
  • Reviews

A new treasure: ‘Trees and How They Grow’ by G Clarke Nuttall

May 25, 2015
At a show last weekend I picked up this gorgeous old book from a second-hand book stall.  Written by Gertrude Clarke Nuttall, …
1 2
MORE INFORMATION
  • About The Hazel Tree
  • ‘Britain’s Trees’ – new book
  • Contact
Subscribe to The Hazel Tree

New book - 'Britain's Trees'
Greetings cards
I'm honoured to be Writer in Residence at the Royal Scottish Geographical Society. This book celebrates the lives of 50 great explorers......
BRITISH TREES
  • The fragrance of juniper
  • The wisdom of the oak
  • The fire of the ash
  • Hawthorn – bride of the hedgerow
SCOTTISH CASTLES
  • Smailholm Tower
  • Inverlochy Castle
  • Carnbane Castle and a banquet for a bard
  • Loch Leven Castle
MEGALITHIC
  • A folk tale, a battlefield, and a witch’s leap
  • The Devil’s Arrows: shafts of darkness
  • The stone circles of Fortingall
  • Clava Cairns
CHURCHES, CHAPELS & ABBEYS
  • Kilvickeon: a forgotten sanctuary
  • Muthill Old Church and Tower
  • Kilmore – a quiet chapter
  • St Andrew’s Auld Kirk, North Berwick
Archives
Proud to support Trees for Life

Copyright Jo Woolf 2021