Fortingall Yew, Highland Perthshire

The Oldest Living Thing in Europe. It sounds an unlikely boast, but the sleepy wee hamlet of Fortingall, deep in the wilds of Highland Perthshire, is home to what may just be the oldest living organism in Europe.

Fabled Fortingall Yew

Delve into the graveyard of the church that actually grew up around the fabled Fortingall Yew and a timeline guides you along from its birth 5,000 years ago. The timeline continues through to the relatively recent construction of the Egyptian Pyramids, and on to the legendary arbor itself. She sits behind an old stone wall, her graceful arms flowing out for sightseers to touch.

A community grew up around what has become over the millennia a very spiritual, iconic yew. Today the surrounding village even sports a hotel if you want to appreciate the taxus baccata at sunset and sunrise and see the autumn leaves in all their glory.

The Fortingall Yew lies at the foot of Glen Lyon, a glen Scotland has every right to be proud of too. Glen Lyon is Scotland’s largest inland glen at 34 miles. Her vaulting granite peaks and brooding, barren slopes make the famous yew seem nothing but a cheeky young upstart.