‘Magnificent’ 400-year-old tree named after band Skipinnish crowned best in the UK

A 400-year-old Highland tree loved by and named after well-known ceilidh band Skipinnish has been crowned UK ‘Tree of the Year’.

The Skipinnish Oak, which is based on Achnacarry Estate in Lochaber, won a public vote against 11 other contenders.

Hidden away in a Sitka spruce plantation in the west Highlands, it has a trunk girth of eight metres and is one of the largest oaks in the region.

The tree was not known to modern tree experts until Skipinnish, who were formed in 1999, played for a gathering of the Native Woodlands Discussion Group in Fort William.

It was here the band directed the amazed delegates to the hidden location.

George Anderson of Woodland Trust Scotland described it as “the tree that time forgot but the piper remembered”.

Believed to be over 400-years-old, the Lochaber Oak is said to “support an island of native ecosystem”, including rare lichens, such as the black-eyed Susan.

Skipinnish are set to compose a new song in honour of the tree, which will be debuted in September 2025 at the Hydro in Glasgow, an occasion that will be their biggest gig to date.

‘Special place in my heart’

Andrew Stevenson of Skipinnish added: “I am delighted that the Skipinnish Oak has won Tree of the Year. The tree has held a special place in my heart since my father first described it to me and the first time I saw it many years ago.”

Kate Lewthwaite from the Woodland Trust added: “The Skipinnish Oak is a magnificent example of the natural heritage we strive to protect and its recognition as UK Tree of the Year shines a light on the incredible biodiversity that our trees support.

“We encourage everyone to celebrate and preserve these vital features of our environment.”

The Lochaber oak will go forward to represent the UK in the European Tree of the Year competition in 2025.

Twelce nominees were chosen from across the UK for their historical significance and ecological importance.

The Skipinnish Oak took 21% of the votes in an online poll. The runners-up were the Darwin Oak in Shrewsbury, which secured a close second place with 20% of the votes, and the 1,000-year-old Bowthorpe Oak in Lincolnshire came in third, with 14%.