Get to know a tree at Wallington

Children climbing trees in the grounds at Wallington, Northumberland

‘It was nice and tall and there were a lot of branches to climb up. The branches were close together which made climbing it easier, I didn't have to stretch to reach each branch.’ - Jessica Swales, aged 8

Jessica Swales, from our Kids’ Council thinks that Wallington’s special ‘climbing tree’ is simply the best tree for getting up high in and ticking off the number one 50 things activity.

Its proper name is a Nootka Cypress (Callitropsis nootkatensis)  and it has lots of low branches and really smooth bark to make climbing it easy peasy, it's no wonder the National Trust named it the best tree to climb in the country.

The Nootka tree lies on the corner of the East lawn and is now 115 years old and 45 foot tall, it's  just one of many special trees looked after by the outdoor team at Wallington.