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Cumbria's tallest tree.
A grand fir in the woods above Ambleside was measured by a climber and confirmed as the tallest tree in the county.
Skelghyll Woods, above Ambleside, was once the arboretum of the Wansfell Holme country estate. Among the exotic conifers planted there stands the Skelghyll Grand Fir, a grand fir (Abies grandis) that officials from the Tree Register confirmed as the tallest tree in Cumbria.
How tall is it?
The tree measures 57.8 metres, about 190 feet. To get that figure, a climber went to the top with a tape measure. For comparison, that is taller than Nelson's Column, which is 51.59 metres, and taller than a dozen double-decker buses stacked on top of each other.
A tree that could be taller
In its home in the north-west of North America, a grand fir can reach 85 metres. In Britain it normally tops out at around 60 metres, so this tree is close to what the species usually manages here.
Look up
The fir grows among other exotic conifers, including giant redwoods, Douglas firs and western red cedars. A narrow path runs along the bottom of the wood, and you could easily walk it without realising how remarkable the trees above you are. If you go, look up.
Related: Giant redwood and honey fungus · Veteran trees
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