There are some magnificent trees to be found in the Sid Valley, as laid out magnificently and in great detail in the Tree Map of the Sidmouth Arboretum.
There are also several magnificent specimens in the heart of Sidmouth itself – with the trees of Glen Goyle laid out and labelled by Arboretum member and FOGG supporter Ed Dolphin. at the founding of Friends of Glen Goyle.
And Ed has just put together a new Glen Goyle Trail – now online as the Trees of Glen Goyle – Google My Maps – with a nice introduction to the trail:
A guide to some of the trees in Glen Goyle. This was a farm workers footpath originally but became a fashionable place for a stroll in.
And when working on this new trail, Ed made a new find, as he reports in a note published with kind permission:
Working on the new phone tree trail for Glen Goyle and found a Hinoki Cypress hiding among the overgrown shrubbery just behind the Japanese Maple. These trees are revered in their native Japan for their lemon scented fine timber which is used for temples and palaces. There is a ceremonial gate in the Japanese Garden at Kew and this is made of Hinoki.
Here is the Hinoki Cypress hiding among the shrubbery behind the Japanese Maple, as photographed by Ed:
Trees of Glen Goyle – Google My Maps
It is indeed a fascinating tree, the Chamaecyparis obtusa, one of the Five Sacred Trees of Kiso – Wikipedia. And it is very versatile too, the wonders of Japanese hinoki providing timber from temples to tubs.
With thanks to Ed for bringing this hidden gem to light!
…