I was delighted to discover that talking about trees interested Elizabeth, who lived with acute dementia, because it was always a pleasure to find a topic that inspired her.  We had a look through her interesting selection of books, and there were lots about nature, and trees in particular.  How amazing on flicking through one book on Perthshire’s trees to stumble across the Robertson Oak situated about half a mile from her flat in Pitlochry!  So, of course, we had to get into the car and go and find it.  It was like a treasure hunt and sure enough there it was, showing its age and looking a tad neglected, hidden next to the sewage works, behind an overgrown conifer hedge beside the petrol garage and opposite the Distillery.  See if you can find it next time you are in Pitlochry.

So began our ‘tree-hugging’ adventure.  We managed to visit the Glen Lyon Ash and the Fortingall Yew, and next on our list was to be a hidden treasure on one of the private estates at Strathtay, and one of the beauties at Birnam.

But sadly Elizabeth passed away suddenly at the end of April. It was wonderful to spend time with her enjoying one of her loves which, despite the condition she lived with, gave her much pleasure.  What a wonderful testimony to Elizabeth’s life if we could get the Pitlochry community to rediscover and look after it’s amazing link with a fascinating piece of history – let’s hear a cheer for the Robertson Oak.

September 2016

Gillian-Joy Gilchrist