The Sycamore Gap Tree or Robin Hood Tree is a

sycamore tree Sycamore is a name which has been applied to several types of trees, but with somewhat similar leaf forms. The name derives from the ancient Greek ' (''sūkomoros'') meaning "fig-mulberry". Species of trees known as sycamore: * ''Acer pseudoplata ...

standing next to

Hadrian's Wall Hadrian's Wall ( la, Vallum Aelium), also known as the Roman Wall, Picts' Wall, or ''Vallum Hadriani'' in Latin, is a former defensive fortification of the Roman province of Britannia, begun in AD 122 in the reign of the Emperor Hadrian. R ...

near

Crag Lough Crag Lough is an inland lake at the southern edge of Northumberland National Park, north of Bardon Mill, and north of the B6318 Military Road in Northumberland, northern England. At this point Hadrian's Wall is at the top of a line of crags, ...

Northumberland Northumberland () is a county in Northern England, one of two counties in England which border with Scotland. Notable landmarks in the county include Alnwick Castle, Bamburgh Castle, Hadrian's Wall and Hexham Abbey. It is bordered by land on ...

, England. It is located in a dramatic dip in the landscape and is a popular photographic subject, described as one of the most photographed trees in the country. It derives its alternative name from featuring in a prominent scene in the 1991 film '' Robin Hood: Prince of Thieves''. The tree won the 2016 England Tree of the Year award.

Location

The Sycamore Gap Tree is by Hadrian's Wall, between

Milecastle 39 Milecastle 39 (Castle Nick) is a milecastle on Hadrian's Wall (). Description Milecastle 39 is located northeast of Once Brewed. The excavated stonework has been consolidated, and the walls are up to 1.75 metres high.Housesteads Roman Fort Housesteads Roman Fort is the remains of an auxiliary fort on Hadrian's Wall, at Housesteads, Northumberland, England, south of Broomlee Lough. The fort was built in stone around AD 124, soon after the construction of the wall began in AD 1 ...

, northern England. This section of the wall follows the edge of a cliffan outcrop of the

Whin Sill The Whin Sill or Great Whin Sill is a tabular layer of the igneous rock dolerite in County Durham, Northumberland and Cumbria in the northeast of England. It lies partly in the North Pennines Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty and partly in Nort ...

and several sharp dips in it caused by melting glacial waters. The tree stands within one of these dips with the cliff and wall rising dramatically either side of it. The wall and adjacent land, including the site of the tree, are owned by the

National Trust The National Trust, formally the National Trust for Places of Historic Interest or Natural Beauty, is a charity and membership organisation for heritage conservation in England, Wales and Northern Ireland. In Scotland, there is a separate and ...

. A popular tourist attraction, the tree is described as one of the most photographed in the country and the location may be the most photographed point in all of

Northumberland National Park Northumberland National Park is the northernmost national park in England. It covers an area of more than between the Scottish border in the north to just south of Hadrian's Wall, and it is one of least visited of the National Parks. The park ...

. It is visible from the nearby B6318 Military Road. The name "Sycamore Gap" was coined by a National Trust employee when the

Ordnance Survey , nativename_a = , nativename_r = , logo = Ordnance Survey 2015 Logo.svg , logo_width = 240px , logo_caption = , seal = , seal_width = , seal_caption = , picture = , picture_width = , picture_caption = , formed = , preceding1 = , di ...

were remapping the area and asked if the previously unnamed spot had a designation. Sycamore_Gap_Tree

History

The tree is a sycamore (''

Acer pseudoplatanus ''Acer pseudoplatanus'', known as the sycamore in the British Isles and as the sycamore maple in the United States, is a species of flowering plant in the Sapindus, soapberry and lychee family Sapindaceae. It is a large deciduous, broad-leaved ...

'') and is a few hundred years old. It once stood alongside others but they have been removed over time for unknown reasons, possibly to improve sightlines or for gamekeeping purposes. The tree featured in a key scene of the 1991

Kevin Costner Kevin Michael Costner (born January 18, 1955) is an American actor, producer, film director and musician. He has received various accolades, including two Academy Awards, two Golden Globe Awards, a Primetime Emmy Award, and two Screen Actor ...

film '' Robin Hood: Prince of Thieves'', and has subsequently become known as the "Robin Hood Tree". It appeared in the music video for

Bryan Adams Bryan Guy Adams (born 5 November 1959) is a Canadian musician, singer, songwriter, composer, and photographer. He has been cited as one of the best-selling music artists of all time, and is estimated to have sold between 75 million and mor ...

' ''

(Everything I Do) I Do It for You "(Everything I Do) I Do It for You" is a song by Canadian singer-songwriter Bryan Adams. Written by Adams, Michael Kamen, and Robert John "Mutt" Lange, the power ballad was the lead single for both the soundtrack album from the 1991 film '' Robi ...

'' which featured on the film's soundtrack; the video was shown often on the British TV series ''

Top of the Pops ''Top of the Pops'' (''TOTP'') is a British Record chart, music chart television programme, made by the BBC and originally broadcast weekly between 1January 1964 and 30 July 2006. The programme was the world's longest-running weekly music show ...

''. It has also appeared in the TV crime drama '' Vera'' and in the documentary series '' More Tales from Northumberland with Robson Green''. It escaped damage on 30 May 2003 when a helicopter filming '' British Isles – A Natural History'' crashed around away, narrowly avoiding presenter

Alan Titchmarsh Alan Fred Titchmarsh HonFSE (born 2 May 1949) is an English gardener, broadcaster, TV presenter, poet, and novelist. After working as a professional gardener and a gardening journalist, he established himself as a media personality through a ...

. The four on board the aircraft were lightly injured. In 2016, the tree was nominated for England's Tree of the Year competition. It was selected from 200 competitors for the final shortlist of 10 and won the competition with 2,542 votes out of 11,913. The prize was a £1000 grant which was used to survey the health of the tree and to carry out work to protect its roots, which were becoming exposed due to the high volume of foot traffic passing over them. The Sycamore Gap Tree was entered in the 2017

European Tree of the Year The European Tree of the Year is an annual contest held to find the most 'loveable tree' in Europe. The contest is held by the Environmental Partnership Association (EPA), an organization supported by the European Land Owners Association and the ...

awards in which it came 5th out of 16, polling 7,123 votes.

Gallery

References

{{Reflist Maple Individual trees in England Hadrian's Wall Tourist attractions in Northumberland