Tower and Town, May 2020 (view the full edition)Savernake OaksBefore the Coronavirus lockdown came into force, I spent a couple of weeks using Peter Noble’s excellent guide to find all the named oaks in Savernake Forest. At present, three of these (Ayers, Slingsby and Cathedral) are missing their identification boards. A friend and I have been debating which tree is the most impressive. Several factors need to be considered such as height, diameter, shape and location. The Cathedral Oak has an enormous girth but it has been heavily pollarded and it is pinned up against a wire fence on the North-Western boundary of the forest. The famous Big Belly Oak is held together by a metal belt and stands beside the very busy A346 road to Salisbury. The elusive Duke’s Vaunt is rather sad as its remains are propped up with a chain and a long green post. Children need look no further than Saddle Oak 1 – perfect for climbing on and recreating scenes from Robin Hood. My friend’s favourite is King of Limbs, hidden in the eastern end of Savernake. My preference is for the Braydon Oak, not far from the Arboretum. The latter is a wonderful collection of trees, mostly labelled, including Redwoods, exotic Firs, Spruces, Hemlocks and Pines from all over the world. Easily missed, the Arboretum is on the right-hand side of the Grand Avenue (heading away from Marlborough) before you reach Eight Walks in the centre of the forest. There are a couple of places to park and, once inside, well mown paths lead you through delightful avenues of trees. Of course, there are many ancient oaks in Savernake which have not been singled out for naming. One of the best collections is along the length of Marie Louise Ride, parallel to the A346, beyond Cadley. With traffic at a minimum, this is an ideal time to explore this area and reflect upon the centuries of human history through which they have grown. Three months of social distancing sounds like eternity to me – for the oldest oaks its just one of maybe 4000 seasons they’ve already lived through. Please also explore the Tower and Town online gallery for more splendid photos of these monarchs. 
Ayers Oak Seán Dempster |