Ormiston

In search of the Great Yew

Boughing Yew © paul john dear photography

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I first encountered The Ormiston Yew in an online article back in 2010. I have always had an interest in trees and this particular Yew is one of my favourites to visit.

The Yew is a sacred tree on these lands of Alba and known to the druids in pre christian times as a symbol for death and rebirth. In Ireland the county of Mayo (Maigh Eo) translates to Plains of Yew Trees and was once home to the largest yew tree forest in the known world.

My first visit to this amazing tree ended with me unable to find the location, despite dropping in to the Yew Tree cafe to ask for directions. No one there knew, or if they did, they were not telling. My second visit got me closer, but not to the prize, which I walked straight past without knowing it was what I was looking for. I though it was a giant Yew bush and continued my walk in search of the great tree.

The Giant Yew Bush: https://scotlands-yew-trees.org/yewtree/ormiston-hall-east-lothian/

The third visit was my lucky one. As I walked past the giant bush I spied a small opening. A wee tree tunnel if you like and so I stooped and walked through. Into another world. This is that world, as best as I can ‘catch’it. I have been back to the tree many times since and my most recent visit was just days ago.

The Mother Tree June 2026 © paul john dear photography

This is a layering Yew. Its branches spread out umbrella like and eventually find their way back to Earth. As these branches grow outward and touch the damp soil, they naturally take root and burrow horizontally before sending up new vertical stems. You can see them at the edges of the shot above. The giant bush I had walked past was a series of these vertical stems rising up from the earth in an almost protective guard. Once inside the protective ring, the feeling is like being in a Yew Cathedral. The girth of the main tree, which I call ‘The Mother Tree’ ( The main tree is female but some of the stems are male), is almost 23 foot.

Opposite the mother is a smaller female and between them they create an underworld that is above ground. Simply one of the most stunning trees and spaces I have ever encountered.

I have been promising Anne that I would take her to see this tree since we met last September. A few days ago she got her wish. We drove from the cabin to the outskirts of Edinburgh, having had to swap out our campervan ( rear brake work became imminent) for a smaller car, and parked up in a layby that is so easy to drive by if you do not know where to go. Here began the walk.

The road in from the layby, along a verdant avenue, is stunning.

The old ruins of Ormiston Hall are like something you expect to find in an Indiana Jones movie. Of course we had to explore!

Just along the road from the ruins is a path that runs right alongside the giant ‘Yew Bush.’ I asked Anne to close her eyes and held her hand as she crouched to get through the tunnel. At the point where she could stand I let go and told her to keep her eyes closed so I could move out of the way. Then I said ‘Open Them.’ She walked into the space with eyes of pure wonder. She loved it. She is in the next picture. It offers scale, both physical and spiritual.

So we were there. We took our time to be with the tree and to connect into this ancient space. Please take a few moments of your own now and enjoy a small selection of ‘The Mother Tree’ from a few different perspectives.

As well as this incredible ancestor there are other Yews on the land roundabouts. I had never visited in the month of June before, so I was keen to see how they looked at this time of the year. I was not disappointed.

Anne is very immersive when it comes to the outdoors and likes nothing better than slipping into a freezing cold loch, crawling into a cave or sitting in a Yew root ball. She could not see me taking this.

An ‘accidental’ long exposure shot followed which created a totally psychedelic image. After Anne crawled out I showed her this shot and she just looked at me and grinned. Did something happen in her Yew den? The English Yew or Taxus baccata contains the toxic alkaloid taxane, Taxine B that directly antagonises cardiac myocyte calcium and sodium channels, causing a cardiotoxic increase in cytoplasmic calcium. In plain English this means eating any part of the tree, leaves, berries or roots can be fatal.

There are folkloric tales of mystery schools attached to the Yew and stories of Druids and hallucinogenic experiences. On hot days Taxine is emitted as a gas from the Yew which is claimed, anecdotally, to have the power to shift human consciousness. Hmm!

So we were almost done visiting The Mother Tree and we had a woodland elsewhere to visit ( which will be posted up as a photo story soon) but there was one more tree to see………and a beauty she was.

Finally we set off for the layby and our wee car, stopping once more to to say goodbye to Mamma.