The National Trust Invites the Public to Walk With Ancient Trees This Winter

SWINDON, England, November 26, 2010 - The National Trust is inviting the public to walk with its ancient tress
during the winter season. When it comes to ancient trees, the UK comes top of
the European chart and this winter the National Trust's ancient tree adviser,
Brian Muelaner, has picked ten of his favourite places to see these
'cathedrals of the natural world'.

All of the walks, which will vary in distance, are free to download from
the National Trust website with route maps and points of interest marked
along the walk.

Brian Muelaner, National Trust ancient tree adviser, said: "There is
something really special about standing in front of a thousand year old oak
tree in the winter when it is at its starkest and yet amazingly beautiful.

"Walking with ancient trees any time of the year can give you a real
sense of history and the things that they've seen through the centuries. But
the winter months add a little something extra to that sense of drama with
their size and presence in the landscape underneath moody skies."

The National Trust is currently carrying out a three year audit of
ancient trees on its land. It's estimated that the Trust cares for more than
40,000 ancient trees in England, Wales and Northern Ireland, the largest
collection held by any one organisation in Western Europe.

Some of the most important ancient and notable trees can be found at
Trust places, including Newton's apple tree in Lincolnshire, the Tolpuddle
Martyrs tree in Dorset and the two thousand year old Ankerwycke Yew in
Berkshire.

Brian Muelaner's top ten National Trust places to visit (
www.nationaltrust.org.uk/main/w-vh/w-visits/w-findaplace.htm) for
ancient tree walks (www.nationaltrust.org.uk/ancienttreewalks/) can be
found on the National Trust website.

About the National Trust:

The National Trust is one of the most important nature conservation
organisations in Europe with over 1,000 sites covering 250,000 hectares,
including coastal sites, woodland and upland areas; many of which are rich in
wildlife. All 17 species of UK bat have been recorded as roosting or breeding
on National Trust land and 96 per cent of all resident UK butterflies can be
found on our land. Wicken Fen in Cambridgeshire is our most species rich site
and 93 per cent of our land has been surveyed for its natural importance.

The National Trust offers many places to visit in the UK (
www.nationaltrust.org.uk/main/w-chl.htm), including nature walks,
family days out (www.nationaltrust.org.uk/main/w-vh/w-visits.htm) and
cycle trails.

    PR Contact:

    Mike Collins
    Senior Press Officer
    The National Trust
    Heelis
    Kemble Drive
    Swindon
    Wiltshire
    SN2 2NA
    +44(0)1793-817708

    www.nationaltrust.org.uk

PR Contact: Mike Collins, Senior Press Officer, The National Trust, Heelis, Kemble Drive, Swindon, Wiltshire, SN2 2NA, +44(0)1793-817708