This pine is the fourth largest on the WT's list for Britain at 5.69m.
It's the third largest on "his majesty's" Tree Register.
This is the fourth of a series of four caches on Gillies Hill. Although each cache can be completed separately there are numbers within each cache which when added together will give the co-ordinates to a fifth hidden cache on the Hill.
Please note that this is no longer the case as the final cache has been muggled too many times and is now a stand alone traditional placed in a new location. It is called Polmaise Castle.
There is a track all the way to this Scots Pine although at times it may not be obvious. You will also not just be able to follow your GPS unit in a straight line but the effort of finding this is well worthwhile.
This is an impressive Scots Pine which will take your breath away. Scots pines today are mainly confined to the Highlands. Their range has been reduced by deforestation over the years from 1,500,000 hectares to 17,000 hectares. Remnant forests of ancient Scots pines may be seen at the following locations: Glen Affric, Glen Strathfarrar, Beinn Eighe, Abernethy, Rothiemurchus, Black Wood of Rannoch, Mar Lodge, and Glen Tanar.
Yet here is Gillies Hill with many Scots pines which appear ancient in form and size!
A remnant forest as well?
This has inadvertantly turned into a series covering specimen trees in and around Stirling.
If you are interested in communing with Nature, learning about trees, or just bagging a cache give them a visit.
The others in the series are –
The Big Sycamores GC1EDN4
The Sequiadendron giganteum of Gillies Hill GC1H74Q
This one The Monster Scots Pine GC1EDNP
The Sequiadendron giganteum of Beechwood. The juveniles. GC1H65Z
The Cedar of Lebanon GC1H94V
The Perfect Tree GC1FC71
The Pedunculate Oak of Touch GC1H9XD
and Sequoia sempervirens. GC1HDY4