30 June 2018:
Ullapool, Scotland, UK:
Palm Trees?

By Corey Sandler, Destination Consultant Silversea Cruises

Ullapool has an attractive perch along the shores of Loch Broom, rows of whitewashed cottages backed by  dramatic hills.

All photos by Corey Sandler, 2018. All rights reserved

We are pretty far up north, at sea level at the foot of the Scottish Highlands, which may make it the least likely place you would expect to see palm trees.

Okay, so they are not palm trees, exactly. They are Cordyline australis, also known as the cabbage tree, common in New Zealand. They are also known locally as Torbay or Torquay palms.

They do well here in somewhat moderate Scotland as well as other parts of the British Isles that are tempered by warm ocean currents.

Cabbage trees can reach 20 meters or 66 feet in height, with sword-like leaves as long as a meter or 39 inches in length.

Back in New Zealand, the tree was the source of ropes made from the leaves for the construction of Morere swings used by Māori children.

The dramatic landscape of northern Scotland features craggy mountains with exposed stone, islands, lochs, and even a few meteor craters near Ullapool. For that reason, it makes sense that it was in this region that many of the early and important discoveries that led to the development of the modern science of geology and plate tectonics took place.

Among those who came to study here was James Hutton of Edinboro, considered the father of modern geology.

All photos and text Copyright 2018 by Corey Sandler, all rights reserved.

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