Many of the trees at Belsay are rather special. Some are classed as ancient, veteran, heritage or notable, and many of them have got a story to tell.

As a celebration of the status of these trees at Belsay, and in partnership with the Northumbria Veteran Tree project, you can listen to the trees tell stories about their own origins and Belsay’s history on the Veteran Tree audio trail.

The trail is available on an app that you can download to your phone. Follow the map as you wind your way around Belsay’s gardens and listen to the tales told by the trees.

Starting with a welcome from the group of silver birch trees found on the grassy mound between the Stables and the Hall, the story will start to play when you have the app open and head towards the trees. Each tree with a story is identified by the white veteran tree trail tag to help you identify the tree.

The stories were written by members of the local U3A writing group. They have been narrated by a combination of writing group members, some of Belsay’s staff and volunteers, and Nick Johnson who leads the Veteran Tree Project in the region.

To download the app, search for ‘Veteran Tree Trail’ if you have an Apple phone, or ‘Tree Trails and Tales’ on Android phones.