Lael Forest Garden, park in Highland

Lael Forest Garden

Park

Explorer Tom

Lael Forest Garden offers a trip around the world without making you leave the Highlands. Trees from New Zealand, the Americas, Europe and Scandinavia grow beside British natives in this garden south of Ullapool. I would give each tree a passport, but the forestry team has wisely chosen labels and paths instead. Come prepared to look up, then down at the ground beneath your feet. Forestry and Land Scotland calls Lael its northernmost arboretum and part of the National Tree Collection of Scotland. The range of species makes the garden more than a pleasant roadside stop: it lets you compare shapes, bark and leaves from different climates within one Scottish glen. Trees that seem ordinary at home can look wonderfully out of place here, though they have plainly managed to settle in. The path network offers firm gravel routes through the garden, with gentler lower sections. A separate Gorge Trail reaches the Allt na h-Ighine gorge but has steep slopes, steps and exposed roots. I would follow a few labels before inventing any tall story about a tree that crossed an ocean by itself. The garden’s real journey, through planting and careful tending, is interesting enough. Find Lael on the A835 between Ullapool and Braemore Junction. The operator lists two signed car parks about a quarter of a mile apart and says parking is free; buses on the Inverness to Ullapool road also pass nearby. Check the current route card and choose the garden paths or harder gorge walk to suit your party. If your neck aches from looking up, pause at the picnic area and let the forest show off at its own pace.