Celebrating Elms in Assynt

For over a century, Dutch elm disease has been wiping out elm trees across the world. The parish of Assynt in the North West Highlands Geopark, is one of the last refuges of healthy wych elm trees in the UK. A number of these trees can be found in extraordinary places in some of the most secluded and stunning parts of the Geopark. (Main photo: Elm tree at Liath Bhad, Loch Glencoul, just below the Glencoul Thrust. Photo: Chris Puddephatt)

Over the last couple of years, these Assynt elms have been the subject of an ongoing project to document, conserve and restore this significant species, part of the west coast rainforest ecosystem. St Andrews University, the Royal Botanic Gardens of Edinburgh, Forestry Scotland and the Woodland Trust, along with author Mandy Haggith, GIS consultant Romany Garnett, and photographer Chris Puddephatt, have been leading this project across the area.

In this last Geoheritage Fesitval online talk of the 2025/26 season, Mandy, Romany and Chris will take us on a journey across the incredible landscape of Assynt in search of these remote and resilient trees, that punctuate the landscape of this part of the North West Highlands.