The wonder of yew

Visit a church yard and you’d be hard pushed not to find a yew tree growing within. And they will date back a lot longer than the stone building they sit next to.

Ever heard of the Seven Wonders of Wales? The yew trees of Overton-on-Dee church yard are one of them!

Yew trees have long had mystical and spiritual associations. Despite the seeds of their berries being poisonous, they are often said to represent immortality and everlasting life – perhaps due to their evergreen boughs.

One theory as to why you so often find them in church yards is because the berries are so poisonous, the church yard would stop sheep from getting in and eating them – livestock was not allowed to be grazed on church land.

These trees date back hundreds, many of them thousands of years. Poppy and I go on our latest adventure and visit three places where yew trees really are a wonder – including what lies within…