1,000 Trees

Paul Wood goes looking for the finest individual trees in Britain and Ireland's towns, cities and villages: the most charismatic, quirky or plain spectacular. Some have names like the Beer Belly, the Climber's Lime and the Ecclesiastical Pear, and one grows out of a crack in a church steeple.

His search takes him from north to south, from a stumpy sycamore in Shetland twisted by wind and harsh weather to the standout of Brighton's unlikely collection of elms. Along the way he tracks down the legends and tall tales attached to each tree. As he explores this urban ecosystem, he shows how closely trees are tied to the history of our towns, how much they have meant to the people living near them, and how they still shape city life in deep and often surprising ways.

Tree Hunting also includes maps, grid references and travel notes, so readers can plan their own tree-spotting trips and discover the urban forests of Britain and Ireland for themselves.