When You Fell from the Tree

The Sycamore Gap tree, also known as the Robin Hood tree, was a 100–120-year-old sycamore tree next to Hadrian's Wall near Crag Lough in Northumberland, England. It was illegally felled in 2023 by Daniel Graham and Adam Carruthers, but has since sprouted from the stump. Standing in a dip in the landscape created by glacial meltwater, it was one of the country's most photographed trees and an emblem for the North East of England. It derived its alternative name from featuring in a scene in the 1991 film Robin Hood: Prince of Thieves. The tree won the 2016 England Tree of the Year award, part of the Woodland Trust's annual competition that celebrates culturally and environmentally significant trees across the UK. As the national winner for England, the Sycamore Gap tree received a £1,000 care grant funded by the People's Postcode Lottery. The stump has thrown up basal shoots and is still alive, albeit severely coppiced; the tree is expected to take more than 150 years to recover. Cuttings were also gathered from the tree. In July 2025 Graham and Carruthers were convicted of criminal damage and were each sentenced to 4 years and 3 months in prison. Carruthers was released in April 2026.