Earlier this year I walked the Pennine Way, the 270-mile national trail up the spine of England. For nine miles in Northumberland the route is shared with the Hadrian’s Wall Path along the course of the Roman Wall. One of the most visited and photographed – including by me – sites is Sycamore Gap, where a mature tree is framed perfectly by the topography of the Whin Sill.
So I was saddened, and baffled, to learn that someone had taken a chainsaw to the tree overnight and the famous view is no more. It’s difficult to understand why anyone should do this. Police are investigating.
