Featuring giant sequoia (Sequoiadendron giganteum), coast redwood (Sequoia sempervirens), dawn redwood (Metasequoia glyptostroboides). Verified occurrence recorded by Redwood World. Thanks Tam for finding these three Giant Sequoia near Drumnadrochit. Tam says " On the road to Urquhart Castle travelling through the village of Drumnadrochit I found another three Giant Sequoias. They are in the grounds of Kilmichael House which the owner told me had once belonged to a local doctor. I logged on to NHS Highland and the site there had the following info" : "Dr David MacDonald, a native of Beauly, set up practice in Drumnadrochit in the late 1880s. He lived in Kilmichael House, his surgery was a wooden shed at the back of the house. Dr David did his rounds on horseback. He had two horses for this purpose. The upkeep was 15/- per horse per week. In later years he drove a motor car, a Swift, which was purchased for him by the community. Dr David was the first person in the Glen to drive a motor car." Tam continues "The owner told me that there had been a fourth at the back of the house but it had been cut down a few years ago and then she helped me to measure the trees which are in the front garden. The one right in front, nearest the house measures 7.88m. Of the other two - in the 2nd photo the left hand one is 7.33m and the right hand one is a huge 8.30m." Well done Tam for obtaining some history surrounding the trees and their location. I have found that owners are rarely other than friendly and are happy to supply details of their trees. Well, who would not be proud to have such marvellous living monuments on one's doorstep!
Visit information
- Access
- Access unknown
- Last verified
- 10 Apr 2026
- Official site
- redwoodworld.co.uk/picturepages/drumnadrochit.htm
Redwood species here
Native to the Sierra Nevada mountains of California, giant sequoias were introduced to Britain in the 1850s during the Victorian plant-collecting era. They are the world's most massive trees by volume and have thrived in the UK's mild, wet climate, often growing faster than in parts of their native range. Many Victorian-era plantings now rival mature specimens in California.
Present. Native to the Sierra Nevada mountains of California, giant sequoias were introduced to Britain in the 1850s during the Victorian plant-collecting era. They are the world's most massive trees by volume
Native to the fog belt of coastal California and Oregon, coast redwoods are the tallest trees on Earth. In Britain they thrive where rainfall, humidity, and sheltered woodland conditions echo their native range, forming narrow, soaring avenues and groves with reddish fibrous bark and flat fern-like foliage.
Present. The tallest trees on Earth, coast redwoods can exceed 100 metres in their native California. Less common in Britain than giant sequoias, they prefer sheltered, moist locations and can still reach impr
Dawn redwood is a deciduous redwood from China, known from fossils before living trees were documented in the 1940s. It reached British collections soon afterwards and is now found in parks, botanic gardens, and arboreta, where its soft summer foliage and rusty autumn colour make it distinct from evergreen giant sequoias and coast redwoods.
Present. A deciduous conifer thought to be extinct until rediscovered in a remote Chinese province in 1941. Seeds were distributed to botanical gardens worldwide in the late 1940s. Unlike its evergreen relativ
Field observations
Photos
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Redwood at Drumnadrochit - Kilmichael House
About this place
About Drumnadrochit - Kilmichael House
Drumnadrochit - Kilmichael House is located in Drumnadrochit, Inverness-shire, Scotland.
Species Present
Giant Sequoia (Sequoiadendron giganteum)
Native to the Sierra Nevada mountains of California, giant sequoias were introduced to Britain in the 1850s during the Victorian plant-collecting era. They are the world's most massive trees by volume and have thrived in the UK's mild, wet climate, often growing faster than in their native range. Many Victorian-era plantings now rival mature specimens in California.
Coast Redwood (Sequoia sempervirens)
The tallest trees on Earth, coast redwoods can exceed 100 metres in their native California. Less common in Britain than giant sequoias, they prefer sheltered, moist locations and can still reach impressive heights in the UK. The tallest known coast redwood in Britain is over 50 metres.
Dawn Redwood (Metasequoia glyptostroboides)
A deciduous conifer thought to be extinct until rediscovered in a remote Chinese province in 1941. Seeds were distributed to botanical gardens worldwide in the late 1940s. Unlike its evergreen relatives, the dawn redwood loses its needles in winter, turning a striking copper-bronze in autumn.
Data sourced from Redwood World (redwoodworld.co.uk) and enriched by Redwood Finder.