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Bicycle Tree

Acer pseudoplatanus in Stirling, Scotland, UK

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General referenceInterpretive dossier study · Crown Archives visual atlas
Record originEnglish Wikipedia
Text licenseCC BY-SA 4.0
Source revisionJul 5, 2026
Entity authorityQ55605400 ↗
Source-derived summary

The Bicycle Tree is a veteran tree near Brig o' Turk in the Trossachs, Scotland. Dating from the late 19th century, the tree grew in or near to the scrap heap of the village blacksmith and has encapsulated several metal objects over the years. Most notably this includes an early 20th-century bicycle (from which it received its name) and, reputedly, a ship's anchor and chain. The Bicycle Tree is recognized as a landmark of the local area and has become a tourist attraction. It was granted the protection of a Tree Preservation Order by the Loch Lomond and The Trossachs National Park Authority in March 2016.

Description

The Bicycle Tree, a sycamore (Acer pseudoplatanus), is situated approximately .5 miles (0.80 km) north of the Trossachs village of Brig o' Turk in Scotland. It lies in the north-west corner of a parcel of land known as Dorothy's Field which lies south of the road leading to the Glen Finglas dam. Dorothy's Field is unmanaged land containing scattered trees and vegetation. The main trunk of the bicycle tree splits into two at around 1 metre (3 ft 3 in) above ground level.

History

The tree is thought to have self-seeded approximately 1860–1900 on or near the site of a blacksmith's scrap heap.

Editorial summary

This brief starts where responsible research should: with the source description of “Bicycle Tree” as acer pseudoplatanus in Stirling, Scotland, UK. Everything that follows is an evidence route, not borrowed authority.

Editorial reviewA concise reference frame for defining the subject, testing terminology and identifying the institution closest to the evidence. The current lead gives the account dated anchors—2016, 1860, 1900—that can be checked directly. The linked authority record independently contributes the date 1900. The account is most persuasive where Bicycle, Tree and Acer can be independently traced.
Editorial analysis

Why this record matters

The subject matters to the general reference register because the source frames it as acer pseudoplatanus in Stirling, Scotland, UK. Its deeper value depends on whether names, dates, institutions and citations support that framing.

Evidence profile

Vocabulary and entity names are the principal evidence signals here, because they determine the precision of every later search. The source revision retrieved here is dated Jul 5, 2026. The linked authority identifier is Q55605400. Authority coordinates are 56.231, -4.365. None of the 2 selected statements returned an explicit reference. The first chronological checks are 2016, 1860 and 1900.

Critical limits

The absence of detail may reflect summary conventions rather than a lack of surviving documentation. The source lead contains qualifying language; that uncertainty should survive quotation, summary and reuse. Authority statements aid reconciliation but still require their own references, qualifiers and ranks to be checked.

How to read it

Use the entry as an orientation point, then follow its citations and revision history. Names, dates and institutional relationships should be checked against the original record.

Best used for
  • Subject orientation
  • Search vocabulary
  • Locating named sources
Verify next

The closest primary source, responsible institution and strongest cited specialist reference.

Three-step research path

  1. Establish the record: confirm the title “Bicycle Tree”, its source revision and the description used here.
  2. Expand the search: follow Bicycle Tree primary sources, Bicycle Tree archive and Bicycle research across catalogues and specialist indexes.
  3. Test the account: compare the strongest cited source with the responsible institution’s current record and note any disagreement.

Questions for further research

  1. Which source most directly establishes the central claim about “Bicycle Tree”?
  2. What terminology or title could unlock a more precise catalogue search?
  3. Which cited source is closest to the event, object or claim?
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Source & attribution

This entry incorporates text from “Bicycle Tree” on English Wikipedia. Contributors are listed in the page history. Text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 License. Selected authority identifiers and statements are retrieved from Wikidata under CC0; their references and qualifiers remain part of the verification path.