Money, they say, doesn’t grow on trees.
I have to tell you, that it most certainly does. Well, around here it does anyway.
Before you all jump in your cars and descend on our green and pleasant bit of the country, let us explain.
The money, in this case, coins, are usually knocked into felled tree trunks by passers-by, using stones, who hope it will bring them good fortune.
These fascinating spectacles often have coins from centuries ago buried deep in their bark and warped by the passage of time.
In Britain, the tradition apparently dates back to the 1700s. There is one tree in Scotland, which apparently has a florin stuck into it. For those under 98 years old, a florin is a two bob bit. A two bob bit was a tenth of a pound, or in other words, twenty-four old pence, which (I think) is about ten new pence. Simples!
Anyway, a sick person could apparently press a coin into a tree and their illness would allegedly go away. However, If someone then took the coin out, it’s said they would become ill. (Serves them right)
If you venture down Dovedale, just 20 minutes from us, you’ll not only experience the beauty of the natural environment, you’ll also witness a large number of coins whacked into a number of fallen trees. Just as well then we were adding money to the tree and not removing it, as we wandered along the river with friends.
