Fossil tree

Burg’s distinctive landscape was formed by a series of volcanoes some 50 million years ago. Molten lava flowed and cooled to form the rock layers visible in Burg’s stepped edges. The fossil of a tree, caught in the lava, was discovered by John MacCulloch in 1819 and can still be seen today. 
Burg’s landscape also holds traces of the people who once lived and farmed here, from the Iron Age up to the 1940s.

The impression of a 50-million-year-old tree is embedded in an old lava flow. The columnar structures that fan out like the spokes of a wheel formed as the lava cooled.

Over the years, souvenir hunters have damaged what remains of the tree trunk. Please don’t pick away pieces of the fossil. Signs of other fossil trees can be seen in the beach below the path. The basalt rocks provide ideal habitats for some rare plants, including Iceland purslane, purple saxifrage, mountain avens and globeflower.

The path includes a steep descent to a beach via an iron ladder. Take extreme care.

Access may be difficult at high tide. 
•     Keep dogs under close control and bear in mind that they can’t descend the ladder.
•     The path ends at the fossil tree and it is very difficult to progress beyond this.

The nearby summit of Bearraich provides excellent views to Ben More in the east and over Ulva, Staffa and the Treshnish Isles to Tiree. On a clear day you can see the Outer Hebrides.