Fishing-Creel Christmas Tree Illuminates Scottish Village
Every year, the people of Ullapool celebrate the Christmas countdown by creating a magnificent tree from hundreds of fishing baskets.
Every year, the people of Ullapool celebrate the Christmas countdown by creating a magnificent tree from hundreds of fishing baskets.
These loaf-shaped vessels, made using a mesh-covered frame, are typically used to catch shellfish like crab and langoustines.
But the people of this fishing village in the Highlands transform them into a spectacular winter display by illuminating them with colorful lights.
This 30ft (9m) high display is organized by the community group Ullapool Fire and Light Fund.
Gordon Wink, one of the volunteers involved in the project, explained on Radio Scotland's Lunchtime Live program how the village has been creating this focal point for the past 10 years.
The idea first came about when a local man, Robert Hicks, asked if something could be done to "brighten up the dark winter nights."
Robert was the organizer of the Loopallu Music Festival, which had been held in the village for 15 years until 2019.
It was suggested that the village celebrate its fishing heritage with a tree made of creels.
"Initially, we had to beg and borrow materials," Gordon said.
But later, lottery funding allowed volunteers to purchase their own creels—a total of 340 creels.
"It takes two full days to build with the help of volunteers, and the harbor provides us with plenty of materials," Gordon said.
The tree is built on a disc-shaped base, with a wooden frame in the center and weights to hold everything in place—especially in windy weather.
"There was a storm last week that caused some damage," Gordon said.
The creels are placed around the frame, and then the entire structure is decorated with multi-colored Christmas tree lights.
The finishing touch is the "star"—an outline of a crab with white lights.
The tree's location near the harbor adds another nice touch when it comes to officially lighting the lights.
CalMac's ferry from Ullapool to Stornoway blows its horn three times, and then the lights are turned on.
"When the lights are first turned on, you think: 'Oh, that's so clever,'" Gordon said.
"Hundreds of people come to see it—one woman travels 500 miles from Southern England every year to see it."
Oban in Argyll also erects a creel tree as part of the town's Winter Festival.
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