At precisely noon on Tuesday, April 29, and flanked by crowds of cheering colleagues, George Sherriffs, the Garden’s Acquisitions Librarian, triumphantly crossed the finish line at Inverleith House, Royal Botanic Garden Edinburgh, completing his 356-mile circuit of Scotland’s four national botanic gardens.

The final day of his run had seen him visit RBGE’s three former Edinburgh sites at the Palace of Holyroodhouse, Waverley Station and Hopetoun Crescent Gardens, before arriving at the Garden’s East Gate, storming up the hill and arriving at Inverleith House Lawn to rapturous applause from staff and visitors and a warm welcome from Regius Keeper Simon Milne.

As he reached the gallery, George rested his palm upon the door – a simple gesture that symbolised the end of his momentous journey.

The run, undertaken to raise awareness and mobilise support for the work being done at our four gardens to combat biodiversity loss and the climate crisis, saw him plant an Acer macrophylla at Benmore Botanic Garden, before setting out from the mountainside site on Tuesday, April 22.

By Friday, April 26, he had reached Logan Botanic Garden, where an Acer davidii was planted to mark the moment, before journeying through the weekend to arrive at Dawyck Botanic Garden on Monday, April 29.  There, George officially opened the new panoramic viewing platform which provides visitors with unparalleled views of many of the Garden’s finest attractions.

You can still support George at https://rbge.cc/3vvp5M5