Taking the scenic root for this tall order

HARDY Dan Bull goes above and beyond for his job - taking a cherry picker ride to begin the annual trim of a castle's 55ft tall yew hedges.

- By Ed Chatterton

Even going at a fair old snip, Dan will take two months to reshape the iconic cloud-shaped tops - known as tumps - using electric shears.

When it was planted at Powis Castle 300 years ago, the 160,000 sq ft of formal hedging was kept in check by 10 men, who needed four months and tall ladders, strapped together at times, to complete the task.