Robins hood: outlaw country in Nottingham
Following the hit TV series, the legend of English outlaw Robin Hood is more alive than ever. Our writer heads to Sherwood Forest, Nottingham, to follow in the steps of the original bad boy
In Sherwood Forest all paths lead to the Major Oak. The 800-year-old tree towers over the green shoots of the forest like an elder statesman on the bright spring morning of my visit. Legend has it that outlaw Robin Hood and his band of merry men once made their home in its vast hollow trunk. In actual fact, the great gnarled tree would have barely been a sapling in Hood’s day, though that doesn’t stop a crowd of appreciative ramblers from snaking a meandering path from the visitors’ centre to gaze on the famous spot.
Sherwood Forest was once the largest of some 90 royal forests created by William the Conqueror, and covered most of Nottinghamshire north of the River Trent. From the 12th to 14th century, when the Sheriff of Nottingham enforced a strict forest law to protect the king’s livestock, Sherwood became home to numerous highwaymen. They hunted for animals and robbed passing travellers along the erstwhile Great North Road, now the present day A1.
The Major Oak is my starting point to follow a new interactive audio trail, In the Footsteps of Robin Hood. This retraces the route blazed across the Nottinghamshire countryside by the character who has evolved from medieval folk tale to TV action hero via various incarnations on the silver screen. Joining me in Hood’s footsteps is John Charlesworth, an expert in local history, who was a consultant on the development of the trail. “I believe Robin was a real outlaw, not just a fictional character,” says John. “In the 1220s, a Robert Hod appeared in court in Yorkshire and was made into a fugitive from the law. I suspect that he’s the original Robin Hood.”
The trail takes in seven key sites, which form a triangular route from Sherwood Forest via Nottingham Castle in central Nottingham to Clumber Park near the town of Worksop. There are also three new walking trails marked off the main route, all of which are designed to help explore the rural areas of the East Midlands through their connection with the Robin Hood story. At each of the locations a crossbow-shaped interpretation unit adds context to the truth behind the legend through audiovisual material. For the car journey between the sites, you can buy the CD commentary from local tourist offices and check the accompanying map. Alternatively, you can download it as a podcast to your iPod and bike your way round, following the Sustrans National Cycle Route.
Leaving the Major Oak, John and I double back through the 450-acre forest, following flower-strewn woodland paths and passing heathlands alive with birdlife. We emerge from a clearing into the attractive village of Edwinstowe, home to a plethora of places to stay and eat on the fringe of Sherwood Forest. From here we take the car, driving through the rural heart of Nottinghamshire’s Robin Hood country while John explains how one of the original medieval tales, The Gest of Robin Hood, is the basis for the legend as we know it today. The fable tells of Robin’s rivalry with the Sheriff, the legend of the silver arrow contest when the outlaw split his opponent’s arrow thanks to his longbow skills, and Hood’s eventual pardoning by King Edward. It even includes references to his merry men, including Will Scarlet and Little John, but Friar Tuck and Maid Marian are absent, most likely later additions as the legend evolved.
Heading north east from Edwinstowe, our next stop is Rufford Abbey. Founded in the 12th century by Cistercian monks, it was later transformed into a country estate for several wealthy local families. Legends suggest that, while Robin famously robbed the rich and gave to the poor, he had an uneasy relationship with the Church authorities. The Abbey’s crypt, located in the expansive grounds, still contains ancient manuscripts and tapestries with records from Robin’s day.
A stop on the audio
trail, Nottingham
Castle dominates the
city centre
Then it’s on to Clumber Park, formerly a major deer park, where Robin would have hunted in defiance of forest law. The country house was demolished in 1938 but the park remains with its Gothic Revival chapel, wide-open spaces and great lake. As we stroll along a serene avenue, where lime trees sway gentlyin the breeze, John and I discuss the various film interpretations of Robin, from Errol Flynn’s 1938 classic The Adventures of Robin Hood to the current popular BBC series, and a new film starring Russell Crowe as the Sheriff that is currently in production. John admits a sneaking fondness for the 1976 film Robin and Marian with Sean Connery and Audrey Hepburn, but his prize for most bizarre portrayal goes to the 1960s Canadian cartoon series, Rocket Robin Hood, which finds Robin living on the Sherwood asteroid in outer space.
Our final stop on the trail is Cresswell Crags, a series of small honeycomb caves along a gorge on the route’s northwest spur.
Base camp: Clumber Park HotelRobin is alleged to have hidden in the caves while fleeing from the Sheriff of Nottingham, a wanted man with a price on his head. Under forest law, outlaws could be taken dead or alive and Robin would have concealed himself in the dark, dank limestone chambers to escape both the Sheriff’s men and locals seeking to betray him for a bag of silver.
Back in the village of Edwinstowe we end our journey with a stroll around St Mary’s, the pretty stone church built in the 12th century where, according to the legend’s happy ending, Robin and Maid Marian were finally married. “For me the way Robin reflects our modern-day issues is what makes him such a fascinating character,” says John, as we say our farewells. “Robin may change with the times but the core of the story remains timeless.”
run wild in sherwood forest
For Robin Hood-themed breaks… contact the tourist office, Experience Nottinghamshire. The audio Robin Hood tour commentary is free to download at www.robinhoodbreaks.com, or you can buy a copy on CD at tourist information offices for £1.99 (€2.70). Experience Nottinghamshire, 4 Smithy Row, Nottingham +44 (0)844 477 5678, www.visitnotts.com
Be merry at… the annual Robin Hood Festival, a week-long celebration of
jousting tournaments, jesters and music in Sherwood Forest each summer
(28 July – 3 August). It’s great for a family day out and entry is free.
www.nottinghamshire.gov.uk/robinhoodfestival
Get active in Sherwood Forest… close to Edwinstowe, Go Ape! has highwire
adventures above the forest
including climbing trees and crossing
rope bridges. Sherwood Pines Cycles near
Mansfield, offers bicycle hire to explore
the forest’s mountain bike trails.
Go Ape, Sherwood Pines Visitor Centre,
Sherwood Pines Forest Park, Edwinstowe
+44 (0)870 428 5328, www.goape.co.uk
Sherwood Pines Cycles, Sherwood Pines
Forest Park, Old Clipstone, Mansfield
+44 (0)1623 822 855
www.sherwoodpinescycles.co.uk
Eat at… Hart’s in Nottingham, where head chef Mark Osborne produces carefully crafted modern British dishes with top quality ingredients. For mid range dining, Café Bleu in Newark has a Mediterranean influence and regular live jazz. Or, if you feel like splashing out, book ahead for the city’s only Michelin-starred restaurant with wildly inventive dishes from chef Sat Bains.
Hart’s Restaurant, Standard Hill, Park Row, Nottingham
+44 (0)115 988 1900, www.hartsnottingham.co.uk
Café Bleu, 14 Castlegate, Newark, +44 (0)1636 610 141, www.cafebleu.co.uk
Sat Bains, Lenton Lane, Nottingham, +44 (0)115 986 6566 www.restaurantsatbains.com
Stay at… the Clumber Park Hotel on the edge of Sherwood Forest, where a new €3m spa facility is due to open at the hotel this summer. For budget accommodation, try the Forest Lodge Hotel in Edwinstowe. It’s a village pub with rooms and a restaurant. Or, a 15 minute drive from Nottingham in the Trent Valley, you’ll find Glebe Farm Cottages. These five newly-converted Victorian barns are on a 110-acre working arable, beef and lavender farm.
Clumber Park Hotel, Clumber Park, near Worksop, +44 (0)1623 835 333 www.clumberparkhotel.com
Forest Lodge Hotel, 2-4 Church Street, Edwinstowe, +44 (0)1623 824 443 www.forestlodgehotel.co.uk
Glebe Farm Cottages, Peck Lane, Gunthorpe, +44 (0)1159 663 836 www.glebefarmcottages.com
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