Sherwood Forest

We've had a spell of very cold weather here in the UK, well, cold for us. Storm Goretti wreaked havoc upon parts of the country but we've been very lucky here in our neck of the woods, the only snowfall we had was overnight into Sunday when we woke to a thin covering. That didn't hang around long, the rain washed it away just as quickly as it had arrived.

Although it was cold on Saturday, it was bright and sunny so we decided to have a trip to RSPB Sherwood Forest.

Sherwood Forest is the remnants of a vast royal hunting ground in Nottinghamshire, now a National Nature Reserve. It's known for its connections to the legendary outlaw Robin Hood. 

It was a beautiful day, stunning blue skies without a cloud to be seen and though it was cold, we were wrapped up well so we didn't really feel it.

There are several trails through the forest which cater to different abilities and interests.

It's about a mile and a half to the Major Oak, the tree known as Robin Hood's legendary hideout. It's thought to be about 1100 years old and is now supported by props and bracing in order to preserve it.

The path to the Major Oak is always well populated, people travel for miles to see this iconic landmark, but once past the tree, the forest is much quieter.

It's said that lichen grows where the air quality is clean as many types are highly sensitive to pollutants.

Can you see the face in this tree? I'm not sure the photo captured it as well as we could see it.

It seems there are microclimates within the forest as we happened upon areas covered with frost.

The ground here was rock hard.

Puddles were frozen.

There's no admission fee at Sherwood Forest, car parking costs £6 and you can stay for the whole day. It's free for RSPB members. There's a visitor centre with a shop and cafe and between the car park and the visitor centre is Sherwood Forest Arts and Craft Centre where there's an array of different independent craft shops, everything from candles to fabric crafts. There's handmade soap and jewellery, gemstones and fossils, and a paint a pot studio, as well as many more things to discover. Such a great day out.