Walking Sherwood Forest end-to-end
‘On the Robin Hood Trail’
by
‘Blacke Dickon’
© 1998
The
‘Robin Hood Trail’ in
Nottinghamshire is a long-distance public footpath but takes a roundabout route
and is a basic 80 miles long in total. ‘As
the raven flies’ from the fords of the River Meden in the north to
Nottingham Castle in the south the length of old Sherwood is roughly twenty-five
miles - but more like thirty if you plan your route to take in as many of the
traditional ‘Robin Hood’ sites as possible : this journey was planned to end at
Nottingham Castle - but in the end due to
‘modern problems’ did not go into modern Nottingham for ‘aesthetic
reasons’ and instead ended at Bestwood Park, one of the old ‘hunting parks’ in
the royal forest.
The
only way you can really test your
medieval forester gear is fully-practical and functions is to wear it on a
‘go-out and do it’. So why not go
out and do it in
Sherwood Forest … ?
Such a journey is not for the unfit or the faint-hearted … but you may find most
of your problems will fall into the early-stage category of purchasing the
required ‘third-party public indemnity insurance’, obtaining permission to carry
weapons in public, cross or visit private land where there isn’t a public
footpath or lighting a fire. If you can’t get permission to cut wood or sleep in
some sort of shelter overnight, you will have a problem with creating over-night
camps unless you arrange for materials to be brought in.
At
first, a few suspicions were aroused by the prospective visit of
‘Robin Hood’ but if you present your
intentions honestly once people have gotten over the shock or surprise, I found
they reacted favourably and in most cases, ‘enthusiastically’. You can obviously
do ‘day-out circle’ or a walk from A to B with no ‘night-out’ camp with a
drop-off and pick-up at each end of the journey. The long journey was carefully
planned beforehand to arrange permission for ‘over-night camps’ and avoid as
many modern roads as possible and because of the problem with ‘lighting fires’
at the time was ‘supported’ each day in case of any emergency. The more you plan
beforehand, the better the journey usually is. You will find a ‘group’ journey
requires only one of certain
items, rather than everyone carrying one
of each item required. A group can also take in turns to carry bulk items such
as ‘cooking pots’.
Take a good look at your footwear if planning any ‘day-out’ display or a
‘long-distance’ journey. Current styles worn by early medieval re-enactors
were made of ‘modern’ leather and in terms of ‘practical’ were so flimsy I
rejected them all as ‘useless’. They have to support at least 13 stones of
transmitted weight and remain
comfortable : these ‘reconstructed’ boots were made to a 12th
Century design based on research by Sarah B Juniper, the leading UK historical
cordwainer and they sailed through practical tests in both summer and winter
wear. The boots seen here after a one-day journey in Sherwood Forest over snow
: remains of such boots, nails and heel-bars have been found in archaeology in
Yorvik (‘Viking York’).
I came back with
a few changes in mind for ‘the next time’ : take a second spare shirt, have my
hair cut even shorter and allow more time for visits and to talk to people who
stop you. Rather than take a sit-down break for meals during the day, if you
have to cover a set distance pack two ‘quick snacks’ for midday and
mid-afternoon to keep your spirits up … but in warm summer weather, you will
find that setting off at dawn and taking a break (or a sleep) between 11.00am
and 4.00pm before starting again until dusk will alleviate a lot of problems in
dehydration and fatigue. I was invited to visit several places and offered food
and drink in return for the ‘publicity’ by visiting taverns to give a short
‘display’ : this I deemed suitable for the ‘next time’ with a group of medieval
people on a journey and such a journey does suit ‘sponsorship’ for charitable
purposes. A larger ‘medieval’ journey in Sherwood Forest with ‘horses, knights
and medieval people’ from Nottingham Castle to the Robin Hood Festival at
Edwinstowe in 2005 was planned after this but failed to happen - but it might be
noted that in 2006 a group of seven medieval re-enactors walked all the way from
Stamford Bridge near York to Battle in Sussex to mark the anniversary of ‘The
Battle of Hastings’ … on arrival they then took part in the ‘battle
re-enactment’.
Early morning bright sunshine on the second day of four nights ‘on the trail’
in Sherwood Forest in 1999 : with Blacke
Dickon carrying ‘his home on his back’. On the trek, the bow was
usually carried in the woollen slip across the back with the arrows in the
quiver pulled high on the back too in the ‘travelling position’ to sit beneath
the leather ‘hold-all’. Only the sword and dagger were kept ‘to hand’ … with
the tinderbox wrapped up in the left-hip pouch. The longest march in one day
was ten miles and the third-day trek was done overnight.
‘Packing-out’ more gear for journeys - especially in
‘bad weather’ or in winter-time - will mean you have to create a suitable
‘back-pack’. This one derived from medieval illustrations and was made in
wicker - the dimensions were based on the basket accommodating a four-point
all-wool Witney blanket. A light ground-cloth can be rolled up and strapped to
the lid. The basket as seen weighs about two pounds and is carried on the back
- but as was later found could be used as a pannier and slung on a donkey !
It is also a useful depository to store gifts you are given ‘on the trail’
and hide such ‘necessaries’ as
a cell-phone for emergencies, modern money, a map and compass, a camera,
insect repellent, suntan lotion and a basic ‘first-aid kit’.
Avoid any temptations ‘off the line of march’ - you
may spot fallow deer in the
less-frequently traversed or wilder places - but you will
certainly be offered mugs of ale
in passing modern ‘taverns’.
Also avoid occupied villages unless you like having your photograph taken and
being asked the same question fifty times a day.
The medieval village of Wellow holds the tallest may-pole in England and in
the ancient churchyard here is the old yew tree ‘from
which Robin Hood cut a stave to make a bow’.
Preparing a medieval banquet at The World
of Robin Hood on the way to Edwinstowe … but travelling foresters
weren’t invited for ‘bite and sup’.
Two people I met ‘on the trail’ : King Richard the Lionheart and Will Scarlet.
Mansfield … and a gift of hot meat pasties.
The stone
discreetly doesn’t mention that The Town Council cut the tree down … and it
was also miles away from the true centre of medieval Sherwood Forest.
The undercroft of Rufford Abbey is a good place
to sit and cool off on a hot day. A good visitor display of the former
monastery is housed down here in another section of the undercroft.
I met three residents out hawking one morning.
Three ‘hawkers’ currently live and hunt in Sherwood Forest.
A cornerstone of the old church which now marks
the
traditional grave of ‘Will Scarlet’
The house that stands on the site of the former
cottage where Maid Marian slept before Will Scarlet escorted her to Edwinstowe
next day to marry Robin Hood. Recent excavations due to a building extension
here later revealed a 12th century cellar.
‘Maid Marian’ herself popped up … !
A deep and dark area of old Sherwood Forest.
“Friar Tuck’s Hermitage and Well” : reached by the old footpath
known as ‘Blood and Guts Lane’
named for the quarter-staff fight between Robin Hood and Little John over the
River Rain. Washington Irving and Sir Walter Scott were just two of the former
travellers on the ‘Robin Hood trail’ who visited this spot in the late 18th
Century. This spot is now ‘private property’ and requires permission to visit
it due to ‘careless trespass’
in the past.
Be prepared to defend yourself … !
Robin Hood’s Stable : a spacious and very useful man-made cave on a
journey, lying near Papplewick on the route of the medieval road
The Kings’ Great Way
through Sherwood Forest.
(This is a ‘flash’ photograph taken at night
due to a delay in arriving).
Dawn at ‘Blidworth Dale’ near Haywood Oaks, where
in 1598 a verderer of the royal forest was killed in a stiff fight with two
other men. What was ‘heath’ in the 12th Century is now a field of
barley. In the far distance the Iron Age barrow and fort on top of
Robin Hood’s Hill … the spot for
the final night-out on the journey.
The ‘bullet-riddled’ door as seen on the old
photograph is now in safe-keeping at which one morning Lord Byron shot at with
his pistols to wake the teenage daughter of the local lord … but the remains
of the Terrace is still there as you can see.
The remains of a small interesting 11th
Century church - having a connection to
‘Sir Richard of the Lee’ - which fell into disrepair due to King
John in 1202 making the area into ‘royal forest’ … the entire village here had
to ‘move’.
‘Bull and Bear Lane’ : the hill at the far end is where Nottingham
Castle 2 was built in 1202 in a failed attempt to control ‘outlaws’ - by 1208
it had been abandoned due to attacks by the very same ‘outlaws’. Legend has it
that Robin Hood shot an arrow the distance of this ‘old straight track’, part
of an old ‘ley-line’ … 330 yards in total.
Early morning and eight miles to go on the last
day of the trek. A view of the medieval ‘trail-pack’ carried, from left to
right - water-bottle, blanket, leather hauberk
cum ground-cloth, and the
‘hold-all’ contained the necessities from food to a pair of gloves. The
woollen hooded-cloak was left off due to the prevailing weather-forecast … but
it did rain one night. A small ‘bearded-axe’ was tied to the underside of the
leather ‘hold-all’. In setting-out, the gear in total weighed about forty
pounds.
‘Outlaw-hunters’ seeking offenders against
‘forest law’. Had ‘Blacke Dickon’
met this lot ‘on the outlaw trail’ the Hunter would have become the Hunted.
Modesty
forbids me adding anything to this … the idea was that if visitors to
Nottingham Castle couldn’t go to Sherwood Forest then Sherwood Forest would be
brought to Nottingham Castle.
See more on the World Wide robin Hood Society Website:
'Robin Hood at
Nottingham Castle'
An alternative is a one-day walk-about : this was
taken walking ‘Robin Hood at Kirklees’
in Yorkshire on a rather chilly December day. The
author seen here at the ‘Grave of the
Prioress’ but this area and that of
‘Robin Hood’s Grave’ are well off
the public footpath in Kirklees Park and required special permission to visit.
With Thanks for help to :
The Forestry Commission
Nottinghamshire County Council Tourist Unit
Nottinghamshire Country Parks
Nottinghamshire County Constabulary
Nottingham Castle Museum & Art Gallery
BBC Radio Nottingham
And not forgetting … Saint Jude, Saint Christopher and Saint Hubert