Sherwood Forest

The Sherwood Forest of the Robin Hood legend survives as a genuine ancient woodland around the village of Edwinstowe, and its centrepiece — the Major Oak — is one of the oldest oak trees in the country, estimated at 800 to 1,000 years old.

Sherwood Forest is much smaller today than the medieval royal hunting forest it's named after, but the surviving core, managed as a National Nature Reserve, still has that genuinely old-woodland feel — gnarled, veteran oaks rather than a tidy plantation. Edwinstowe, the village at its edge, is where the visitor centre sits and makes the obvious base for exploring on foot.

Practicalities

Most visitors treat Sherwood Forest as a day trip from Nottingham, Mansfield or Newark rather than a multi-night base, since Edwinstowe itself is small. It's a genuinely good option if you want a quieter stay with easy access to the forest trails and the nearby Center Parcs Sherwood Forest site, and it puts you within reach of the Dukeries estates to the north.

Where to Stay near Sherwood Forest

Edwinstowe itself has very limited accommodation, so this list also covers the nearest real options in Ollerton, Mansfield and Worksop.

• 
  Forest Lodge HotelIn Edwinstowe village, closest to the Major Oak.
• 
  Warner Hotels — Thoresby Hall HotelGrade I listed manor on the Dukeries estates, near Ollerton.
• 
  Mansfield Lodge HotelIn Mansfield, a short drive from the forest.
• 
  Travelodge WorksopClose to the Sherwood Forest Visitor Centre.
• The Maypole at WellowPub-inn in Ollerton, a few miles from Edwinstowe and the Major Oak.

When to visit

The forest is at its best in autumn for colour and in spring for bluebells, and it's far quieter on weekdays — weekends and school holidays bring day-trippers from across the East Midlands.