Sherwood Forest Country Park & Visitor Centre
EDWINSTOWE, NOTTINGHAMSHIRE
Our View
At the heart of the Robin Hood legend is Sherwood Forest. Today it is a country park and visitor centre with 450 acres of ancient oaks and shimmering silver birches. Waymarked pathways guide you through the forest. A year-round programme of events includes the spectacular annual Robin Hood Festival. Once part of the medieval Royal Forest of Sherwood and legendary home of the outlaw Robin Hood, the ancient woodland and heathland of the Sherwood Forest NNR is believed to be at least 1,000 years old. The trees are mainly oak along with others such as birch, rowan, holly and hawthorn. There are over 1,000 veteran oak trees over 500 years old in the forest and the most famous, the Major Oak, may be twice that age. The woodland is home to a rich mix of plants and animals including birds, bats, beetles, spiders and 200 species of fungi. Sherwood is also home to a variety of birds including nightjar, woodlark, hawfinch and marsh and willow tit. Sadly the woodlands have shrunk in modern times, and many have become separated, while the heathland has decreased by 95 per cent in the last 150 years. Budby South Forest is open heathland, a habitat which was formerly much more extensive across Sherwood. Nightjars and green woodpeckers can be seen on the reserve's heathlands.
Facilities – at a glance
Refreshments
Dogs allowed
Suitable for all child ages
Assist dogs allowed
Features
- Suitable for children of all ages
- Parking onsite
- Parking nearby
- Cafe
- Facilities: Wheelchair and electric buggy loan
- Accessible toilets
- Open all year
- Opening Times: Open all year. Country Park: daily dawn to dusk. Visitor Centre: daily 10-5 (4.30 Nov-Mar). Closed 25 Dec
Also in the area
About the area
Discover Nottinghamshire
Most people associate Nottinghamshire in the East Midlands with the legend of Robin Hood, though the former royal hunting ground of Sherwood Forest has been somewhat tamed since Robin’s outlaw days. Traditionally, the county’s primary industry, alongside agriculture, was coal mining but it is also an oil producing area, and during World War II produced the only oil out of reach of the German U-Boats.
The county is divided between the old coalfields north of the city of Nottingham, the commuter belt of the Wolds to the south, Sherwood Forest and the great country estates known as the ‘Dukeries’. Towns of note are the river port and market town of Newark, which hosts major antiques fairs six times a year, and Southwell, known for the medieval minster with exquisite carvings of Sherwood Forest.
D H Lawrence was a Nottinghamshire man, born in Eastwood, the son of a miner and former schoolteacher. He grew up in poverty, and his book Sons and Lovers reflects the experiences of his early years. Other Nottinghamshire notables include Thomas Cranmer, the first Protestant Archbishop; Jesse Boot, founder of the Boots pharmaceutical company; Henry Ireton, the man who singed Charles I’s death warrant; and Olympic skaters Torvill and Dean.
Nearby stays
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Restaurants and Pubs
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