Sherwood Forest is smaller than the legend and bigger than most people expect. The ancient oak woodland around Edwinstowe is the famous part, but the name covers a wide band of north Nottinghamshire: pine forest, country estates, a lakeside abbey, ice age caves and a string of villages that have been living off Robin Hood for two hundred years.
This is a guide to planning a weekend there, written by the family building Eden Pines, a glamping park about 25 minutes south of the forest. We have tried to be honest about what is worth the drive and what is not.
The forest itself
Start at the Sherwood Forest National Nature Reserve on the edge of Edwinstowe. The RSPB runs the visitor centre, entry to the forest is free, and the walk to the Major Oak is a level mile on a wide path. The oak is propped up on scaffolding and fenced off, which disappoints some people, but standing in front of a tree that was already old when the legend started is still something.
Beyond the Major Oak the crowds thin out fast. The reserve has several waymarked trails through the ancient oaks, and if you go early or late in the day you can have them almost to yourself. Allow half a day for the reserve if you like walking, two hours if you only want the oak.
Beyond the oaks
The ancient forest is one afternoon. The rest of the weekend is the estates and parks that surround it, most of which are within fifteen minutes of Edwinstowe.
- Sherwood Pines
- Forestry England's largest forest in the East Midlands. Bike hire, graded mountain bike trails, family cycling loops, Go Ape treetop courses and a café. This is where locals go rather than the nature reserve.
- Rufford Abbey Country Park
- Abbey ruins, formal gardens, a lake with a lakeside café, a sculpture trail and craft shops in the old stables. Free to enter, pay for parking. Good for a slow morning.
- Clumber Park
- The National Trust's largest estate in the area, ten minutes north of Ollerton. A serpentine lake, a chapel, a walled kitchen garden and the longest double avenue of lime trees in Europe. Flat, wide cycle paths make it the easiest place to hire bikes with children.
- Thoresby Courtyard
- Galleries, craft shops and a café in the stable block of Thoresby Hall. Small, but a pleasant hour if the weather turns.
- Creswell Crags
- A limestone gorge with cave art from the last ice age, about 25 minutes north of Edwinstowe on the Derbyshire border. Cave tours book up, so reserve ahead.
When to go
The forest is open all year and each season has a case. Spring brings bluebells at Clumber and new leaf on the oaks. Summer is busiest, and the Robin Hood Festival in early August fills Edwinstowe with jousting, archery and medieval music for a week. Autumn is the photographers' season, when the oaks turn and the bracken goes bronze. Winter is quiet and the bare oaks are at their most dramatic, though the visitor centre café keeps shorter hours.
If you want the Major Oak without a queue, avoid school holidays and weekends between May and September, or arrive before ten.
Getting there and getting around
Sherwood Forest is not on a railway line. The nearest stations are Mansfield, on the Robin Hood Line from Nottingham, and Newark, on the East Coast main line from London. From either you will want a car or a taxi. The Sherwood Arrow bus links Nottingham with Edwinstowe and Ollerton for anyone determined to do it without driving.
By car, the A614 runs north from Nottingham straight through the forest, and the A1 passes Newark and Worksop to the east. Most of the attractions above are on or just off the A614 between Ollerton and Worksop, so once you are there the distances are short.
Where to stay
Edwinstowe and Ollerton have a handful of pubs with rooms and a large holiday park or two, and Thoresby Hall is a big spa hotel on the estate. They put you in the forest, which is convenient, but they are also where everyone else stays.
The alternative is to stay a little further out. Twenty-five minutes south, around Southwell, the countryside is quieter, the restaurants are better, and you gain a second destination for the weekend: Southwell Minster, the National Trust Workhouse and a Georgian market town a few minutes from your bed.
That is where Eden Pines is. Six adults-only glamping pods, each with its own private hot tub, on a working smallholding at Oxton Hill between Southwell and Oxton. The forest is a 25-minute drive up the A614, Nottingham and Newark are much the same in other directions, and the nights are properly dark. The park opens in December 2026.
Good to Know
Questions people ask
Is Sherwood Forest free to visit?
Yes. Entry to the Sherwood Forest National Nature Reserve and the walk to the Major Oak are free. You pay for parking at the visitor centre, and separately for Sherwood Pines, Rufford Abbey and Clumber Park car parks.
How long do you need at Sherwood Forest?
Two hours covers the visitor centre and the Major Oak. A full day lets you add one of the longer trails and Sherwood Pines or Rufford Abbey. A weekend covers the forest, the estates and Southwell or Newark.
Can you stay in Sherwood Forest with a hot tub?
There are lodges with hot tubs on holiday parks within the forest. For an adults-only option in quieter countryside, Eden Pines near Southwell has six glamping pods with private hot tubs about 25 minutes south of the forest.
Where is the Major Oak?
In the Sherwood Forest National Nature Reserve at Edwinstowe, Nottinghamshire, about a mile's walk from the RSPB visitor centre. The postcode for the car park is NG21 9RN.
Stay nearby, with a hot tub
Eden Pines has six adults-only glamping pods with private hot tubs near Southwell. Opening December 2026.
More Guides