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Distance  p lan your walk Sherwood VisitorSherwood Centre The Forest Table, free).holidays, otherwise holidays and school (charged at weekends, bank at the Visitor Centre uk). There’s ample parking travelineeastmidlands.org. ( townsother local from and Mansfield also run to e the Visitor Centre; buses and Worksop to regularly every day from Arrow” 33 runs service Stagecoach’s “Sherwood Landranger 120. two bridle gates. after rainfall. but No stiles, walking, but may be muddy forestry tracks. e e Reserve & Visitor Centre, Forest National Nature Forest.Sherwood e Gettin Map t Start/end: Where: 1 ✆ Derby Sheffield NOTTINGHAMSHIR e dwinstowe (SK626677). atin errain: 0871 200 2233, www. level 1 N l Mansfield AVIGATION

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l ITN e l Time ▲ SS PhotograPhy: NEIl CoatES 2 hrs watching and learning. too, of chances, forlots nature from the Sheriff’s vengeance… route and thin paths an escape pasture, trees offer hidey-holes, where Longhorn graze cattle wood run riot here, imaginations can woodland ways. Children’s sinuous in clearings beside twisted, groves or standing, gaunt and forest dappling the shady giants Budby to the remarkable South atmosphere, from the heathland of corner of Nottinghamshire oozes into that medieval This landscape. remains, however, offers a glimpse Forest That which of . and Leicestershire in the great the greenwood between outlaws could have walked beneath shadow former of its self, when a of Nottingham is nowSheriff Men sparred his Merry with the hunting forest where Robin and The verdant wild wood and Norman folklore hero and Sherwood Forest. betweenlong association the debatable is the less a moot point; Whether ever existed is l

Type Family, woodland

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compacted track. Turn R along woods to reach a hand gate onto a path, which meanders through the 2. reach a split. as the trees pinch in again, you’ll gravelly, sandy way. In 700 yards, bowl – it develops as a slightly strikes up a wide, shallow grassy trackand turn L on the distinct that and fence gate. Use the bridle gate reaching path, shortly a bridle gate At this juncture, turn L on a lesser open pasture on your R in 200 yards. Turn along this and walk to reach waymarked bridleway to the L. soon reaching and a benches Circletimes. the enclosure clockwise, Rooke, historian in Georgian a local It’sstruts. named after Major Hayman on an arboreal Zimmer frame of years old and now supported 1,100 all Sherwood’s trees, it is maybe the famousGrandest of landmark. groves of and birch to reach which winds throughMajor Oak, follow the waymarked path for the START1. From the Visitor Centre, Keep ahead-R on a narrowing

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3km/2 miles miles Distance 3km/2  p lan your walk accommodation). www.visitbirmingham.com/ centrecity 888 3883, ( ✆ 0844 hotels nearer Birmingham arealocal and mid-price in the budget guesthouses ale ( ✆ 0121 472 3186). budget foodserves and real favourite with students) The Goose at the OVT (a cafés along Bristol Road. are several takeaways and 7272, www.travelwm.co.uk).7272, take the 61 bus ( ✆ 0121 254 www.londonmidland.com) or Oak Selly ( ✆ 0121 634 2040, Birmingham New Street to every 10 minutes from Landranger 139. towpaths and parkland paths. Library (SP044829). campus. University of Birmingham and throughCanal the along Birmingham Oak, Selly Sleepin e Gettin Map t Start/end: Where: Wolverhampton 1 atin errain: W level 1 N e Stoke-on-Trent ST AVIGATION S Worcester magazine

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PhotograPhy: alamy l a small avenue The Dingle. called the Vauxhall dealership, turn L into the car park and, before reaching showroomcar over the road. Pass you reach park of a Vauxhall the car along Bristol Roadand turn R, until main Bristol Road using the crossing crossing.pedestrian Cross over the turn (SP044829), R towards Library a START1. Oak Coming out of Selly Gunmakers shop. historic Westley Richards & Co recreation grounds, the passing some quieter pathways and The route by finishes exploring famous scientist Michael Faraday. sculpture the that honours past the largecampus, bronze heading over the green-lawned beforethe Birmingham Canal, visible as you follow a stretch of university’s clock tower is clearly most recognisable landmarks. The some of the area’shour and visits – will takecampus you under an University of Birmingham’s Oak suburb of Selly – home to the walkThis short around the leafy

Type Short, canal-side city walk city canal-side Short,

inscription around the base of the inscription around the base of the university’s centenary. The e was created by the celebrated Sir artist Michael Faraday scientist 18th-century figure The sculpture on your of the L. Gate to walk the large past bronze at the top, turn L and then R at West metal staircase directly Once to your L. 3. university railway station. reach the bridge directly under the walking along the towpath until you freestanding clock tower.tallest Keep 100m/328ft building is the world’s chancellor Joseph Chamberlain, the Joe’, after the university’s first Tower. Affectionately known as ‘Old University of Birmingham Clock on your R the very clear view of the Road overhead. Atnotice this point, the Bristol under a bridge carrying towpath.canal As you go, you’ll pass Dingle, turn L and walk along the reach at the end of The the canal Hazelnut tree When you on your L. small road as you a go and passing 2.

duardo Paolozzi to commemorate Go under the bridge and then up the Go under the bridge and then up Walk along The Dingle, crossing a ▲ Ordnance Survey mapping©Crown copyright.AM34/08 Ordnance Survey mapping©Crown copyright.AM34/08

3 continued… 4 continued...

ViSitor information: Visit (✆ 01623 823 202); Birmingham (✆ 0844 888 3883, Bistro, www.visitbirmingham.com). 19 High Street gUiDeBooKS: Waterside Walks (✆ 01623 824880). in the Midlands by Birmingham Sleeping: B&B at Ramblers, (£4.95 + £1 P&P, The Cottages, 1 Church 3 Meridian Books, Street, Edwinstowe ISBN 1 869922 09 3). 5 (✆ 01623 824383); The Forest local ramBlerS area/ Lodge Hotel, 2–4 Church 2 groUp: South Birmingham Street, Edwinstowe Ramblers (✆ 0121 624 2533, (✆ 01623 824443, www.sbramblers.pwp. www.forestlodgehotel.co.uk); blueyonder.co.uk). Sherwood Forest YHA, Forest Corner, Edwinstowe sculpture are lines from TS Eliot’s The (✆ 0845 371 9139, 4 1 Dry Salvages, chosen by the artist to www.yha.org.uk). START reflect on the reasons young people ViSitor information: 5 FINISH come to university: to travel, listen, Sherwood Forest National think and change. Nature Reserve & Visitor Centre, Edwinstowe 4. Follow the path towards the Public (✆ 01623 823202) — seasonal, Health building along the signposted otherwise contact Ollerton Map not to scale. footpath and cycle route. At the end, TIC (✆ 01623 824545, Representation of turn L following signposts on your L www.visitnewarkand Landranger MAP 120, to Grange Road Gates. Cross over to sherwood.co.uk). 1:50,000 the same side of the road as the gUiDeBooKS: www.ordnancesurvey.co.uk Chemical Engineering building so it’s 1 START Nottingham and Sherwood on your R-hand side. At the end of FINISH Forest: Leisure Walks For All this road, cross over and turn R, to Ages – Short Walks Guides by Steepness of walk walk towards an old tower with a Terry Marsh (£5.95, Crimson 100 large weeping willow tree on your L Publishing, ISBN and the Estates West building on 9780711720862). your R. Continue to follow this road local ramBlerS area/ 50 around to the L. Cross a road and groUp: Mansfield & Sherwood keep walking until you reach a Ramblers (www.mansfield- (m) Elevation pedestrian zebra crossing. ramblers.co.uk). 0 1 2 3 4 5 5.5 Total distance of walk (km) 5. Take the zebra crossing and walk past a recreational ground on your 2 this, a tranquil bridleway through of a wide, grassy strip through the their splayed ‘stags heads’ or L, along a beautiful tree-lined the heart of Sherwood. Keep your trees. The large oak on your R is the gnarled, lived-in looks, they create pathway. Follow this path round to eyes peeled for the Longhorn Centre Tree, the very middle of the an atmosphere of mystery and the L, towards Grange Road Gate, cattle and Hebridean sheep, used old forest. even menace. The most and cross the bridge over Bourne Map not to scale. to grazing the fenced area on your impressive of these are in a Brook. Entering Grange Road, you’ll Representation of L – these are the largest mammals 4. Turn L, past the barrier; in 70 cleared area to your R, thrusting notice the famous Westley Richards Birmingham A-Z map in today’s Sherwood, as the Merry paces fork R on a path signed for their decrepit boles above thick, & Co Gunmakers on your L, Men’s favoured quarry, Edwinstowe. Simply keep ahead re-generating birch woodland. established in 1812. Turn R along deer, are now extremely rare. on this and ignore cross-paths, Keep R at a fork beside this plain Dale Road, past Jarratt Hall on your At the major fork, keep L on the taking you through Birklands of Methuselah trees to reach a R. Carry on round and turn R into Steepness of walk waymarked bridleway through Inclosure, wherein stand the most wide track inside the forest’s George Road. At the end of George shaded glades, reaching a wider venerable of Sherwood’s mighty edge. Road, enter a small recreational 200 track and a forestry road after – contorted and twisted old playground and follow the path 50m on your L. warriors looking every-bit like a 5. Turn L to reach a major crossing around to the L. At the gate, turn R grouping of Tolkien’s Ents. Nearly of tracks beyond a barrier. Here, 100 on to the main Bristol Road and 3. Turn L onto a grassy way 1,000 oaks have been growing keep ahead on the wide track to return to the library. (m) Elevation running parallel to the forestry for over 600 years, the most return to the Visitor Centre. Route devised by Get Walking 0 1 2 3 road, remaining on this to reach a significant remnant of ancient Keep Walking Birmingham Total distance of walk (km) major crossing of routes at the end forest in western Europe. With Route devised by Neil Coates