The Ancient Oaks of Sherwood.

Sherwood Forest can be a bit bleak and colourless at this time of year but there is the added bonus of it being quiet. Another benefit of visiting in winter is that all the gnarly old oak trees are seen at their best as you don't see the contorted and haphazard shapes of their branches when they have their summer coats on.

Pride of place goes to The Major Oak which is situated within easy walking distance of the Visitor Centre. It's vital statistics are impressive – it weighs around 23 tons, has a girth of ten metres (33ft) and a spread of 28 metres (92ft) - this make it the biggest oak tree in Britain. Although it is debatable how old the Major oak is, some say 800 years old, while others reckon over 1000 years old - the trunk conceals the truth. Most historians believe that the Major Oak would have only been an acorn when Robin Hood is meant to have been gallivanting around Sherwood Forest. It's first recorded name was the Cockpen tree, a reference to its use as a cockerel pen to hold the birds before a cockfight. However, the tree became better known as "The Major's Oak" after it was described in 1790 by a local historian, Major Hayman Rooke. Throughout the 19th century it was also known as the Queen or Queen’s Oak. Unfortunately its not very photogenic these days as it is held up by wooden posts and wires due to it being so fragile and heavy.

Obviously, due to the sheer volume of visitors, the bird community is very tame and they don't seem phased by humans in any way shape or form. One of the many robins and a blackbird followed us about for ages, hoping to get a free meal but unfortunately they were out of luck. Anyway the forest staff keep the many feeding stations well stocked so there won't ever any danger of then going hungry.

We ended an enjoyable walk by having a coffee in the soon to be replaced Visitor Centre/Café. A new all singing and all dancing building is being constructed on the edge of Edwinstowe and is due to open this summer. The old centre is looking a bit tired and in need of a general uplift so building a new centre was deemed to the most cost effective way to move forward. It looks as if it is being build on the lines of the Rheged Centre in The Lakes and also The Sill National Landscape Discovery Centre in The Northumberland National Park.