Wigtwizzle - Norman Smith's Travel Blog.: February 2020

Sherwood Forest And The Legend Of Robin Hood

A Song Of Sherwood by Alfred Noyes

Sherwood in the twilight, is Robin Hood awake?
Grey and ghostly shadows are gliding through the brake,
Shadows of the dappled deer, dreaming of the morn,
Dreaming of a shadowy man that winds a shadowy horn.

Robin Hood is here again: all his merry thieves
Hear a ghostly bugle-note shivering through the leaves,
Calling as he used to call, faint and far away,
In Sherwood, in Sherwood, about the break of day.

Merry, merry England has kissed the lips of June:
All the wings of fairyland were here beneath the moon,
Like a flight of rose-leaves fluttering in a mist
Of opal and ruby and pearl and amethyst.

Merry, merry England is waking as of old,
With eyes of blither hazel and hair of brighter gold:
For Robin Hood is here again beneath the bursting spray
In Sherwood, in Sherwood, about the break of day.

Love is in the greenwood building him a house
Of wild rose and hawthorn and honeysuckle boughs:
Love is in the greenwood, dawn is in the skies,
And Marian is waiting with a glory in her eyes.

Hark! The dazzled laverock climbs the golden steep!
Marian is waiting: is Robin Hood asleep?
Round the fairy grass-rings frolic elf and fay,
In Sherwood, in Sherwood, about the break of day.

Oberon, Oberon, rake away the gold,
Rake away the red leaves, roll away the mould,
Rake away the gold leaves, roll away the red,
And wake Will Scarlett from his leafy forest bed.

Friar Tuck and Little John are riding down together
With quarter-staff and drinking-can and grey goose-feather.
The dead are coming back again, the years are rolled away
In Sherwood, in Sherwood, about the break of day.

Softly over Sherwood the south wind blows.
All the heart of England his in every rose
Hears across the greenwood the sunny whisper leap,
Sherwood in the red dawn, is Robin Hood asleep?

Hark, the voice of England wakes him as of old
And, shattering the silence with a cry of brighter gold
Bugles in the greenwood echo from the steep,
Sherwood in the red dawn, is Robin Hood asleep?

Where the deer are gliding down the shadowy glen
All across the glades of fern he calls his merry men—
Doublets of the Lincoln green glancing through the May
In Sherwood, in Sherwood, about the break of day—

Calls them and they answer: from aisles of oak and ash
Rings the Follow! Follow! and the boughs begin to crash,
The ferns begin to flutter and the flowers begin to fly,
And through the crimson dawning the robber band goes by.

Robin! Robin! Robin! All his merry thieves
Answer as the bugle-note shivers through the leaves,
Calling as he used to call, faint and far away,
In Sherwood, in Sherwood, about the break of day.

Robin Hood State

Sherwood Forest Visitor Centre

Sherwood Forest

Ancient Oak

The Major Oak

Major Oak Trail

Ancient Oaks

Ancient Oak

Ancient Oaks

Ancient Oak

Ancient Oaks

Ancient Oak

Derwentwater Flooding

These photos taken at towards the end of February and are of a very full Derwentwater. Lots of the lakeside path was under water to at least Ashness Landing Stage and, I should imagine, so was the vast majority of the rest of the path around the lake.

There were also terrible floods in 2005, 2015 and 2017.

In 2005 The Eden Valley and Carlisle took the brunt of the rainfall and flooding.

In 2009 over a foot (314.4mm) of rain fell in Seathwaite in 24 hours and was a new record at the time for England.

In 2015 The Storm Desmond floods were caused because rainfall fell on already saturated ground following three previous storms during November. These resulted in more than twice the monthly average rainfall for that month. Most of The Lake District was under water, as was Carlisle, Workington and Whitehaven. Many bridges were destroyed and at one point Workington was completely cut off from the rest of Cumbria due to flooding and a major road bridge collapsing. The water levels were even higher than in 2009.

In 2017 there was further flooding but this was mainly in the Borrowdale Valley and at Eamont Bridge near Penrith. I do recall Glenridding Beck bursting its banks and extensively flooding the surrounding shops both in 2015 and 2017. The unfortunate Glenridding Hotel was flooded on both occasions as well.

Carlisle and surrounding areas were also hit by flash floods in August 2019.

Ashness Jetty

Barrow Bay

Keswick Landings

Path to Friars Crag

Strandshag Bay

Derwent Isle

Grimwith Reservoir

A great stroll for blowing the cobwebs off as this walk is certainly open to the elements. Once you have left the comfort of your car, there is very little shelter from the winds and rain driving across the moors. I was lucky on the day I went as it just about stayed dry and bright the whole time I was walking but the wind was bitterly cold. Also, once you get past the first mile, you are more or less committed to doing the whole walk.

In bad conditions it's a case of just pulling your hood up, sticking your head down and just soldiering on. After all, its only a bit of wind and rain so won't harm you. Some of the most entertaining walks that I've done over the years have been done in such conditions.

There are a couple of inlets and bays which make the walk longer than it actually looks but it is basically on flat ground and is only four and a half miles in total. Often there are windsurfers on the reservoir and in windy conditions, this can be quite entertaining to watch but I didn't see any signs of life when I was there. I can't say as I blame them though.

If ever you need a place to come and clear your head, this is it!