The 15th-century Severn’s building across from the castle now houses the Nottingham Lace Centre. Although it was constructed after Robin Hood’s time, this building provides a well-preserved example of medieval architecture. Ye Olde Salutation Inn, a timber-framed alehouse on Maid Marion Way, sits on the spot where a pub existed in Robin Hood’s days.

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From Nottingham we headed eight miles north to the village of Papplewick. This short drive passes through suburbs and farmland, but in Robin’s day, it was part of Sherwood Forest. The king’s verderers, or forest wardens, were based in Papplewick. These feared lawmen had the authority to enforce the strict laws against poaching, felling trees, or even possessing a bow and arrows.

From the centre of Papplewick, we walked north until we saw a sign on the left marked, ‘Public Footpath to Linby’. A quarter of a mile further on, through hedges and green fields, we saw the steeple of the 12th-century Church of St. James. According to the tales, the young minstrel Alan-a-Dale loved the fair maiden Ellen, but her father had promised her hand to an elderly wealthy knight. On the day of the wedding, Robin Hood dressed as a harpist and entered this church. When the ceremony was about to begin, he blew his horn, signalling his men to dash into the church and stop the wedding. Friar Tuck then presided over the marriage of Alan-a-Dale and the lovely Ellen.

If you are lucky enough to find the church open, look for the tombstones in the chapel, some of which date back 500 or 600 years. One gravestone, called the Forester’s Stone, has a bow, arrow, bugle, and belt clearly engraved on it.

Driving a few miles north, we came upon the Greenwood Craft and Garden Centre, which also serves as the entrance to the Portland Training College for the Disabled. In this unlikely spot, the Friar Tuck Trail begins. The trail meanders for 21ž2 miles through lovely ancient forests, grasslands, and heaths. Along the way, it passes by a relic associated with one of the most memorable tales in the Robin Hood legend. At approximately the halfway point of the walk stands a crudely built wooden shelter known as Friar Tuck’s Hut. Its age and significance are not known, but Friar Tuck is said to have lived just a short distance up the path, and the hut stands on the spot where Robin supposedly first met the jolly friar, and where they had their famous altercation when Robin tried to cross the river.

After leaving Friar Tuck’s Trail, we moved on to Blidworth. Robin Hood’s trusted henchman, Will Scarlet, is said to be buried in the yard of the Church of St. Mary of the Purification. (We searched the sprawling graveyard but could not find any gravestones older than 200 years.) It is also thought that Robin Hood picked up Maid Marian from a nearby cottage and took her to their wedding in Edwinstowe.

Before we followed in his footsteps, however, we made a made a quick side trip to Old Clipstone, in search of King John’s Palace. We had been told to watch just before we entered the town for the ruins of the King’s royal hunting lodge. We drove up and back several times without spotting what we were looking for, and finally walked through a field to ask some boys where the King’s Palace was. They directed us to another field, but we still couldn’t find the palace. Finally, we entered an adjacent pub and asked the barmaid. She kindly walked outside, pointed to the neighbouring farm, and said, ‘There’s not much to see, but there it is.’ It was on private land, the barmaid told us, and the farmer doesn’t like visitors. Even with her pointing the way, we couldn’t recognize any ruins.

We turned away, disappointed. After all, the Sheriff of Nottingham spent much time here. Richard the Lionheart came for a summit when he returned from the Crusades, and Edward II often celebrated here with his royal retinue after a day of hunting in the nearby woods. Local legend says that Robin Hood even broke into the palace one night to free a group of villagers who were being held hostage.

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