Why go now?
If your kids are missing their fix of outlawdom since the BBC axed its Robin Hood series earlier this summer, why not take them to see where it all began, the historic 165 square miles of woods and heathland that is Sherwood Forest? The county's most famous resident is celebrated at venues throughout the forest, but the main attraction is the gently rolling woodland itself, at its most atmospheric in late summer, when the lush greens take on a few golden tints.
Where to stay
The Clumber Park Hotel (clumberparkhotel.com; 01623 835333; doubles from £140) is splendidly located for all Sherwood Forest attractions. The rooms are bright and spacious, if a little bland, and the welcome is friendly. Best of all, the hotel is opposite one of the forest's most beautiful stretches, the 3,800-acre Clumber Park, now owned by the National Trust. Borrow bikes from the hotel, cross the road, and in a couple of minutes you can be freewheeling through woods and pretty farmland. If you prefer self-catering, Sherwood Castle Holiday Forest (01623 824400; sherwoodcastle.co.uk; short breaks from £314 in summer) has pine lodges sleeping two to eight on a 400-acre wooded site with indoor pool and tennis and badminton courts.
Don't miss
The Major Oak, in Sherwood Forest Country Park near Edwinstowe, is 1,000 years old, its trunk is 10m in circumference and, depending on how much of the folklore you believe, Robin and his men hid from their enemies inside its hollow trunk, and Robin and Marian plighted their troth beneath its branches. Once you've ticked that off, pick any of several waymarked trails and immerse yourself in peaceful woods and glades.
Creswell Crags (creswell-crags.org.uk) on the forest's western edge is a dramatic limestone gorge formed in the last Ice Age. Everything gets outlaw-themed around here, so inevitably there is a Robin Hood Cave, but there is more to this site than merry men. Some of our earliest ancestors used to shelter and hunt here, and cave engravings 13,000 years old were recently discovered. A £4.2m museum and visitor centre was opened in June by David Attenborough.
Where to eat
The Caunton Beck (01636 636793; wigandmitre.com), a fine-dining pub in the village of Caunton, near Newark, serves excellent modern European food. Its starter of seared pigeon breast with risotto of sage and haslet would shock an Italian but is particularly delicious. A footpath along the beck behind the pub leads to a footbridge into a spooky churchyard. The Clumber Park Cafe (nationaltrust.org.uk) uses organic ingredients from the park's huge 18th-century walled garden. After a day cycling or walking you will have earned one of its cream teas, with home-made scones, local jam and thick organic cream from the Lubcloud dairy, over the border in Leicestershire.
The perfect pub
The pretty, beamed Olde Red Lion (01623 861000) has sat on the green in the village of Wellow for 400 years, opposite the maypole, one of only three permanent maypoles in Britain. It serves a range of real ales and good value food. The Maypole Brewery just down the road in Eakring produces Red Lion beer specially for the pub.
Retail therapy
The Victorian courtyard in the Thoresby Hall estate (thoresby.com) has been given over to artists' studios and retail space. Admire contemporary paintings, ceramics, stained glass and jewellery. The Welbeck Estate farm shop near Worksop sells meat and game from the estate, plus cheeses such as Lincolnshire Poacher and Stichelton, produced in the estate dairy. The latter is a sort of Stilton with knobs on, made lovingly by hand with unpasteurised milk (as no Stilton has been for 20 years).
Take a hike
An 11.5-mile circular walk (or shorter six-mile version) starts from Sherwood Forest Visitor Centre in Sherwood Forest Country Park, following well-drained paths and bridleways through ancient forest down to Rufford Abbey. Keep younger walkers interested by kitting them out with little green outlaw hats and bows and arrows from the gift shop. Many more hikes start at the village of Kings Clipstone: see heartofancientsherwood.co.uk for a choice of routes from five to nine miles.
Take the family
Go Ape! (goape.co.uk), a high-wire adventure course at Sherwood Pines Park, is more Return of the Jedi than Robin Hood: over-10s can play Ewoks over a three-hour route of zip-wires, nets and Tarzan swings. But this is the spiritual home of the bow and arrow, so an archery course (minimum age six; £20) at The Adrenalin Jungle (adrenalinjungle.com) just off the A614 is perhaps more appropriate. Younger children may be happier among rare farm animals at Sherwood Forest Farm Park near Edwinstowe (sherwoodforestfarmpark.co.uk; family ticket £20). The farm's massive shire horse is, of course, called Little John.
