Edwinstowe

Edwinstowe's hotel options trade heavily on its forest setting, and the choice ranges from a grand country-house hotel to simple pub rooms in the village itself. Thoresby Hall, a few miles north of the village, is the standout for anyone wanting a proper country-house stay: a restored 19th-century mansion set in its own parkland, now run as a Warner hotel with lakeside walks, a walled garden and courtyard restaurants on site, generally aimed at couples and groups rather than young families. Within Edwinstowe itself, the choice is smaller and more modest, with a handful of village pubs offering rooms above the bar, well suited to walkers wanting to be right in the middle of the action and within stumbling distance of the forest trails and the Major Oak.

Just outside the village, Center Parcs Sherwood Forest offers a different style of stay entirely: self-contained lodges scattered through their own private stretch of forest, with an on-site pool complex, restaurants and activities that make it a self-sufficient holiday destination in its own right, particularly popular with families. For those wanting something between the two, a scattering of bed and breakfasts and small independent guest houses can be found in Edwinstowe and the surrounding villages, generally offering simple, good-value rooms aimed at forest walkers and cyclists rather than luxury seekers. Booking ahead is worth doing during school holidays and over the Center Parcs changeover days, when demand for anything within walking distance of the village spikes noticeably.

Edwinstowe rewards visitors who like their history mixed with woodland walking, and most of its best-known attractions are within a short walk or drive of the village centre.

• The Major Oak — A vast, ancient oak estimated to be around 800-1,000 years old, propped up today by supporting poles and famous as Robin Hood's legendary hideout. It sits at the heart of the forest's waymarked trails, a gentle walk from the visitor centre.
• Sherwood Forest Visitor Centre and National Nature Reserve — Reopened in 2018 and run by the RSPB in partnership with Nottinghamshire County Council, the centre has exhibitions on the Robin Hood legend and the forest's wildlife, plus a network of way-marked trails through the National Nature Reserve, about a ten-minute walk from the village.
• Center Parcs Sherwood Forest — Established in 1987 on the edge of the village, this large forest holiday village is a major local landmark and a source of day-visitor traffic to Edwinstowe's shops and pubs, even for those not staying on site.
• Thoresby Hall and Thoresby Park — A grand 19th-century country house a few miles north, now a Warner hotel, set in parkland with lakeside walks, a walled garden and courtyard shops and restaurants.
• Sherwood Forest Art and Craft Centre — On the edge of the village near the church, a cluster of independent studios and shops selling handmade chocolates, jewellery and crafts, with a café to break up a walk.
• St Mary's Church, Edwinstowe — The parish church at the centre of the village, notable for its association with the Robin Hood legend as the traditional site of his marriage to Maid Marian.

For a village of its size, Edwinstowe has a good spread of places to eat and drink. The Dukeries Lodge, an eighteenth-century coaching inn, serves classic pub food in a heavily beamed setting, while the Black Swan, the Royal Oak, Forest Lodge and the Hammer and Wedge give walkers plenty of choice for a post-forest pint. The Sherwood Forest Art and Craft Centre has a café for lighter bites and cake between shop browsing, and a short drive to Thoresby Hall brings the Baytree restaurant and the Blue Grill, both set within the old hall's courtyard buildings. It is a village built around passing walkers and day-trippers, so most places lean toward hearty, unpretentious food rather than anything overly formal.

Sherwood Forest's mix of ancient woodland, heath and bracken makes for atmospheric camping country, but it comes with an important caveat: wild camping without the landowner's permission is illegal in England, and that includes the National Nature Reserve around the Major Oak, which is carefully managed for conservation and does not allow overnight stays. Anyone wanting to camp near Edwinstowe needs to use a licensed campsite or seek explicit permission from a private landowner beforehand, rather than pitching up informally in the forest itself.

Fortunately, the area around Edwinstowe and the wider Sherwood Forest has a decent spread of proper campsites, ranging from simple grass touring pitches to more developed sites with electric hook-ups, shower blocks and on-site shops. Several sit within a short drive of the village, giving easy access to the forest trails, the visitor centre and Edwinstowe's pubs without needing a car for every trip. The terrain itself is gentle rather than dramatic — flat to gently rolling forest and farmland rather than hills — which makes it comfortable ground for tents, and the sandy soil under much of the forest drains well after rain, a genuine advantage in a region that sees its share of wet weather.

Camping here works well from late spring through early autumn, when long evenings suit a fire outside the tent and the forest canopy is at its greenest; midsummer weekends and school holidays are unsurprisingly the busiest, so booking ahead is wise. Spring brings bluebells to the woodland floor and cooler, quieter nights, while autumn offers russet colour and the chance of hearing deer roaring during the rut in nearby parkland, though nights turn noticeably colder. For those who like the idea of forest camping without the logistics of a tent, glamping options in the area — shepherd's huts, pods and safari tents — offer a softer landing, with proper beds and heating that make a Sherwood Forest stay comfortable even outside the height of summer.