We’ve all heard of Robin Hood, the beloved English outlaw, and his band of Merry Men. Armed with bows and arrows, they terrorized the English rich, stealing from them to give to the poor. Robin Hood remains a legendary figure, though it’s rather difficult to distinguish between fact and fiction when it comes to his adventures. There are speculations and debates about the man behind the myths, but one thing’s true enough: the supposed sites of his adventures definitely exist, and there are planned trips and tours available for those wishing to get a glimpse of the anti-hero’s hallowed haunts.

Robin Hood’s name is inexorably entwined with that of Sherwood Forest of England’s Nottingham, whose Sherriff was Robin’s sworn enemy and with good reason: not only was Robin an outlaw, he and his men were also living in what was essentially royal property, for Sherwood had been legally designated ‘Royal Hunting Grounds’ after the Norman Conquest of 1066. This meant that, unlike happier times when you could grow crops on forest land and would probably be let off with a fine if the King caught you in a part of the forest he’d marked as his hunting ground, all the resources in Sherwood now belonged to the Crown, especially the deer and the timber. If you were caught poaching or trespassing, you’d be blinded or lose your fingers as punishment (or, in case of an unlikely third offence, put to death).

Not that it deterred Robin, who carried out his activities with Richard the Lionheart (1189-1199) on the English throne. Richard, a good but absent king- he was away most of the time; fighting in the Crusades- had awarded Sherwood Forest to his brother John, and it’s debatable whether it was John’s wanton cruelty against the Saxons or the contemporary forest laws that made Robin a fugitive.

Earlier ballads claim that Robin was outlawed after he killed one of the King’s deer. More popular are the stories where John’s men kill Robin’s father, Earl of Huntingdon, and Robin is left alone and dispossessed, retiring to the forest and swearing vengeance on the cruel rich. Neither, however, stopped Robin and his men from making their home in Sherwood, prowling stealthily among the trees and making meals of the King’s deer (Friar Tuck’s tongue-in-cheek remark comes to mind, that it could be a punishable offence to kill the King’s deer, not to cook it.)

Sherwood Forest is open to visitors today, well-kept, and flourishing. Looking around (or looking at photos), it’s easy to understand why Robin and his men were depicted wearing costumes of Lincoln Green: the colour blended well with the colours of the forest, making for very effective camouflage and enabling the Merry Men to keep an eye on visitors, creeping up and surrounding them for their money (if they were rich) or taking them to Robin Hood for help (if they were poor). The present Sherwood Forest is a country park of 450 acres with trees that are up to 5000 years old, under which Robin might one day have knelt with Maid Marian or partaken in May Day festivities with the Merry Men.

While not quite as old, the most famous tree in Sherwood Forest is the Major Oak, estimated to be between 800 and 1000 years old. It’s big- so big that Robin reputedly hid inside it to evade patrolling soldiers- but that’s not why it’s called the ‘Major’ Oak. It’s named after Major Hayman Rooke, British soldier, antiquarian, and botanist.

Robin often held (informal) court under the venerable old giant and is even said to have feasted with King Richard under its boroughs, feeding the amused (and slightly bemused) King his own venison. Major Oak was voted England’s Favourite Tree in 2014 in a poll conducted by the Woodland Trust.

Most early ballads, however- the only exception being Robin Hood and the Monk- connect Robin Hood not to Sherwood but to Yorkshire’s Barnsdale Forest, probably because Robin, from what can be traced of him, had been born in Yorkshire (incidentally, he’s reputedly buried in Yorkshire, too, in Kirklee’s Park). But that doesn’t quite explain why the Sherriff of Nottingham would be so obsessed with him, or why he’d make frequent forays into a different county to arrest somebody who was, technically, none of his business. Barnsdale Forest is the sight of the famous encounter between Robin Hood and Sir Guy de Gisborne, with the former finally besting and killing the latter. The ballad- simply called Robin Hood and Sir Guy the Gisborne- dates back to the 15th century.

Robin has statues to his memory, and television series and movies commemorating his life. But he remains immortalized in the forests he once loved to roam- there’s an annual Robin Hood Festival in Sherwood, and visitors there are greeted by signs telling them that they’re entering ‘Robin Hood country’, the legacy of a fugitive and his followers far outweighing royal titles and injunctions. What better monument to a friend of the common and the poor?