A talk by Neil Hallam

Background to Neil and the talk/book

I grew up in Nottinghamshire, so from early childhood I was immersed in the legends of Robin Hood. Whenever my parents hosted visitors, Nottingham Castle and The Major Oak were always on the itinerary.

I remember being bought Robin Hood hats, wooden swords and bow & arrow sets as a child. Then as a teenager, I even tried archery for real with a friend of my mum’s.

With only three TV channels to choose from, there was always a film or TV series about Robin Hood playing during my childhood. I seemed to be surrounded by the legends throughout my formative years.

The 500RH journey started by walking the Robin Hood Way – Long Distance Footpath. This 84 mile walking route was created in 1984 by members of the Nottingham Wayfarers’ Rambling Club, linking places in Nottinghamshire with connections to the legend.

I also enjoy cycling, but being a walker’s route, much of the Robin Hood Way is off limits to cyclists, so I set about adapting the route to use nearby cycle friendly roads and tracks. This became my Robin Hood Cycle Way, which is available in a separate book.

The final step towards the 500RH came with the popularity of Scotland’s NC500, SWC300 and Heart200. It was not too big a leap for my imagination to begin extending my cycling route to something more suited to motorised transport.

Initially, I expected my Robin Hood Route to be around 200 miles, taking in the more obvious locations in Nottinghamshire, Derbyshire and Lincoln. The research proved every bit as interesting as the traveling, since I learned so many more legends and factual connections to Robin Hood and his story.

The research provided destinations much further into Lincolnshire, as well as north through most of the Ridings of Yorkshire.

The Robin Hood 500 visits Cromford, and follows the line of the Cromford Canal towards Codnor Castle, where  Baron Reynold de Grey is considered a candidate for the evil Sheriff of Nottingham, and his adversary Roger Godberd, part of the Robin Hood legend.

Admission £5.00, to include a cup of tea or coffee. Or you can pay on the door

Bar, tea, coffee and raffle.

Non-members are always welcome.

Buy your tickets HERE