Fans of English folklore heed this well, for it was at Fountain Dale where the first meeting of Robin Hood and Friar Tuck took place. Legend goes that they fought at the moat, the remains of which are sadly all but gone.

Interestingly, Sir Walter Scott wrote his famous novel Ivanhoe here. The novel is partly to thank for the modern perception of many of the principal characters of Robin Hood folklore, including the Prince of Thieves himself.

Damian

April 4, 2021

nice spot for bird watchers - lots of waterfowl

Walk The Walk 🌳

December 24, 2022

CLAIMED TO BE THE LEGENDARY location where Robin Hood met the feisty Friar Tuck in the famous folktale, the overgrown remains of a 12th-century moat, lodge, and holy well complex persist in this soggy corner of Sherwood Forest.

Fountain Dale’s ancient moat is an impressive waterlogged ditch, 40 feet wide, enclosing what was once a large rectangular artificial island. The feature dates to at least 1251, when the moated island was the site of a hunting lodge, the vestiges of which remain hidden beneath centuries of mud and undergrowth.

To date, little archaeological investigation at the site has been carried out. This said, the remains of the medieval manse are likely to be well preserved, having remained unusually undisturbed. The moat and its structures are listed as a Scheduled Monument of National Importance by the public heritage organization Historic England.

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Elevation 120 m

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Tuesday 28 October

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Location: Lindhurst, Newark And Sherwood, Nottinghamshire, East Midlands, England, United Kingdom

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