コックスグリーンでの周辺の簡単なハイキングとウォーキング

Robin Hood's Arbour There are no known connections linking the legend of the outlaw, Robin Hood with Robin Hood’s Arbour. Indeed Robin Hood’s Arbour dates from much earlier times. The feature is an Iron Age rectilinear enclosure which is thought to have been a farmstead. An archaeological excavation in 1890 revealed ‘samian ware’, a type of Roman pottery produced mainly in Gaul. Further excavations in 1960 recovered some Iron Age pottery and some wattle marked daub. Other finds comprised flint implements including a Palaeolithic hand axe. These finds can be seen in the Reading Museum.

Butterfly Trail and Disease Resistant Elm project The National Trust has recently established a butterfly trail throughout the woodland rides and clearings of Maidenhead Thicket where many common species can be seen, such as the largely white, brimstone, silver-washed fritillary, speckled wood, red admiral, comma and small tortoiseshell. In recent years the National Trust has been working alongside Butterfly Conservation to plant elm trees that are resistant to Dutch elm disease in order to encourage the White-letter Hairstreak butterfly whose caterpillars feed on elm. In addition to butterflies, little grassland pockets through the woods have allowed common spotted orchids and other wildflowers to flourish, bringing flecks of bright colour to the glades. Amongst the younger woods are dotted many ancient and veteran trees, some up to 400 years old, where you may see many different fungi, insects and birds.

As early as 1255, Henry III ordered the area around the London to Bath road to be cut back, as it was notorious for highwaymen. However, the problem reached a peak following the execution of Charles I in 1649, which left a growing number of desperate Royalists on the run and a number of them became highwaymen. Maidenhead was a busy coaching stop and the Bath Road, between Maidenhead and Reading, was one of the busiest roads in the country; in it had good coverage with many escape routes through the Thicket. Highwaymen flourished here until the early 1800s. By far the best-known highwayman was Dick Turpin. It is said that the Dew Drop Inn at Burchett’s Green was in his usual stamping ground. This pub had an underground room where Turpin would hide his horse, Black Bess, when in need of shelter after an escapade on Maidenhead Thicket. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dick_Turpin