Hathersage, the birth place of Robin Hood? | The UK is awesome mini-series 🏹

About Hathersage…

Whilst all of the above is enough to make the trip worthwhile, my main reason for visiting was the connections to Robin Hood & his merry band of men. It is said that he was from Loxley in Hathersage, which is not far from Sheffield. Robin Hood & his men would steal from the rich & give to the poor, given how expensive being alive is at the moment, we could sure use a Robin Hood to save us! One of Robin Hood’s right hand men “Little John”, is actually buried at the Church of St Michael. He is called Little John because he was said to be 7ft tall. Now, if Robin Hood & Little John were not real, how come there is a grave for Little John? The Churchyard & the grave etc are in a really beautiful area, so I highly recommend it as worth stopping by.

Story time 📚

One of the things I love about visiting these quaint towns/villages is that they are high trust. You often see people leaving things outside their house for sale & you are trusted to just leave the money. Now, there was a lovely big house with books outside for sale & a sign to deposit the funds into ‘The pipe’. I looked for a good minute or so & couldn’t find the elusive pipe, I even went down onto my hands & knees checking under the shelf etc. So then I was trying to peep over the hedge to see if one of the residents was around so I could buy the book. After a couple of minutes someone did walk by & I caught their eye, but they scurried off. It was only then I realised how I must have looked, a scary big Scottish guy window peeping 😂. I didn’t manage to buy the book & decided to shoot off as quickly as possible once I realise I looked like a window peeper!

By the time I had scaled the hill to Little Johns grave, I was truly desiccated by the sweltering heat (well sweltering may be a slight exaggeration, it was about 27 degrees, but to a Scottish person that is like the Sahara desert). I took refuge within St Michael’s Church, I was the only person inside at the time. Or so I thought, I was wandering around taking photos & as I got to the front there was a mannequin in one of the front rows of the benches about 1.5 meters away from me. I had been in for around 10 minutes in total silence, in my own little bubble. Then I hear a voice say “Hi dear”, I just about fell to the floor with fright, it wasn’t a mannequin at all but a lady who had just been sat still in tranquillity. In the photos you can decide for yourself if you would have thought it was a mannequin (the lady gave me permission to post the photo).

I am not necessarily sure it’s a funny story but I have to own up to my flaws. One of the cool places I wanted to visit was Robin Hood’s cave, where him & his men used to hang out & devise their battle plans. Google maps is good at the directions, but didn’t tell me the trek to the cave would be like traipsing through Middle Earth. I am ashamed to admit it, but I got halfway up the hill & thought my heart was going to burst out of my chest & I didn’t have it in me. I had to give up & turn back, it was too hot & I was woefully underprepared. If you have ever been to the cave, please do share any short cuts or tips for not dying on the walk!

Some photos of the trip… 🤳🏼

Where to eat & drink? 🍻🍽️

There is a wonderful big country pub called the Scotsman’s Pack which is a great place to stop by. I didn’t get any food there but when I was having a nosey at other peoples plates, it looked great! It’s also within close proximity of the Church & Grave of Little John. Failing that the Cafe at the swimming centre was decent for a coffee & it is nearby the outdoor bookstore that may or may not have a pipe lurking somewhere.