Setting the scene
Who does not love the tale of Robin Hood & his band of merry men? Well for this trip, I was able to visit the town where he was born (allegedly). It is pertinent to highlight top & centre that this blog post may or may not contain information that is entirely factitious or completely true when referencing Robin Hood 😂. Usually I do my best to provide accurate & useful information on the trips, so you can make the most of your day. However, I would take the Robin Hood references with a pinch of salt, personally I believe in all of the stories & he was definitely real 🏹
About Hathersage…
Nestled on the Eastern side of the Hope Valley, Hathersage is an awesome place for a day trip.
It has such a unique charm & character to it. Charlotte Bronte was inspired by the town when writing Jane Eyre, although admittedly I haven’t actually read it. The area is so picturesque it has provided the back drop for some major movies, such as Pride & Prejudice.
Hathersage also plays host to one of the few outdoor swimming pools in the UK. I didn’t go for a dip though, I’m still carrying a few lbs from Easter & Christmas, so a bit chubby for the swimming unfortunately 😂
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… 🤳🏼
Cool sign at train station 
The mannequin 
There was no pipe… 
View from the walk to the cave 
Lots of these dotted around the place 
St Michael’s Church 
‘Myths & Legends’ should be title ‘Historically accurate people’ 
Tale of Little John 
Grave of Little John 
Grave of Little John 
Inside Church 
A lot of the streets are cobbled like this
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.
Useful information 🧑🏼🎓
The town isn’t massive & everything is within walking distance. There is a trainline that drops you within short walking distance to the centre & they run between Manchester to Sheffield every hour. There was plenty of places to park though & if you want to visit Robin Hood’s Cave, you’re probably best to drive up a bit closer rather than trying to walk from the train station. As outlined above, it’s a gruelling walk.
Hathersage has a useful little tourist/information centre place where they have public toilets etc but once you get up into the hills past the Church of Little John, there doesn’t seem to be many places when nature calls, so definitely plan ahead. I initially experienced a bit of a moral quandary about taking photos at a grave, however when you get there you realise it is a tourist site & to be expected. There is also a chance that nobody is actually buried there & Little John wasn’t real 😂. Whether you believe it or not, is up to you!
What is coming next? 🤔
Next up there will be posts about more historical places like Edinburgh, Chester, Caerleon, York, North Wales & Liverpool (purely for the Beatles history). I will be taking a small break from posting in September as I have been very lucky & am getting the chance to do a mini Euro trip from Poland, up through Latvia, Estonia & Finland.
I would love to take any trip recommendations, if I can get there by bus, boat, train or plane, I will go🤠. Hit subscribe to get notified when the next post goes live, thanks for reading through & as always, if you have any questions drop me a comment & I will get back to you as soon as possible ❤️
Tyler's Travel Tales 