FIVE MORE PLACES TO EXPLORE

1 Forest of Arden WARWICKSHIRE Where Shakespeare set a comedy

Stretching from Stratford-upon-Avon in Warwickshire to Tamworth in Staffordshire, and enveloping the cities of Birmingham and Coventry, the Forest of Arden was the setting for Shakespeare’s play As You Like It. Today, only scattered small patches of the once great forest remain, including Smith’s Wood. woodlandtrust.org.uk

2 Savernake Forest WILTSHIRE Where Henry VIII met his third wife

The first mention of ‘Safernoc’ appears in the records of Anglo-Saxon king Æthelstan in AD 934. Part of it was designated a royal forest in the 12th century. It is home to the Big Belly Oak, believed to be over 1,000 years old, and is said to have been the site of the first meeting of Henry VIII and his third wife, Jane Seymour. forestry.gov.uk/savernake

3 Puzzlewood FOREST OF DEAN, GLOUCESTERSHIRE Where Tolkien found inspiration

Said to have inspired the fabled forests of Middle-earth in JRR Tolkien’s The Hobbit and The Lord of the Rings, this 5.5-hectare woodland is renowned for its strange rock formations. The forest has been occupied since Roman times; in 1848, a hoard of more than 3,000 third-century Roman coins was discovered in a cave here. puzzlewood.net

4 Banagher Glen DERRY/ LONDONDERRY, NORTHERN IRELAND Where legends abound

It’s said that after St Patrick tried – and failed – to drive the last snake out of Ireland, he trapped it in Banagher Glen, one of the oldest ancient oak woodlands in the country. discovernorthernireland.com

5 Lincoln Castle LINCOLN Where a charter is held

A copy of the original Charter of the Forest – sealed by Henry III, and one of only two in existence – can be seen at Lincoln Castle alongside Lincoln Cathedral’s Magna Carta. lincolncastle.com