The Major Oak

trees · English history · Sherwood Forest · legends

Incredibly old giant. The Major Oak is between 800 and 1,200 years old, making it older than most castles in England. At its peak, its branches stretched out 92 feet wide, about as long as three school buses.

Weighs as much as buses. When the tree was at its strongest, it weighed about 23 long tons, which is roughly the weight of 15 cars all stacked together.

Robin Hood's hideaway. Local folklore says Robin Hood and his Merry Men used the Major Oak as a shelter and meeting spot while they hid from the Sheriff of Nottingham in Sherwood Forest.

Located in Sherwood Forest. You can find the Major Oak near a village called Edwinstowe in Nottinghamshire, England, right in the heart of the famous Sherwood Forest where the Robin Hood legends began.

No longer alive. The Major Oak is now dead, but it still stands as one of England's most important and visited trees because of its age and the stories connected to it.