LIMESTONE COUNTRY - A Northern Coast to Coast Walk: From St Bees to Robin Hood's Bay - page 55

characteristic of wild, isolated places, and are sensitive to disturbance, especially in the
breeding season, when they may desert their nests.
Back on the route, and worthy of note also, is the fact, no longer in any way apparent
on the ground, that the walk has here crossed the line of the first road from London to
Scotland, before the shelter, easier gradients and more hospitable terrain through the
Shap fells found favour.
From the wall corner head east, descending beside a wall through low
heather scrub to another wall corner. Here bear left towards a shallow
gorge. Cross this and continue beside the on-going wall to another gully,
better defined, and the course of a dried-up streambed.
'ROBIN HOOD'S GRAVE'
The dried-up streambed twists southwards and conceals, only a short distance away, a
large pile of stones with the fanciful name 'Robin Hood's Grave'. Now, the great Forest
of Sherwood did extend much further north than its present day residue, Robin's trusty
lieutenant, Little John, is said to lie buried in a churchyard in Hathersage in the Peak,
Maid Marion, I have heard tell, originally came from Wakefield, and history undoubtedly
does record that dear Robin travelled around quite a bit. But if the legendary hero's
dying wish that he should be buried at the spot where his final arrow came to rest is
to be believed, it would call for monumental quantities of credulity to believe he had
the strength to flight it this far! His generally accepted resting place is at Kirklees, near
Leeds.
Lyvennet Beck