Why our hearts go out to Sherwood's ancient oak

Edwinstowe, Nottinghamshire Perhaps it is a human-sized story – that after 400,000 days on Earth, the Major Oak is still full of lifeAlthough British place names make frequent reference to different tree species, there can be few road signs giving directions to a single specimen. Nor can there be many English woods more steeped in story than Sherwood Forest. I found a few incidental tales even as I walked up to the Major oak. There were fairy bonnet mushrooms painting their way across a de