CYHA News

The Adventures of Robin Hood, his Merry Men & Maid Marion (CYHA Style)

A critique of the recent amateur production, recorded in technicolor Autumn Gold, starring CYHA-list celebrities!

On Friday 29th October 2010, the stars descended upon Sherwood Forest YHA, in the little known town of Edwinstowe.  Our heroine, Maid Marion sat down to breakfast with Knight James and Friar Doug.  The regular breakfast chef was nowhere to be seen (rumour had it that he had been sent to darkest Peru!), so Maid Cynthia of China, Little Jon(athan) and Knott Andrew stepped in with a hearty oriental feast!  The outlaws (aka the Merry Men) also partook of the unusual fayre.  The day started with a film showing about their infamous, but absent leader, Robin!  A tour of the visitor centre museum followed, Maid Marion swooned over her hero, and Maid Louise experienced the humiliation of being in the stocks.  On leaving the cinema, Robin was briefly sighted accosting little John, further into Sherwood Forest characters such as King Richard were encountered, some sporting Halloween garb, before the Major Oak of Sherwood Forest was stumbled upon.  Plenty of hidden gold was encountered - remember, all that glisters is not gold! - in this case the glorious late October sunshine highlighted the lovely autumnal shades of the leaves and the nuggets  beneath our feet turned out to be sweet chestnuts which were gathered to supplement our supper!  Failing to be reunited with Robin, the weary wanderers found a welcoming hostelry for afternoon tea and cakes before returning to the YHA via the fun fair!  Meanwhile, the Sandwich Maidens, Caroline and Carol, headed for Edwinstowe High Street, in search of sandwich bags from the local supermarket, and who should they spot, but Robin, no less, proposing to another Maid Marion! (in bronze statue form).  They then proceeded past Edwinstowe Church, where it is acclaimed the Happy Couple were married…and so a Happy Ending to our Story.  And the end of our walk, 105 miles according to the plaque we saw – OK, so we only did 9 miles of it!  That evening made Marion a sausage and bean casserole and so won the heart of her own Knight in shining walking gear (James)! And so we all got our just desserts – Pineapple and Ginger biscuit surprise!

The filming of the sequel, began on Sunday with a full English breakfast to equal our normal chef’s standards!  However, it did get very hot in the kitchen, not only temperature wise, but also as the chef’s assistants forgot to amend their clocks for the change of hour!  Dave, your job is safe!  So after a day of exploring by foot, half of the Merry Men took to their trusty steeds, of the 2-wheel variety!  A circumnavigation of Clumber Park, 20 miles, was the plan.  It was a numbered trail, so no risk of getting lost!  Again, beautiful autumnal views were encountered, in particular Limetree Avenue was stunning.  We paused to chat with a couple on electric bikes, which got Friar Doug thinking seriously about what he wanted for Christmas this year! For elevenses, we stopped at the Park Inn, at Hardwick Village (previously the village Post Office). The ride encompassed gentle hills and the crossing of water ways, lakes, and weirs! After a lunch stop, Maid Marion and Friar Doug parted from the group to enjoy the gardens of Clumber Park house.  Meanwhile, Little Jon(athan), (Yar)woodman Tom, and Maiden Carol completed the 20 mile circuit of Clumber Park, not without mishap – Jonathan stepping into the traditional CYHA superhero role of  ‘bicycle repairman’ and reinstating the offending chain on Carol’s bike.   Fortunately the group managed to return their not so trusty steeds to the hire stable in the nick of time and were reunited with Marion, Doug, and the walkers at the obligatory tea rooms of Clumber Park House.

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Credit goes to Marion and James for direction, Cynthia & the breakfast team for morning delights, Caroline & assistants for lunchtime delicacies, Marion & James again for gala evening fayre and the rest of the crew for making the weekend such a success!

Carol