We discovered YHA Sherwood Forest a couple of years ago while exploring the woodland walks and this year we got to stay there! It’s in an ideal location for exploring Sherwood Forest Nature Reserve and Visitor Centre and as we’ve mentioned before on the blog we find YHA’s perfect for travelling with a large family. Read on to find out all about our stay:
Staying at YHA Sherwood Forest
YHA Sherwood Forest (Sat Nav Postcode: NG21 9RN) is located in Edwinstowe. A stay costs from £13 per person per night and from £29 per night in a private room. We always stay in a private room with ensuite which makes it just like any budget hotel room. YHA Sherwood Forest only sleep up to 5 people in their largest room but many YHA’s rooms sleep six or more which is ideal for us. On this occasion as Danny and Rebecca were at PGL this worked out fine for us.
YHA Membership
Anyone staying with young persons under the age of 26 automatically receive a 5% discount. If you have YHA Membership you can also receive a 10% discount, making a total saving of 15% on every stay and meals. One year membership costs £20. Danny and myself are both members as he stays at YHA’s with his friends too.
Check In
You can check into YHA Sherwood Forest from 5pm. The latest check in time is 10pm. We had a very slow car journey there on our visit due to the bad weather and lots of accidents on the M4, so we just made it in time! I actually felt like we were Rocky Horror as we drove seemingly miles in the middle of nowhere in the pouring rain. The Receptionist gave us a call to check that we were going to arrive before reception closed. When we eventually got there we were given a warm, friendly welcome. Check out is from 10am on the day of departure.
Parking
Parking is free- just tell them your car registration number on arrival.
Our Room
We had to laugh when we arrived at our room and found it was named “David of Doncaster”. I told Dave I’d booked a themed room especially for him! As you can see he was very impressed (not! lol).
Our room contained a double bed with single bunk above and a bunk bed. Obviously the rooms are basic with just beds, storage and the private ensuite. This works out fine for us as we have entertainment on the laptop and we can make hot drinks in the self catering shared kitchen.
Lying on our beds we could see the trees, birds and skies from the Velux windows. It was very relaxing.
Towels
Towels are not provided during YHA stays. We pack our own but they are available to hire from reception. Bedding is provided. On arrival we were warned that our shower was leaking so we were given plenty of extra towels to deal with this while they arranged to get it fixed.
The Lounge
In the shared lounge area there was a TV and DVD (plus plenty of DVDS). There were also lots of board games and books to keep us entertained too. The kids loved this room.
While they played games I sat on the balcony reading my book.
Dining Area
The dining area is for the use of food customers and also self caterers. We sat in here for our breakfast, supper and also to eat the meals we prepared ourselves.
Breakfast
Breakfast is available from £6.75 per adult and £3.50 per child (under 10). Or you can make your own breakfast in the self catering kitchen. Vegan sausages are available so you can have a full vegan breakfast!
Self Catering
We did plan to visit a supermarket and stock up on food to cook. In the end Dave wasn’t very well during our stay so I was left on my own to entertain and look after the kids so I didn’t find the time (or energy!) to drive to a big supermarket. Luckily there are quite a few convenience stores within walking distance in the village of Edwinstowe. The girls were determined that we would cook one night.
The self catering kitchens are fully equipped- I couldn’t fault anything. I did laugh as I overheard one girl saying she hoped there would be a kettle so she could make her pot noodle, there’s not one kettle- there’s two! Stickers are provided to label your stored food.
We had a bit of a pot luck dinner from the local shop. I found some vegan wellington bites that I hadn’t tried before so had with chips and salad. The girls had fish fingers.
Outside Area
The surrounding area wasn’t as impressive as previous YHA stays such as YHA Stratford Upon Avon, however there was a decent picnic area. Some of the downstairs rooms also had a patio and patio doors which would have been lovely.
Overall
We really enjoyed our stay at YHA Sherwood Forest and would definitely recommend it to anyone visiting this area.
What to Do During Your Stay
The best thing about staying at YHA Sherwood Forest is that Sherwood Forest Nature Reserve and Visitor Centre is literally on your door step just a short walk away (no need to pay for parking). We could have spent at least two days visiting here. We also popped back during the evenings to make use of the play park.
Also a few footsteps away you will find the Sherwood Forest Arts and Crafts Centre.
During the months of March to November you can play at Sherwood Forest Fun Park just across the road.
Explore the village of Edwinstowe– visit the church where Robin Hood and Maid Marion are said to have married, go shopping and enjoy a pub lunch.
Sherwood Forest Railway is just a short drive away- take a ride on a narrow gauge steam train, play in the play park and enjoy a picnic.
We also found a number of Geocaches in the area!
Have you stayed at a YHA- which is your favourite? Have you visited Sherwood Forest? Where would you recommend?
See more at YHA Sherwood Forest.
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Looks a great place to stay!
looks brilliant, I will have to consider YHA in future