There and Back

We visited here while based in a log cabin in Sherwood. We were mainly looking for different fungi on this trip, so this visit combined an historic site, with some fungi hunting. The former Augustinian abbey once belonged to Lord Byron and now has a Mixed Style romantic nineteenth century garden. The priory of St. Mary of Newstead, a house of Augustinian Canons, was founded by King Henry II of England about the year 1170, as one of many penances he paid following the murder of Thomas Becket. Contrary to its current name, Newstead was never an abbey: it was a priory. In the late 13th century, the priory was rebuilt and extended. It was extended again in the 15th-century, when the Dorter (A bedroom or dormitory, especially in a monastery.), Great Hall and Prior's Lodgings were added. The priory was designed to be home to at least 13 monks, although there appears to have been only 12 (including the Prior) at the time of the dissolution. The Valor Ecclesiasticus o...

There is a certain appeal in woodlands this time of year, as the forest floor hides many fungi. With this in mind, we booked into a Cabin, not too far from Sherwood Forest. We saw many fungi, and below are just a few of them. Our cabin nestling among the trees  Dusky puffball (Lycoperdon nigrescens)  Blackening Waxcap (Hygrocybe cornica  Web Cap (Cortinarius varius)  The interior of the cabin where we stayed. The site was a pleasant one, and the cabin spacious but above all the hot tub!  Leopard Earthball (Sclceroderma areolatum) A tree stump that looked amazingly like the head of a dog.  Just liked the shapes of the trees and the light on the forest floor. Home