The Forest of Arden

The Forest of Arden today is near Coventry - or at least a surviving piece of it is to the south of the city. Historically, it was much larger. Its wood pasture and ancient grasslands occupied the area between Birmingham and Coventry, creating a natural buffer between the two cities. Medieval Coventry was associated with a pagan fertility cult that later coalesced around Lady Godiva, long after the rest of the country had converted to Christianity. Shakespeare makes use of the Forest in As You Like It, and it inspired Tolkien's Old Forest in The Lord of the Rings.

"The dominant tree in the Arden area of Warwickshire is oak. In some villages approximately 90% of the large trees are oaks." See this useful link for more on the Forest's history and character.