The week's entertainment includes jousters and strolling players, dressed in medieval attire, in addition to a medieval encampment complete with jesters, musicians, rat-catchers, alchemists and fire eaters. This event recreates a medieval atmosphere and features the major characters from the Robin Hood legend. The park hosts the annual Robin Hood Festival for a 'week of medieval family fun' each summer. In February 1998, a local company took cuttings from the Major Oak and began cultivating clones of the famous tree with the intention of sending saplings to be planted in major cities around the world. The oak tree is between 800 and 1,000 years old. Sherwood Forest is home to the famous Major Oak, which, according to local folklore, was Robin Hood's principal hideout. The wooded forest of today is a remnant of a much larger royal hunting forest, named as the "shire wood" of Nottinghamshire, which in fact extended into several neighbouring counties (shires), bordered on the west along the River Erewash and the Forest of East Derbyshire. Nottinghamshire is littered with landmarks from the legends of Robin Hood and his Merry Men, from the dungeons of the Old County Gaol where he was held. There is no better place to learn more about the man and legend. In a 15th-century manuscript of Robin Hood and Guy of Gisborne, Robin is not content with just killing his opponent, Guy. In the Gest Robin shoots the sheriff with an arrow and then slits his throat with a sword. Sherwood Forest National Nature Reserve today encompasses 423 hectares (1,045 acres) surrounding the village of Edwinstowe. Robin Hood is one of the world’s best loved folk heroes and Nottinghamshire is proud to be the home of this spirited outlaw. The Robin Hood legend also takes a bloodier turn than in previous versions as vengeance is delivered to villains. Sherwood Forest is a Royal Forest in Nottinghamshire, England, that is famous through its historical association with the legend of Robin Hood.