Nottinghamshire beauty spot tops European rankings for Instagram users

A Nottinghamshire beauty spot has been found to be one of the world’s most photographed woodland destinations in a survey of social media network Instagram.
Sherwood Forest has been named the world's third most popular forest with Instagram according to site rankings this month.Sherwood Forest has been named the world's third most popular forest with Instagram according to site rankings this month.
Sherwood Forest has been named the world's third most popular forest with Instagram according to site rankings this month.

The legendary Sherwood Forest ranked third most for the most photos from any forest, with 142,011 posts using a local hashtag according to scores earlier this month.

The survey was conducted by travel operator Taxi2Airport to help customers who are making their holiday plans for the year ahead.

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A spokesman for the company said: “Instagram is not only a social media platform, but a guide to new enticing opportunities; from where to eat, to what clothes to buy and where to travel next, we take to the ‘gram for inspiration.

The Sherwood Forest visitor centre, which opened in 2018, has been hailed for its architecture.The Sherwood Forest visitor centre, which opened in 2018, has been hailed for its architecture.
The Sherwood Forest visitor centre, which opened in 2018, has been hailed for its architecture.

“By collecting the number of hashtags per forest, Taxi2airport.com has identified which one would make the best Instagram-worthy place to visit on your next picturesque trip.”

A national nature reserve and a protected site of special scientific interest, Sherwood attracts around 360,000 visitors annually from all over the world.

Once covering 100,000 acres, what remains today is around 400 acres open to the public, including at least 1,000 ancient oaks and a mixture of old woodland and heathland.

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More than 900 trees in the forest are thought to be 600 years old or more, though the woodland’s history stretches back 10,000 years.

Popular with walkers, cyclists and tourists, many come to the forest inspired by the story of Robin Hood.Popular with walkers, cyclists and tourists, many come to the forest inspired by the story of Robin Hood.
Popular with walkers, cyclists and tourists, many come to the forest inspired by the story of Robin Hood.

Sherwood was the only UK forest to make it into the top 20.

Top spot in the rankings was taken by Germany’s Black Forest, which has gathered 1,489,943 hashtags – more than seven times as many as its nearest rival.

The fairytale destination boasts endless photo opportunities, with unspoilt beauty and diversity, mountainous terrain, waterfalls and the Danube River.

In second place was the world’s largest rainforest, the Amazon, estimated to have 390 billion trees, of more than 16,000 species, and an incredible range of wildlife.

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The other European photo hotspots were the Bialowieza and Crooked forests in Poland, the Cevennes National Park in France, and Hallerbos forest in Belgium.

Other popular destinations were found in Australia, Malaysia, China, Japan, Colombia, the USA, Canada, and Cost Rica.