The place names mentioned in Gest locate Robin Hood in the West Riding of Yorkshire: Blyth; Doncaster; St Mary Magdalene Church at Campsall; and Kirklees Abbey. The cities of York, Lancaster, and Nottingham, as well as the Knight's castle at Wyresdale, are also mentioned. This area is famous for its wide river valleys, and the eastern foothills of the South Pennines, with its numerous limestone caves where outlaws could hide. The greenwood of Barnsdale Forest is Robin's home; "Robyn stood in Barnesdale/And leaned him to a tree," is how the tale of the Sorrowful Knight opens.
