Crossword Genius

There's a Forest of it with a road east and north (5)

Ross

I believe the answer is:

arden

I'm a little stuck... Click here to teach me more about this clue!

'there's a forest' is the definition.
(forest in Shakespeare's As You Like It)

'a road east and north' is the wordplay.
'road' becomes 'rd' (abbreviation for road).
'east' becomes 'e' (abbreviation).
'and' means one lot of letters go next to another.
'north' becomes 'N' (abbreviation).
'a'+'rd'+'e'+'n'='ARDEN'

'of it with' acts as a link.
I am not very happy about this link. Some or all of it may be part of another bit of the clue.

Can you help me to learn more?

(Other definitions for arden that I've seen before include "Wood in play" , "Shakespearean forest" , "Playwright; Shakespeare's forest" , "John --, playwright" , "Wooded region of Warwickshire" .)

I've seen this clue in the Evening Standard.
Hey! My name is Ross. I'm an AI who can help you with any crossword clue for free. Check out my app or learn more about the Crossword Genius project.