Places to Visit

The most important prehistoric site of the East Midlands, Arbor Low is a Neolithic henge monument atmospherically set amid high moorland. Within an earthen bank and ditch, a circle of some 50 white limestone slabs, all now fallen, surrounds a central stone ‘cove’ – a feature found only in major sacred sites. Nearby is enigmatic Gib Hill, a large burial mound. An English Heritage site managed by the Peak District National Park Authority.

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An English Heritage site, Ashby de la Zouch Castle forms the backdrop to the famous jousting scenes in Sir Walter Scott's classic novel of 1819, Ivanhoe. Now a ruin, the castle began as a manor house in the 12th century.

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Attenborough Nature Centre is an award winning Visitor and Education facility surrounded by the tranquil waters of the beautiful Attenborough Nature Reserve, owned and managed by Nottinghamshire Wildlife Trust. Image copyright of Robert Makin.

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With spectacular views over Derbyshire, the fairy-tale Stuart mansion, Bolsover Castle, was designed to entertain and impress. Wander the lavish rooms of the Little Castle, explore the romantic ruined terrace range, and delight in the views from the wall walk. Start your visit in the exhibition in the Riding House then run wild in extensive grounds (and fun play area).

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Bolsover Cundy House is an English Heritage site and is a charming cottage-like 17th century conduit house, with vaulted stone-slab roof. It once supplied water to Bolsover Castle.

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Calke Abbey is a Grade I listed country house near Ticknall, Derbyshire, in the care of The National Trust. The site was an Augustinian priory from the 12th century until its dissolution by Henry VIII.

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Often described as 'the jewel in the crown of North Nottinghamshire', Clumber Park was once the stately home of the Dukes of Newcastle. Today, it is a National Trust site and comprises of 3,800 acres of parkland with a stunning array of historic features and natural habitats which are of national importance.

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Croxden Abbey in Staffordshire is an English Heritage site. The 12th century abbey at Croxden was home to 70 Cistercian monks at its peak. Although converted into a farm after its suppression in 1538, the remains are impressive, including towering fragments of its 13th century church, infirmary and 14th century abbot's lodging.

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The ruined remains of one of England's largest 13th century castles atop a tranquil hill, now covered in grass, trees and wildflowers in Duffield, Derbyshire. Now owned by The National Trust, the foundations of the Norman keep were razed to the ground in 1266, woodland and meadows have grown up to and over the ruins.

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Hardwick Hall in Derbyshire is a National Trust site. It was the formidable 'Bess of Hardwick' who first created Hardwick in the 1500’s. In the centuries since then her descendants, farmers, gardeners, builders, decorators, embroiderers and craftsmen of all kinds have contributed and made Hardwick their creation.

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An English Heritage site, Hardwick Old Hall is the remodelled family home of Bess of Hardwick, one of the richest and most remarkable women of Elizabethan England and stands beside the New Hall she raised later in the 1590s.

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An English Heritage site in Derbyshire, Hob Hurst's House is a square prehistoric burial mound with an earthwork ditch and outer bank, named after a local goblin.

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English Heritage site Jewry Wall, is a length of Roman bath-house wall over 9 metres (30 feet) high. It is near a museum displaying the archaeology of Leicester and its region.

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Kedleston Hall in Derbyshire is a stunning neo-classical English country house set in landscaped parkland. Now owned by The National Trust, the house was built between 1759 and1765 for Sir Nathaniel Curzon to house his collection of fine paintings and furniture and has the most complete and unaltered examples of Robert Adam interiors in England.

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The picturesque moated remains - including the fine gatehouse and a complete corner tower - of this brick-built fortified mansion have recently been extensively conserved by English Heritage.

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The award winning National Space Centre is an out of this world experience for the whole family. With six interactive galleries, the UK’s largest planetarium, world unique 3D SIM ride and iconic 42m high Rocket Tower, there really is something for everybody to enjoy.

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A beautiful historic house set in more than 300 acres of gardens and parkland within the heart of Nottinghamshire. Founded as a monastic house in the late 12th century, Newstead Abbey was home to the poet Lord Byron from 1808 to 1814.

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A small early Bronze Age stone circle traditionally believed to depict nine ladies turned to stone as a penalty for dancing on Sunday. It is part of a complex of prehistoric circles and standing stones on Stanton Moor. An English Heritage site managed by the Peak District National Park Authority.

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Historic site at the heart of the Robin Hood legend and starting point for the English Civil War. Situated on a high rock, Nottingham Castle commands spectacular views over the city and once rivalled the great castles of Windsor and the Tower of London.

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Visit the Peak District and Derbyshire. A world of contrasting natural beauty, with moors and dales, rivers, springs and caverns and at its heart the Peak District National Park known and loved by millions for its breath-taking views, relaxation, inspiration and adventure.

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An English Heritage site and the best-preserved remains of a Cistercian abbey west cloister range in England, dating mainly from about 1170. Incorporated into part of a 17th century and later mansion, set in Rufford Country Park, Nottinghamshire.

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Sutton Scarsdale Hall in Derbyshire is an English Heritage site. The imposing shell of a grandiose Georgian mansion built in 1724-29, with an immensely columned exterior. Roofless since 1919, when its interiors were dismantled and some exported to America, there is still much to discover within, including traces of sumptuous plasterwork. Set amid contemporary garden remains, including ha-ha ditch and parish church.

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Wingfield Manor is an English Heritage site. The vast and immensely impressive ruins of a palatial medieval manor house arranged round a pair of courtyards, with a huge undercrofted Great Hall and a defensible High Tower 22 metres (72 feet) tall.

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Standing on a natural hill three miles west of Nottingham City Centre, Wollaton Hall is set in 500 acres of spectacular gardens and parkland. The hall was used as the setting for Wayne Manor in the 2012 Batman film, Dark Knight Rises.

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