Outdoor

Best outdoor experience:

Peak District National Park

Set off on your very own adventure and enjoy world-class walking and cycling routes through stunning scenery in the UK’s first National Park in the Peak District. Beautiful Dovedale (a popular dale) features prominently in the Hollywood remake of Robin Hood, with scenes shot at Thorpe Pastures and Lindale, where the rolling landscape, typical of the Derbyshire Dales, stretches down to the famous Stepping Stones across the River Dove. Follow in the footsteps of the famous outlaw with a walk through Dovedale or choose from a variety of walking options of varying lengths and degrees of difficulty. This is the great outdoors at its best. Combine your activity with one of the many attractions within the National Park. Chatsworth house is well worth a visit for its regular exhibitions and events, and the fabulously sculpted gardens. There’s even a farmyard and adventure playground with a restaurant and farm shop open all year round.

Where: Peak District National Park Authority, Aldern House, Baslow Road, Bakewell, Derbyshire DE45 1AE. Tel: +44 (0)1629 816200

Website: http://www.peakdistrict.gov.uk

Clumber Park

The National Trust-owned Clumber Park has something for everyone within its 3,800 acre grounds, from cycling trails to arts and crafts exhibitions and activities. It once formed part of the historic Sherwood Forest, which consisted of vast swathes of woodland designated as Royal hunting ground. It’s now a well-preserved fragment of its former glory as both woodland and, latterly, a manor house estate. The house has long since burned down, but the estate is no less grand and is a popular wedding venue. The entrance consists of Europe’s longest lime tree avenue and the pretty lake and ornamental bridge, alongside the aptly named Pleasure Ground gardens provide plenty of beauty to reflect upon its luxurious Victorian past whilst enjoying a fine day out in the countryside.

Where: ClumberPark, Worksop, Nottinghamshire, S80 3AZ. Tel: +44 (0)1909 544917
Website: www.nationaltrust.org.uk

Dining

Best deli:

Delilah fine foods, Nottingham

This artisan deli is perfectly situated between Nottingham’s historic lace market and the designer fashion district along Bridlesmith Gate. The flagship store of Nottingham’s own Paul Smith is on the same street, while the heritage of the city’s industrial past is proudly on display just a stone’s throw away. Delilah’s serves fine food and wine (eat-in or takeaway) as a fitting tribute to its illustrious surroundings. Start the night with an aperitif and tapas before moving on to the best bars and restaurants in the city nearby.
Where: Delilah fine foods, 15 Middle Pavement, Nottingham, Tel: +44 (0)115 948 4451.
Website: www.delilahfinefoods.co.uk

Best city pub:

Wig & Mitre

On a day trip to Lincoln, at the top of the aptly named Steep Hill, there’s a delightful little pub called The Wig & Mitre that should be a must on anyone’s itinerary. Serving fine ales and vintage wines in a sophisticated yet homely environment, it’s a perfect example of how British pubs should look and feel today. It forms part of the Bailgate area, featuring medieval cobbled streets, a castle and a cathedral, which can be seen for miles around and has become quite an attraction in recent years since it featured in the Hollywood blockbuster The Da Vinci Code. The food served at the Wig & Mitre is fantastic and very reasonably priced too if you go for the set menu. Booking is essential in winter when the internationally famous Christmas market comes to town and lines the surrounding streets.

Where: Wig & Mitre, 30 Steep Hill, Lincoln LN1 3BN. Tel: +44 (0) 1522 535 190
Website: www.wigandmitre.com

Best bar food:
Iberico World Tapas

Located underground in the Grade II-listed Shirehall, next to the Galleries of Justice in Nottingham, Iberico offers a sense of intrigue and intimacy even before you sit down to peruse the menu. With a menu that fuses traditional Spanish tapas with more refined world cuisine, the best tip is to keep ordering simple – and be sure to choose from the cheese and charcuterie menus, or sample a whole host of delights from the meat, fish and vegetable options. This is the laidback little sister to the more grown up and multi award-winning World Service Restaurant, located on the other side of town. It’s a great place for groups of friends or families to relax and share the experience of fine food and wine in a casual yet stylish environment in the heart of the historic Lace Market.

Where: The Shirehall, High Pavement, Nottingham. Tel: +44 (0)115 941 0410
Website: www.ibericotapas.com

History

Best attraction:

Belvoir Castle

One of the least-known great houses in Britain, Belvoir Castle in Leicestershire is a fairytale palace that was chosen to represent Windsor Castle in the film The Young Victoria, starring British actress Emily Blunt. It once played host to the real Queen Victoria in 1843 and one of the rooms used in the film is the same one the Royal couple shared. It’s still lived in by the Duke and Duchess of Rutland, descendants of the Manners family that has owned much of the Vale of Belvoir estate for five generations. It’s a wonderful venue all year round, with seasonal events held in its magnificent grounds, perched high above the valley where fields roll far into the distance.

Where: Belvoir Castle, Grantham, Leicestershire, NG32 1PE. Tel: +44 (0)1476 871002

Website: http://www.belvoircastle.com/

Art

Best gallery:

Nottingham Contemporary

The flagship new arts venue for the East Midlands opened its doors in 2009 at Nottingham Contemporary, bringing the past and the present together, inside and out. The building is inspired by the lace industry upon which the city was built in the industrial revolution. Its gallery space plays host to a series of exhibitions, events and talks on contemporary art and artists from around the world. The area known as the Lace Market today is a haven for creativity, with independent boutique shops, quirky cafés, bars and restaurants, and the designer shopping district led by home-grown talent Paul Smith just a street away. This is where it’s all happening and it’s linked to the city’s tram system and the mainline Victoria Train station.

Where: Nottingham Contemporary, Weekday Cross, Nottingham NG1 2GB. Tel: +44 (0)115 948 9750

Website: http://www.nottinghamcontemporary.org

Local

Best local food:

The Bakewell Pudding Shop, Derbyshire

The famous Bakewell Pudding was first discovered at a local inn around 1860 when a nobleman entered and ordered a strawberry tart. The cook accidentally put the egg mixture on top of the jam, instead of mixing it in with the pastry, thus creating the classic pudding! A visit to the East Midlands is not complete without a taste of this local delicacy.
Where: The Bakewell Pudding Shop, The Square, Bakewell, Derbyshire, Tel: + 44 (0)1629 812 193.
Website: www.bakewellpuddingshop.co.uk

Stilton

This popular British blue-veined cheese is often thought to have originated in the Cambridgshire town of the same name, but in fact, Stilton is merely where the cheese was sold at market. Cropwell Bishop and Colston Bassett are two well-known brands of Stilton being produced in multi-award-winning creameries in villages on the Nottinghamshire and Leicestershire border. Otherwise known as the Vale of Belvoir, this area is the true home of the original producers of the cheese. Whether it’s crumbled in salad or blended into a warming soup, it tastes great and is available in all local restaurants that take pride in the use of local produce. Cropwell Bishop can be bought direct from the creamery during the week, Colston Bassett has a shop on site, and both can be bought from local farm shops and delis and from fine food retailers throughout the country.

Where: Cropwell Bishop, Nottinghamshire, NG12 3BQ. Tel: +44 (0)115 989 2350; Colston Bassett, Nottinghamshire, NG12 3FN, Tel: +44 (0)1949 81322
Website: www.colstonbassettdairy.com; www.cropwellbishopstilton.com