We spent the night in Stamford at the Collyweston Slater Country Inn.  It was fantastic,  we had the full English to start the day.  No lunch will be necessary, the full English is huge!!!

This morning we are heading to Robin Hood country....Nottingham and the Sherwood Forest.  Along the way we stopped by Margaret Thatcher's birth home and finance training centre....aka the family grocery store.  The location is below.  A humble beginning for the powerful woman she would become.

Since we are visiting the birthplace of famous dead people, a little further up the road in the village of Woolsthorpe-by-Colsterworth is another famous Brit...  relatively speaking.  His farm house above was the apple of his eye.  Do you know who it is yet? He was knighted in 1705 by Queen Ann for his work, although some believe it was more of a political appointment for the Queen's benefit.......as he was only the second scientist to receive the honor.  Do you  know who it is yet?  The answer is....Sir Issac Newton.  The farm house was on a small road far from the town, which even today is very sparsely populated.  

Our next famous person is Robin Hood.  Of course Robin is just folklore, his legend forever ingrained in popular culture.  There is no Sherwood Forest, no robbing the rich to give to the poor.... wait that still happens! I am sure you know what I mean. Nottingham Castle is very real, seen below.  The walls remain as impressive as ever, the interior is nothing more than a ruin.  The grounds are adorned with statues of the mystical hero, Robin Hood and his merry men.  Maid Marian completes the legend. 

The building below, is reputed to be the oldest pub in England. Built in 1189,  "Ye old trip to Jerusalem"  is built into the cave system beneath the Castle.  Inside are many small rooms connected by narrow halls with a cool stand up bar.    

Just on the outskirts of Nottingham is this fabulous Elizabethan Mansion, Wollaton Hall.  Originally constructed in 1588, the building was renovated in 2007 for a tidy sum of 9 million pounds.  Some of you might recognize it as Bruce Wayne's manor in Batman's the Dark Knight Rises.  You would be correct.  We toured about half the manor, as much of it is only available through prearranged private tours.  Still it was something to see for sure.

Leaving Nottingham we continued north on the A610 toward the Peak district and the town of Bakewell.    At the southern entrance to the Peak District lies the town of Matlock (seen below).  This former spa town boasts having the steepest cable tramway ever built.  Of course that was back in 1893, things have changed in the world a bit since then.  Including replacing the cable cars with autos.  Still, the town has a nice feel, lots of antique shops, pubs and cafes visit.  It is also the start of one of the most picturesque areas in all of England.

The Peak District was the first National Park in England, and welcomes 22 million visitors each year making it the second most visited park in the world.  Mt. Fuji is first, for those who are wondering.  The river Wye runs through much of the southern part of the Peak.  This river was home to many mills.  In Rowsley, we visited the Cauldwell Flour Mill, a 400 year old mill that is still in use today.  We toured the 4 floor production area, watching the raw grains get converted to a fine soft bread flour which is sold in the store at the back of the building.  While the machinery is old, it used the same basic process found in the big mills today.  Some technologies stand the test of time!

A little further up the road, we arrived at Bakeswell.  A spectacular village of granite grey stone buildings with colourful signs and window displays.  Everything is ideally placed, a postcard picture would not be more perfect.  Remember how 22 million visitors come to the Peak each year, well I am pretty sure half of them are here this weekend.  We can't get a room anywhere.  I know we had promised never to travel without a booking but this time we didn't think it would be a problem.  We visited at least 25 hotels, B&B's, Inn's hostels, nothing.   A few of the proprietor's actually laughed,  "this is Bakewell you know"!  Just as we are about to give up and head for the big city, we noticed a sign being placed on the lawn of a B&B.  Vacancy!  I slammed the rental car into a four wheel drift, sliding across the oncoming traffic and into the unsuspecting B&B owner's driveway.  Before he could take his fingers of the sign, Johanne was out the door and demanding the room.  Sight unseen, we don't care how much! We will take it.  Turns out it was a great room in a very nice house.  Fate shines in our favour again!  

 Bakewell is known for their crispy tarts.  The bakery above is where it was invented.  Short crust pastry, covered with a layer of jam and a spongy filling of crushed Almonds.  Personally, I don't know what the big fuss is, I had 5 of them, blew up and now, I really don't have a taste for them anymore.

Our B&B

A local market, selling everything from fruit to rabbit.  The latter hanging from hooks outside the front door. This place was overcrowded with a filming crew from "Farm Life" a BBC production. We might be in the episode as we kept going in and out of the stores at the same time they were filming the segment! We'll never know......

The Peak is a truly amazing area to explore, just make sure you book ahead!  Tomorrow we are heading to Manchester, where we will be meeting up with family before heading to Chester and the Open Championship.  Very Excited!

Be Well

Cheerio