©Lonely Planet Publications Pty Ltd Nottingham & the East Midlands Why Go? Nottingham ..................454 Postcard-perfect villages and rugged hiking trails of the Peak Lincoln ..........................462 District aside, this peaceful corner of the country lies largely Grantham & Around......467 off the tourist radar. Away from the vibrant cities of otting- Northamptonshire ....... 472 ham, eicester and Derby and their sprawling suburbs, the Leicestershire & East Midlands is a rolling carpet of farmland, strewn with Rutland ......................... 473 historic market towns, ruined castles, spellbinding cathe- Leicester ....................... 474 drals and the lavish stately homes you were epecting after Derbyshire ....................480 reading all those Jane Austen novels. here you go in the region will depend on your tempera- Matlock Bath & Around ..........................483 ment. City slickers are drawn to ottingham, with its lively nightlife and obin ood connections, while foodies head Peak District .................486 to eicester to sample the imported culinary delights of the Buxton ..........................488 ndian subcontinent. Fans of the great outdoors make for Castleton ......................492 the Peak District in their hundreds of thousands. owever, Edale .............................494 you may find more peace and uiet in the backwaters of Bakewell .......................496 utland and incolnshire. When to Go Best Places to Eat The East Midlands is at its best in summer, when the » Chequers Inn (p468) countryside comes alive with village fetes and festivals. For » Hammer & Pincers (p479) walkers and cyclists, June through September is the high » Reform (p465) season in the Peak District. » Piedaniel’s (p497) May brings flowers, parades and pagan goings-on to Castleton’s Garland Festival, while February and March » The Old Bakery Tea bring the wonderful chaos of Shrovetide football to Ash- Rooms (p461) bourne. Best Places to Stay » Hart’s (p455) » Hotel Maiyango (p476) » Hambleton Hall (p480) » George Hotel (p468) 452 LANCASHIRE Nottingham WEST YORKSHIRE /·M1 & the East 666 Midlands Highlights Manchester ^# #1 SOUTHYORKSHIRE 1 Walking or cycling Glossop Peak District #\ Rotherham the rugged trails of National Park #\ the Peak District Stockport #] National Park 66Shef6field ^# Edale (p486) #\ Hope #\ #\ 2 Contemplating Castleton w w N Eyam the apple tree Tideswell #\ OTTIN #\ Bolsover that inspired Buxton Chatsworth #\ House Castle Isaac Newton’s /·A6 ##]3 Bakewell #â#7 V# theories on gravity CHESHIRE 66#\ 6Chesterfield gh â# at his birthplace, Haddon #\ Rowsley Hardwick â# Am Woolsthorpe& Manor Hall Hall â# (p467) MatlockBath #\ Newstead #\ 3 Discovering Cromford Abbey how the spire of Newstead #\ Chesterfield’sSt 666Belper Stoke- #\ #] Ashbourne #\ Mary & All Saints on-Trent #\ 0¸A517 Church (p485) came Eastwood to be crooked on a Kedleston /·M1 0¸A515 â# tour or at the town Hall #] Derby museum DERBYSHIRE 0¸A518 /·A6 East 4 Being awed by 666 Midlands the mighty Minster STAFFORDSHIRE Airport (p460) dominating Calke #– Ü# #\ Abbey the story-book-pretty Stafford /·A38 Loughborough#] village of Southwell Ashby-de- #\ 5 Drinking in the /·A51 la-Zouch history of Ye Olde Conkers #æ Trip to Jerusalem ë# Tw ycross /·A50 (p457), allegedly SHROPSHIRE Zoo England’s oldest inn, carved into the cliff 0¸A444 below Nottingham’s ^# Wolverhampton Bosworth castle Battlefield 6 Stepping back #æ into Jane Austen’s ^# Birmingham /·M69 England in the stone-lined streets of Stamford (p468) Coventry ^# 7 Getting lost Rugby #] in the grandeur of /·M5 Chatsworth House /·M40 (p497), one of the nation’s stateliest WORCESTERSHIRE homes WARWICKSHIRE 0¸A423 #] Worcester Sulgrave Manor #æ Banbury #\ /·A34 OXFORDSHIRE GLOUCESTERSHIRE.