The Welbeck Hotel, Nottingham

Advantages: Very Central Location, Good Value For Money
Disadvantages: 10am Checkout

...When I needed to find some cheap Hotel accommodation in Nottingham City Centre a couple of Weeks ago, the Internet was the logical place to start my search. I tried the usual chains including Travelodge, but since my stay was less than one week away I quickly found that I was struggling. Eventually I stumbled upon the Welbeck Hotel. Location wise it seemed perfect, right in the centre of the City, and price wise it was well within my budget too, and so I confirmed my Online booking. FIRST IMPRESSIONS Well to be honest the first thing that impressed me was the location. It was less than five minutes walk from the Lace Market, and well within walking distance of all of the other Shops and Attractions. The next thing that appealed to me was the design of the building itself. It is quite a large, modern looking, Hotel on five...

micksheff 21.06.2006 · Read review
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Review of Welbeck Hotel, Nottingham

Welbeck Abbey - The Stuff That Dreams Are Made Of!

Advantages: Picturesque, Peaceful, Historic
Disadvantages: Largely Private, Difficult to get close to.

...of these Ducal Estates however I would have no hesitation is admitting that the Welbeck Estate is my most favourite of them all. This vast Estate is the home of the Duke of Portland and Welbeck Abbey in which this family still live is the central focal point of this Estate. I fell in love with this area at a very early age and on my many frequent trips to Clumber Park and the surrounding Sherwood Forest I would stop and peer through the fancy wrought Iron Gates at the Abbey in the distance, surrounded by its ornate Lakes and Woodland. To me this Estate always looked far grander than the Clumber one, which though splendid is fairly commercialised and can at times be swarming with people. I guess that looking back the fact that the Welbeck Estate was on the whole strictly private and out of bounds to the tourists helped to provide intrigue...

micksheff 22.03.2007 · Read review
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Review of Welbeck Abbey, Nottinghamshire

Bolsover Castle, Derbyshire

Advantages: Lots of history, in good condition, fantastic views
Disadvantages: Expensive

...the building of the tower, which was completed in 1621. This tower is today known as the "Little Castle". Unlike the majority of other English Castles, Bolsover Castle largely survived attack during the English Civil War when so many other similar Castles were destroyed. This was partly attributed to the fact that by this time its defence purposes had been largely diminished. By the early 18th century the Cavendish family had more or less retreated to their country estate at Welbeck Abbey, which is still the seat of the Dukes of Portland today. In 1752 the Cavendish's stripped the lead from Bolsover Castle's roof and plundered other items to carry out repairs to their now preferred residence at Welbeck Abbey. Once again Bolsover Castle fell into disrepair and for over a century it remained largely unoccupied. In 1945 the 7th Duke of Portland...

micksheff 28.09.2007 · Read review
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Review of Bolsover Castle, Derbyshire

FLATULENT ANGLOPHILE FROM IOWA SAYS HIS GOODBYES

Advantages: funny, easy reading, reasonably informative
Disadvantages: toilet humour, shallow

..., there is a lot of rather nicely done if somehow idiosyncratic description there and some chapters are gems of light travel writing. He seems decidedly better at describing cities and town than countryside: I enjoyed his notes on Salisbury, Durham and Morecambe particularly, while the interest in the peculiar, obscure and not-so-well-known was well served by his accounts of places like Saltire or Welbeck Abbey. In his - rather brief - account of Scotland Bryson seems to fall into the condescending mode he adopted in his book about Europe. Research in this book is of bit, how to say it, variable quality. On some subjects -the ones he is interested in - Bryson is extremely detailed, on others what seems like purposefully ignorant (his view of Beatrix Potter); but overall I learned some facts I have not known before. All in all, 'Notes...

magdadh 03.07.2005 · Read review
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Review of Notes From A Small Island - Bill Bryson

Clumber Park - A place fit for a king

Advantages: A great day out
Disadvantages: Can be busy at popular times

...glasshouses. The Dukeries The Dukeries of North Nottinghamshire were once the playgrounds of the Dukes and Kings of Britain. They created vast private Estates of woodlands and lakes situated within the huge expanse of Sherwood Forest, made famous by the legend of Robin Hood. Today other such estates still exist including the Welbeck and Thoresby Estates. These are however private estates with no public access. Clumber Park is therefore the only example of such an Estate, which is accessible by the general public. Things to See and Do. One of the best ways to see the Park is by bicycle, and this can be great fun too, you can either take your own bikes or hire one in the Park, Cycle hire is available from April ? September daily, and from October ? March on Saturday and Sunday only plus during school holidays. This however can work out...

micksheff 31.08.2004 · Read review
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Review of Clumber Park (Nottinghamshire)

Discover Ice Age Britain At Cresswell Crags!

Advantages: Plenty To See And Do
Disadvantages: Tours Get Booked Up Quickly

...activities. Guided Walks during 'Ice Age Discovery Days' to places of interest including other adjacent Valleys and Caves. For further details contact details are as below: Creswell Heritage Trust Creswell Crags Visitor Centre Crags Road Welbeck Worksop Nottinghamshire S80 3LH Tel: 01909 720378 Fax: 01909 724726 Email: info@creswell-crags.org.uk CONCLUSION I would definitely recommend this place to anyone who is visiting this area or who lives within reasonable travelling distance. It is an excellent family day out that is both educational and represents good value for money. Thank you for reading....

micksheff 13.02.2006 · Read review
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Review of Cresswell Crags

English Heritage at its best

Advantages: cheap interesting attractions
Disadvantages: always rains on Firework night

...dress up in period costume and there are occasionally craft stalls. You may need to book the craft workshops - various locations in 2001 including the Library (Tel 01246 823179) and prices were between £2 and £4 depending on the lantern size. 4. In nearby Creswell you can visit the Creswell Crags - world famous limestone gorge with caves and lake (not visited yet myself) Open February to October between 10.30 and 4.30, November to January open Sundays only same times. Free car parking. 2001 prices - cave tour Adult £1.95, child £1.45, Family (2 adults, 2 children) £5.75. Booking advisable - free car parking. More information from 01909 720378, visitor centre, Crags Road, Welbeck nr Worksop. There is a museum and audio-visual visitor centre. 5. Bolsover Town Trail takes about 1 hour (2 to choose from) and includes 17th century buildings...

werewolf 22.01.2003 (23.09.2005) · Read review
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Review of Bolsover (Derbyshire)

Much More Than Just The Major Oak!

Advantages: Plenty to see and do
Disadvantages: Can get quite crowded at busy times

...much more famous for another Oak tree, the Major Oak with its association with the legendary outlaw Robin Hood. The Forest Today From the 16th Century onwards, successive monarchs became less obsessed with hunting than their predecessors and many trees were felled to make way for farming. In the years that followed large proportions of the Royal land was sold off to the rich families of the day who built vast Country Houses and cleared large areas of the forest to create landscaped parks with fantastic private lakes. Many of these private Estates still exist today and these areas are the main hub of what is the Sherwood Forest today. The largest of these private Estates are the Welbeck Estate, Thoresby Estate and Clumber Park which is now in the hands of the National Trust and the only Estate of this type which is open the public...

micksheff 04.09.2005 · Read review
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Review of Sherwood Forest (Nottingham)