Days Out in the East Midlands

'By an unlikely miracle, the keep at Bolsover has survived into this century as an almost untouched expression in stone of the lost world of Elizabethan chivalry and romance.'

Founded soon after 1066 by William Peverel, one of William the Conqueror's most trusted knights, Peveril Castle offers breathtaking views of the Peak District from its position high above Castleton.

The remodelled family home of Bess of Hardwick, one of the richest and most remarkable women of Elizabethan England, stands beside the New Hall she raised later in the 1590s.

Kirby Hall is one of England's greatest Elizabethan and 17th-century houses. Begun by Sir Humphrey Stafford, it was purchased by Sir Christopher Hatton, one of Queen Elizabeth's 'comely young men'.

Ashby 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.

Standing almost in the shadow of Lincoln cathedral, with sweeping views over the ancient city and the countryside beyond.