Clumber Park

Clumber Park is situated in the area of Nottinghamshire known as 'The Dukeries' because of the number of country estates found there. Once the home of the Dukes of Newcastle, it is now owned by the National Trust. The original mansion that stood there was demolished in 1938, but the Gothic Revival chapel of St Mary the Virgin remains, as do some of the outbuildings and a large, walled kitchen garden. The extensive estate is landscaped around a lake, and there are acres of woodland and heath to explore.

One of the entrances is famous for having the longest double avenue of lime trees in Europe. (I didn't manage to get a photo of it.) The recent TV coverage of the Tour de Britain cycle race showed the peloton streaming down the avenue and it brought back childhood memories of family picnics there, as it is only a few miles from where I was brought up. I suggested to my sister that we should revisit it and we had a happy few hours exploring, even though the weather was a bit dull and drizzly. Sadly, the chapel was closed for maintenance so we couldn't see inside.