Nottingham 3 Romantic Things To Do When You Visit

The origins of the romance between Lady Marian of Leaford, or Maid Marian and Robin Hood are steeped in folklore. Legend has it that Marian was originally associated with the queen of the May Day celebrations. The setting for their romance was the magical Sherwood Forest. A wonderful place for a Valentines Day walk. It is also the site of the ancient oak tree The Major Oak. Hideout and store of Robin Hood. Maid Marian was not the only love of Robin Hood. Some tales and poems recount his lover for Clorinda the Queen of The Shepherdesses. The tale is told in the so called Child Ballads. These were a collection of traditional poems assembled by Francis James Child in the late nineteenth century.

Here's an excerpt from the story of Robin and Colrinda:

"As that word was spoke, Clorinda came by;
The queen of the shepherds was she;
And her gown was of velvet as green as the grass,
And her buskin did reach to her knee.
Her gait it was graceful, her body was straight,
And her countenance free from pride;
A bow in her hand, and quiver and arrows
Hung dangling by her sweet side.
Her eye-brows were black, ay, and so was her hair,
And her skin was as smooth as glass;
Her visage spoke wisdom, and modesty too;
Sets with Robin Hood such a lass!"

The remnants of the ancient forest of Sherwood lie some 14 miles north of Nottingham between the towns of Mansfield and Worksop. The Sherwood Forest visitor centre is just outside the village of Edwinstowe. The area can be reached by the M1 or the A1 or from the A614 which runs north out of Nottingham.

Lord Byron lived from 1788 to 1824. He led a colourful and adventurous life that included several passionate affairs with several women, including, Lady Oxford who was married to Edward Harley, 5th Earl of Oxford and Earl Mortimer, he had a liaison with Augusta Leigh, who was his half sister which embroiled him in accusations of incest, Anne Isabella Byron, the mother of Ada Lovelance who was one of the originators of modern computing. The CIA affectionately call their massive computer Ada in her honor. And infamously Caroline Lamb the wife of the then British Prime Minister The 2nd Viscount Melbourne William Lamb. who described Byron as "mad bad and dangerous to know". In later years he had assignations with the step sister of Mary Shelly author of Frankenstein. Before he left England for good he lived at Newstead Abbey the family's ancestral home just north of Nottingham. Of all of the loves of Byron some might argue that his love for his pet dog Boatswain which was expressed in his poem Epitaph To A Dog. Here's the opening verse

"Near this Spot
are deposited the Remains of one
who possessed Beauty without Vanity,
Strength without Insolence,
Courage without Ferosity,
and all the virtues of Man without his Vices."

Newstead Abbey lies just 7 miles north of Nottingham city centre. Set in wonderful parkland the gardens and lake are a great place for a romantic day out. It was originally an Augustinian priory of which the ruins remain. Byron wrote of these ruins:

"Thro' thy battlements, Newstead, the hollow winds whistle;
Thou, the hall of my fathers, art gone to decay."

Which have since been taken as a metaphor for the ruin of his family.

Roger Mortimer was the ambitious 1st Earl of March who lived from 1287 to 1230. He became disillusioned with his king Edward the II and following a revolt he was sent to the Tower of London and then escaped to France where he was followed by Queen Isabella the king's wife with who he had an affair. Eventually the couple returned to rule England after Isabella's husband abdicated in favour of his son Edward III who himself had fled to Wales. A parliament was called at Nottingham Castle in October 1330 and soldiers loyal to Edward III gained secret entry to the Castle through a cave that is known as Mortimer's Hole which can still be seen today. Mortimer was captured and was eventually hanged,drawn and quartered for treason.

Nottingham Castle lies in the centre of Nottingham England and is situated on a rocky sandstone outcrop known as Castle Rock. Underneath the castle is the oldest pub in England called the Ye OldeTrip To Jerusalem the ideal place for a romantic couple to have a drink together.

D.H.Lawrence's controversial book Lady Chatterley's Lover was inspired by the locations around Eastwood in Nottingham. Why not get the flames of love burning brightly by visiting the birthplace of D.H.Lawrence in Eastwood