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et in over 500 acres of historic deer park and just three miles from the centre of Nottingham, Wollaton Hall is the ideal backdrop to eat al fresco. As you tuck into your egg and cress sandwiches and pork pies in the shadow of the spectacular Tudor building, it’s impossible not to imagine yourself starring in a costume drama or existing in the pages of a Jane Austen novel.

After your outdoor feast, take some time to walk off your indulgences around the impressive gardens before heading into Wollaton Hall itself. The Elizabethan mansion, completed in 1588, is as impressive inside as out, thanks to an extensive restoration programme. The rooms have been refurbished so that you get to experience what it would have looked like in Tudor times. The kitchens are particularly impressive – particularly if you imagine what type of bizarre Tudor fry-up you could come up with given the opportunity.

The mansion’s position at the top of a hill also make it a great vantage point form which to look down over Nottingham and its suburbs. For the best views, we suggest heading to the Prospect Room right at the top of the Hall.

Wollaton Hall is also home to Nottingham’s Natural History Museum and Industrial Museum, but if you’ve had enough history for one day it may be the perfect excuse to pack another picnic and come back tomorrow.