Nottingham

Wednesday 19 August. 0 miles.

Touristy things today. I went into town early to the information centre then did a bit of a scout around to hind the Castle etc. Took a wrong turning and ended up back where I started. We both set off later and walked to the Robin Hood statue. Took a look at the, so called Castle. There has been a building in some form here for centuries and the sandstone rock it stands on gives magnificent views around the area. The latest building on the site is now a museum. We took the tour where all we did was walk around the outside and hear the history of all the previous owners and what buildings had been there. The second part of the tour took us into the caves and tunnels of the rock with some gory details of what had happened down there. After lunch went to the  Nottingham Contemporary gallery where there was an exhibition about Chatswood house and its furniture. A house to visit that is on Diana's bucket list. The next two recommended visits didn't make us want to rush in so gave them a miss. Back on the boat for tea.

Thursday 20 August. 1/4 mile, 1 lock.

A bus trip today to visit Wollaton House. The very impressive  house of the Willoughby family whose fortune is from coal mining and other industrial enterprises. Massive gardens which now belong to Nottingham council and are free to visit. We also took a tour of the Victorian Kitchens. They were closed up many years ago just as they were. They have now been renovated to as they were. Wandered around Nottingham taking photos of a big variety of buildings. Back on the boat we turned it around, came up one lock the moored up again. I now have a 3 mile run in the morning without needing Diana for locks. We had not been to the oldest Inn in England , "Ye Olde Trip to Jerusalem" so went in for a drink and stayed for a meal before returning to the boat.