Newstead Abbey located in the heart of Nottinghamshire was formerly an Augustinian priory. Converted to a domestic home following the Dissolution of the Monasteries, it is now best known as the ancestral home of Lord Byron.

Newstead Abbey features a collection of items that span the centuries, from when Newstead first became a private house, right up to the present day. It includes paintings, objects, letters, maps and photographs associated with the estate, including a collection of the eighteenth-century views of Newstead Abbey by artist Pieter Tillemans. Visitors can linger over displays and reading material in the Gothic Revival Library, or marvel at the expansive panelling in the Great Hall, all reputed to have come from a single oak tree. (Source: https://www.newsteadabbey.org.uk/explore/).

Newstead’s 300 acres of parkland owes much of its beauty to the River Leen feeding the lakes, ponds and cascades that ornament its gardens. The grounds provide the perfect place for a relaxing outing year-round, with fabulous wildlife including peacocks, swan and geese. Explore the walled gardens, the lush ferns and rockery with alpine flowers, or the sunken ornamental Japanese oasis boasting streams and stepping stones, bamboo groves and wild crayfish.(Source: https://www.newsteadabbey.org.uk/explore/).

I pass through Newstead Abbey on a couple of my local rides regularly and am always impressed by the view. The featured video is one of my favourite trails Mountain Bikingin Newstead Abbey on a gorgeous summer’s day...