Editor’s Note: The following is a guest post from Ben Walker who had posted in the forum recently about the area in which he lives and how there is actually plenty to do there. So, we invited him to turn his forum post into a blog post to share it with all of you. Enjoy exploring the East Midlands! Thanks Ben!

OK, so the East Midlands might not sound very exotic, but I’m extremely proud of the area where I live so I thought I’d share with you some of my favourite places to visit.

Please be aware I’m somewhat of a history buff, and I prefer the outdoors, so nightclubs and sports centres won’t be on this list. Great days out they will be!

Bakewell, Derbyshire

Home of the famous Bakewell tart and pudding. This town is beautiful and packed full of history with some fantastic historical shops and country pubs to visit for some cracking food and drink.

One of many shops selling the Bakewell Tart and Puddings.

Has the nine ladies stone circle…supposedly nine ladies turned to stone for dancing on a Sunday!

The River Wye that runs through Bakewell

1 day out.

Alton, Derbyshire

If you’re a fan of theme parks Alton Towers is arguably Britain’s best. Definitely some white knuckled fun to be had here!

The Oblivion Ride, that sheer drops heads underground!

1 day out.

Melton Mowbray, Leicestershire

Mmmm, two of my favourite foods ever were born here: Stilton cheese and Melton Mowbray pork pie. Gotta try both! Visit the Dickinson and Morris pie shop, called Ye Olde Pork Pie Shoppe.

The original Dickinson and Morris shop

Go on Tuesdays and Fridays for the farmers market. Also home of a visually stunning 13th century St Mary’s Parish Church.

St. Mary’s Parish Church

1/2 – 1 day out.

Loughborough, Leicestershire

Loughborough Bell Foundry – open to the public during work hours.

Quite a large university town now, and my home for 8 years from 1999 to 2007. Some good shopping and an excellent market on Thursdays and Saturdays, but visit for the Bell Foundry (The largest bell foundry in the world) and the Great Central Railway; an 8 mile stretch of preserved steam railway complete with some amazing period stations and exhibitions. Yes, you can take a steam train ride…and if you’ve got the cash you can book to drive a steam train! Sometimes TV productions may close the stations down for filming period drama, check ahead.

1/2 – 1 day out.

Foxton Locks, Leicestershire

Home of the Grade-II listed 10 lock staircase. This place is packed with history, You can either go there and see canal boats try to negotiate 10 consecutive gradient locks or rent a canalboat at various boatyards in Leicestershire and try to do it yourself. I love this place, and if you rent a boat in the warm summer months you’ll have an amazing time. I’ve seen a lot of Americans here.

Foxton’s 10 lock staircase…takes a good hour to get down, and in the summer you’ll be watched by hundreds of people!

The Foxton Lock Inn, a welcome sight at the bottom of that staircase! Great food, sometimes packed.

From 1/2 a day visit to a 2 week boating holiday.

National Space Centre, Leicester

Possibly suited more for younger people, but has some interesting tours and exhibits, including an upright complete rocket, A simulator of the Apollo 11 lunar lander (the only one outside of America if I remember correctly), a planetarium, the Nakhla Mars meteorite and some Moon exhibits. Pity our own Beagle II failed spectacularly.

National Space Centre rocket tower

1/2 day.

Peak District National Park, mostly Derbyshire

Now, I’m a fan of camping and getting closer to nature and consider myself extremely lucky to live so close to a National Park. Grab a tent, book a site or series of sites and go and lose yourself in 555 square miles and sleep under the stars to an awesome backdrop. In fact after writing this I’ve decided I’m going as soon as the weather improves. Make sure to visit Thor’s cave and take a satnav! Bakewell (above) is situated in the Peak District.

Thor’s Cave entrance.

Glorious view of the Peak District.

As long as you like!

Rutland Water nature reserve, Rutland

Rutland Water

An enormous reservoir packed with wildlife, nature, hiking, camping, cycling, boating, water skiing, canoeing etc. all rentable from various sites around the reservoir. The cycle route around the reservoir is 23 miles, which I’ve now done twice. Start at Oakham..about 6 miles southwest of Melton Mowbray (above).

1 day minimum. Ideal for a weekend.

Nottingham, Nottinghamshire.

5th largest for shopping in England if that’s your thing. Some outstanding architecture here, two high capacity theatres, several museums, some good nightlife

…and of course Sherwood Forest!

Sherwood Forest

Also in town is Nottingham Castle, if you visit Nottingham Castle, be sure to make the journey to the bottom of the rockface and stop by at ‘Ye Olde Trip to Jerusalem’, commonly known as ‘The Trip’ which claims to be the oldest pub in the UK, built in 1189 into the side of the castle cliff, and has a network of (supposedly) haunted caves.

Ye Olde Trip to Jerusalem

1 day

I realise I may sound like a tourist board director, but I feel the East Midlands is sometimes overlooked. We might not have warm sandy beaches or huge metropolis, but there is definitely something for everyone, and those were my favourites.

Author Info -  Jonathan is a consummate Anglophile with an obsession for Britain that borders on psychosis. He keeps Anglotopia running in his spare time, always dreaming of his next trip to England, wishing he lived there - specifically Dorset - and is always trying to figure out a way to move to England. It will happen one day. Keep up with him on Twitter here. Read more from this author

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