Bolsover Castle, Hardwick Hall and Sherwood Forest

In the morning, a castle was first on the agenda: Bolsover Castle.

The castle was originally built in the 12th century but came into the possession of Sir Charles Cavendish, the son of Bess of Hardwick (of whom we would hear a lot later) in 1608.

Under him and his son William, the castle was renovated and updated.

During the English Civil War, Bolsover Castle was taken and destroyed by opponents of the royalists, but later renovated again by William Cavendish.

In 1945, it was handed over to the state by the last private owner and is now managed by English Heritage.

We arrived exactly at the opening time of 10 am, initially quite alone on the grounds, allowing us to view the exhibition on the history of the castle and the life of William Cavendish relatively undisturbed.

Only ruins remain of the former magnificent rooms on the terrace, where the king was accommodated during his visit.

The tower, called “Little Castle,” is still preserved, and the old rooms can be visited.

However, not much of the former furnishings is left to see.

Our next destination was the residence of the aforementioned Bess of Hardwick, who lived at the same time as Elizabeth I.

After four marriages, she was, after the queen, the richest woman in England and built, around the age of 70, a magnificent new building next to her renovated birthplace, Hardwick Hall.

But we initially looked at “Old Hardwick Hall.”

Here, Bess was born and initially set it up as her residence after separating from her fourth husband.

Today, only the foundations remain, and part of the staircase is accessible to the upper floors.

To reach Hardwick Hall, newly built between 1590 and 1597, we had to take just a few steps.

In the still magnificently furnished interiors, there was an exhibition about Bess of Hardwick and the embroideries and tapestries she loved.

The exterior of Hardwick Hall also appears in the last two Harry Potter films.

The house is portrayed here as “Malfoy Manor,” the residence of the Malfoy family.

In the entrance hall, a gathering of Voldemort with his followers takes place in “Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows.”

Even though a constant drizzle had set in, we decided to continue into Sherwood Forest.

There, you are immediately welcomed with many signs and images of the forest's most famous resident.

A Robin Hood statue in front of the Visitor Centre is, of course, a must.

We took a walk through the forest. The rain was slowly easing, and at least it ensured that only a few visitors besides us were out and about.

On the paths a bit farther from the Visitor Centre, we encountered no one.

Closer to the parking lot, some people were out and reading the information panels about the forest and the legends of the outlaws along with us.

A particularly old oak tree, “Major Oak,” is said to have served as a hideout and meeting point for Robin Hood and his companions.

Then we left the forest of legends.