Nottingham in May 2012: hard hats in the sandstone caves, the Robin Hood statue beneath the castle walls, and Ye Olde Trip to Jerusalem, England's oldest inn.
May 2012 took us to Nottingham, a city that keeps its history in three places: on a plinth, in a pub, and underground.
The Robin Hood statue below the castle walls, mid-draw since 1952. Inga provided moral support.Dileep and Robin, both quietly confident about the archery.Ye Olde Trip to Jerusalem, built straight into the castle rock and claiming 1189 AD on the wall: the oldest inn in England, by its own paintwork.
Then downwards. Nottingham sits on soft sandstone that its residents have been hollowing out for centuries, and you can tour the caves in a hard hat, which we duly did.
Brick pillars holding up the sandstone, and a hard hat holding up morale.The tunnels glow orange under the lights, carved smooth by hand and time.Surfacing by spiral staircase, camera first, hair reorganised by the draught.Two hard hats, one low ceiling, zero head injuries. A successful expedition.
Statue, pub, caves: Nottingham in one satisfying day. For another East Midlands day out, the National Space Centre at Leicester is an hour down the road.
