Walks

Our walk starts from the Great Pond in the grounds of Hardwick Hall and begins with a steady uphill climb to the little village of Ault Hucknall.

Ault Hucknall is the smallest village in England. It's most prominent landmark is the Saxon Church of St John the Baptist. At weekends the church is often open for refreshments.

Lady Chatterley

Join what was an old colliery mineral line, called the Rowthorne Trail, heading in the direction of Norwood.

DH Lawrence knew this area well. Hardwick Hall is in Lady Chatterley's Lover but Lawrence calls it Chadwick.

John and St John the Baptist church

And somewhere in Norwood it is said Lawrence set the cottage of gamekeeper, Oliver Mellors, the cottage where he entertained Lady Chatterley.

Royal connections

The next part of the walk, Lady Spencer's Wood, was designed by Georgiana Spencer (1757 – 1806), who became Duchess of Devonshire, the person who was portrayed by Keira Knightly in the film The Duchess. It's the same Spencer line that leads to Princess Diana.

Next you reach Hardwick Hall, which was built by Bess of Hardwick (1527 - 1608), from whom Prince Charles is descended.

Hardwick Hall up close

Bess became the wealthiest woman in Elizabethan England, after the Queen, by marrying into money. In Bess's day, this was the only way a woman could rise up the social scale.

Historians describe her as shrewd, scheming and ambitious. By the time she'd married for the fourth time she owned Chatsworth, Haddon and Old Hardwick. When husband number four died she built her finest monument, Hardwick Hall. It's more glass than wall, a magnificent proclamation of wealth and power.

Home straight

From here on, the walk is downhill all the way back to the ponds.

You can hear John Holmes' walks every Wednesday, 14:00 to 16:00 on BBC Radio Nottingham (95.5 & 103.8FM, DAB and online).