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I'm an old romantic at heart.

Having studied literature for my degree it might not come as a surprise that this is my favourite place in Nottinghamshire.

Place to unwind

However, it's not so much the ancestral home of Lord Byron but its varied gardens that are the real draw for me.

Sarah enjoys Newstead

Whilst planning our wedding my husband and I used to take picnics here in one of the secluded spots scattered around the 300 acres.

On a blue sky day there is nowhere better to take in some fresh air, history and flora... all with a good tea room close at hand.

Now with two children it's also a great place to use up some energy meet a peacock or two and attempt to cross the stepping stones without getting soaked.

I've also recently discovered that you can cycle all the way from our home in Ruddington to Newstead Abbey by cycle path.

Sarah reads Byron

I've sent my husband and two children out to test the route and I plan to enjoy a ride out there as soon as the sun starts to shine again.

About Newstead

Newstead Abbey is a beautiful historic house set in a landscape of gardens and parkland within the heart of Nottinghamshire.

Founded as a monastic house in the late twelfth century, Newstead became the seat of the Byron family in 1540. The Abbey's most famous owner, the poet Lord Byron, sold the property in 1818 to his friend Colonel Thomas Wildman.

Newstead Abbey remained a private country house until 1931, when it was presented to the Nottingham Corporation for the public to enjoy.