Budby Castle

The remains of Budby Castle sit quietly in the Nottinghamshire countryside, a short drive from Edwinstowe. What you're actually looking at is a Victorian mansion masquerading as something grander - built in the 1880s on the site of an earlier fortified house, it's got turrets and battlements but belongs firmly to the era of industrial wealth rather than medieval warfare. The place has a proper romance to it, all red brick and theatrical grandeur, though these days it's private property so you're viewing from the outside.

This works best as a quick detour if you're already in the Sherwood area. It won't eat up your afternoon - fifteen minutes to have a good look and take photos, really - but it's the sort of thing that sticks in your head. The setting matters more than the building itself. You're surrounded by parkland that still feels like proper countryside, even knowing you're sandwiched between several holiday parks.

If you're staying at Center Parcs Sherwood Forest or one of the other lodges nearby, Budby Castle makes a worthwhile walk or short drive. Pair it with Clumber Park, just three miles away, where you can actually explore the grounds and get a sense of how these estates were meant to feel. The castle alone? It's interesting enough if you're passing through, but you need the broader context of Sherwood to make a trip worthwhile. Don't expect access to the interior - just appreciate it as a curious Victorian fantasy standing defiant against the ordinary.