Mining Rings

The Medieval strip fields around Nottinghamshire tell a story that most people walk straight past without noticing. Mining Rings are the ghostly outlines of those ancient ploughlands - gentle undulations in the earth that mark where generations of farmers worked the same furrows, century after century. You won't find a visitor centre or a gift shop here. What you get instead is a proper walk through countryside that looks almost unchanged since the Middle Ages, with those telltale ridges and furrows running across the fields like the pages of an open book.

It's the kind of place that clicks best with walkers who like their history written into the landscape itself, or anyone doing a bit of serious local research. Kids might get restless if you're expecting interpretive panels and attractions - this is about what you bring to it. An hour is usually enough to grasp what you're looking at and get some decent photographs, though you could easily spend longer if you're the sort to map out the old field patterns as you go.

Based near Nottingham, it works well alongside a holiday park stay at Peacock Lake Glamping or Gunthorpe Camping, both within easy reach. Either would make a sensible base for exploring these medieval remnants plus the wider Nottinghamshire landscape. Admission is free - these are public fields - so there's no barrier to stopping by if you're in the area. Go on a clear day when the light's low across the fields; that's when the rings show up best.