It's hard to escape the legend of Robin Hood in Nottinghamshire - after all the main town has Robin Hood re-enactments and Sherwood Forest covers much of the county. 

Right in the heart of England, this is a contrasting county of rural towns and villages to the buzz of Nottingham itself, which is a much improved shopping and tourist area.  The fashion designer Sir Paul Smith was born in Nottingham and opened his first shop there in 1970.

Sherwood Forest is a great day to combine some Nottinghamshire history lessons about Robin and his band of Merry Men with a taste of the outdoors as well. 

Towns like Newark, Mansfield and Southwell are easy places to wander around. 

Fans of the outdoor sports should head straight for the National Watersports Centre are Holme Pierrepont, where there's superb water sports facilities including a 2,000 metre regatta lake, a slalom course, waterski-ing lake and a fitness training centre. Hardly surprising that it's a top venue for athletes doing training.

For a relaxing alternative, take time out to visit the Pureland Zen Garden, near Newark, where you can contemplate the Buddhist way of life and enjoy a traditional Japanese tea ceremony.