Welcome to Mayflower Pilgrims Country
Pilgrim Country nestles on the crossroads of three English counties. It overlaps the district of Bassetlaw in North Nottinghamshire along with South Yorkshire and Lincolnshire and it covers roughly 50 square miles of picturesque villages and charming market towns.
You can download a copy of the Mayflower Trail for your visit, or read our Walk in the Footsteps of the Mayflower Pilgrims blog. This circular trail takes you to the historic sites associated with the principal players in the Mayflower Pilgrims' story including William Brewster and William Bradford, whose lives are well documented.
Alternatively, if you would prefer a guide to take you on your exploration of the Mayflower Pilgrim sites, local tour guides are ideally placed to show you those hidden buildings and by ways that formed the roots of founding fathers of the United States of America. Visit the Mayflower Pilgrims Visitor Centre in Retford for more info.
There's much more to see in the Pilgrim Country so take advantage of the area's other historic attractions. Nottingham, Lincoln, York, the Yorkshire Dales, and the great outdoors of Derbyshire and the Peak District are all nearby. The legendary Sherwood Forest and literary landscapes of D.H. Lawrence and Lord Byron’s country are also just a stone's throw away, so your short break can easily turn into an extended stay.
2007 marked the 400th anniversary of the founding Mayflower Pilgrims leaving Bassetlaw to start their new life in Holland. It was 13 years later, in 1620, when the Pilgrims finally reached Plymouth, USA - marking the 400th anniversary of the Mayflower’s life changing voyage and arrival in Plymouth Bay, Massachusetts in 2020.