| The Mayflower Trail is a circular tour taking you through peaceful villages and beautiful countryside. It includes many historic sites associated with the principal figures in the Pilgrim Father's story. The Mayflower Trail begins in the village of Babworth at All Saints Church. From here, it leads through Barnby Moor to Scrooby, where you can visit St.Wilfrid's Church and see The Manor House, the former home of William Brewster. Back on the road, stop and explore Bawtry, a small bustling market town known as the Gateway to Yorkshire. Carry on to Austerfield, birthplace of William Bradford and visit St. Helena’s Church. Leaving the church, head back through Bawtry towards Gainsborough. Take the time to visit Gainsborough Old Hall, a large timber framed, medieval manor house, where John Smyth held regular meetings. From here stop at Sturton-le-Steeple, the birthplace of John Robinson. And then head to North Wheatley, a pretty village and home of Hugh Bromhead, one of the Gainsborough Separatists. Rather than returning directly to Babworth, detour via Clarborough, Welham, and the market town of Retford where the Bassetlaw Museum is well worth a visit.
The Mayflower Trail may be extended from Gainsborough, to Lincoln (18 miles) and Boston (52 miles). Visit the Guildhall and its cells in Boston, where the Pilgrims were jailed after their failed attempt to flee in 1607. In Boston’s church (‘the Stump’) there are monuments to John Cotton, who led his congregation to the New World and was the first pastor of the church at Shawmut, Massachusetts, a settlement that re-named itself Boston in honour of their pastor's home in Lincolnshire. On the windswept east coast at nearby Fishtoft, a monument to the Pilgrim Fathers’ stands near the spot where they are said to have attempted to set sail for Holland. Pilgrim Tours offer luxury coach tours of the Mayflower Trail.
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