The ancestral home of Lord Byron is getting an oriental touch with the addition of a bicycle-driven rickshaw service.

The rickshaws will be used at Newstead Abbey in Nottinghamshire to carry visitors around the large estate.

The abbey, known for its extensive gardens and peacocks, was home to the poet for eight years in the late 18th Century.

Three experienced cyclists will run the rickshaws, including Andrew Campbell, a former rugby player who lives on the estate.

Undulating estate

Marilyn Tippett of Nottinghamshire Rural Community Council said: "If you find it a long walk to Newstead Abbey and you are an older person, this might be a real treat."

It's cool but it does feel like you are going to get thrown off when you go downhill

Callum Cash

The rickshaws will collect passengers from the Robin Hood railway line at nearby Newstead railway station and from the abbey's entrance on the A60.

"This service is environmentally friendly. It is infinitely sustainable as long as the legs of the cyclists hold out," she said.

Mr Campbell said the work is quite tiring, especially up the hills of the undulating estate.

One young visitor, Callum Cash, said he found the ride a bit bumpy: "It's cool but it does feel like you are going to get thrown off when you go downhill."

The new service will run seven days a week from August to September and then at weekends until November.

If the pilot project is successful, it will be extended.

Claire Jenkins from the Countryside Agency said: "The rickshaw is accessible, convenient, healthy and environmentally friendly."

We are hoping that the novelty of a ride in the rickshaw will encourage visitors to use public transport and this pilot service."