Nottingham

  • Explore Nottingham Castle and the City’s underground caves
  • Enjoy your favorite water sport in Holme Pierrepont Country Park
  • Experience Robin’s Legend in Sherwood Forest
  • Live a genuine wildlife adventure in Colwick Park
  • The best place for your stag & hen weekend
  • Take your family to Nottingham’s famous Goose Fair

Nottingham lies along the River Trent, at the heart of the East Midlands coalfield and is a major transport centre.

Known as the ‘Queen of the Midlands’ because of its broad streets and parks, the city has a long tradition as a trading hub and manufacturing center and has become a popular destination with numerous historical attractions, great festivals and a vibrant nightlife.

Nottingham attracts millions of visitors every year for a simple reason: it has something for all ages and tastes. Families and children love exploring the Nottingham Castle and the nearby Sherwood Forest, home of legendary Robin Hood, while adults are fascinated by the city’s historic underground cave – district.

Youngsters and adrenaline addicts have an inexhaustible array of activities to choose from, from all kinds of water sports – available in easily accessible lakes and rivers from – and wildlife activities to orienteering and Parkour.

Furthermore, Nottingham has recently emerged as a Stags & Hens wonderland, not just because of its famed rock clubs and medieval pubs, but also for its vast variety of activity weekends – from boat parties to spas and treasure hunts.

Nottingham’s annual events, especially the well-known Goose Fair and the illustrious Nottinghamshire County Show, also attract hundreds of visitors each year, offering all sorts of attractions, great food and rare shows.

Intrigued? Actually, Nottingham has just started to amaze you.

ACTIVITIES IN AND NEAR Nottingham

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Things To See & Do

A Day out with the Kids in Nottingham Castle  

Nottingham Castle is situated in a commanding position known as ‘Castle Rock’, with bold cliffs of more than 40 metres high. During the Middle Ages it was a major royal fortress, but over the centuries most of it was destroyed.

While little has survived of the original castle, the site affords excellent views of the town, and is an ideal spot for kids that love Robin’s legend and adults that find history or photography fascinating.

Voyage in Time – Nottingham Life Museum

Travel back in time and see what Nottingham was like 300 years ago, along with houses and shops at the dawn of the 20th century, and check up close a huge variety of everyday life items of the past, from toys to tools.

If you find time travel fascinating, D. H. Lawrence Heritage Centre it’s another great option: it houses a fascinating exhibition with recreations of a Victorian schoolroom, a grocery shop and a mock up of a mine that visitors can actually crawl through!

Touring Mortimer’s Hole

Over 450 caves exist in the sandstone underneath Nottingham, including the spectacular over 100 metres long Mortimer’s Hole stretching directly below the castle, reputed to be the route by which Edward III’s troops entered the city’s castle to capture Roger de Mortimer, in 1330. The caves have been used for centuries as storage and defense facilities and the best way to explore them is by taking a guided tour.

Holme Pierrepont Country Park – a water sport centre

Just 10 minutes away from the city’s centre, Holme Pierrepont Country Park boasts some excellent water facilities, a Family Fun Park and wonderful trails ideal for cycling and walking. Most visitors prefer a relaxing sailing, but you can also enjoy white water rafting and tubing, wakeboarding, canoeing, kayaking, paddle boarding and power boating.

If some members of your company prefer dry land instead of water, the park offers numerous great options, including ECombat Laser Tag, XRunner Adventure Course, Sky Trail, Mini Golf, Segways and Foot Golf.

Boating & Rowing in Highfields Lake

Highfields Park, in the west of Nottingham, is a 121-acre park teaming with magnificent trees and exotic plants, while the nearby lake attracts families and couples that love boating and rowing. If you are interested in a romantic row, note that boating is permitted only between May and September.

The surrounding Park, except for being ideal for ramblers, is great for lawn bowling, croquet and putting, while kids can also spend their time in the children’s play area.

Orienteering in Arboretum Park

This Green Flag award winning park is Nottingham’s oldest public park (1852) and the closest to the city centre. Easily accessible, the park hosts several annual events and offers visitors an ideal place for relaxing strolling, jogging and running.

If you are searching for something more inspiring, you should try orienteering: using a map and compass you will have to navigate from point to point. The game requires map reading skills and excellent physical condition.

Colwick Park – An Activity Paradise

Colwick Park lies on the outskirts of Nottingham city and is easily accessible via public transport. Its greatest attraction is the wonderful surrounding lakes, whose shores are great for walking, and cycling. Its woodland, on the other hand, stage an ideal scenery for numerous wildlife activities, including angling, sailing, canoeing, bird watching, wildlife photography, horse riding, walking and jogging.

Most visitors though come here for fishing. Boats are available to hire or you can simply enjoy coarse and trout fishing from the lake’s shore.

Other fascinating options, especially for families and groups of youngsters, include Ranger led activities, Orienteering and Geocaching, during which participants use a GPS receiver or mobile device and other navigational techniques to hide and seek containers called “geocaches”.

Experience Robin’s Legend in Sherwood Forest

The legendary home of Robin Hood is actually a 450 acre country park, boasting a fascinating eco-system, dominated by the famous Major Oak, England’s Tree of the Year for 2014. The best month to visit and explore this famous woodland is August, during the Robin Hood Festival, when special events and costumed characters offer kids the chance to experience their hero’s thrilling world.

Parkour in Bulwell Bogs

Bulwell Bogs, around 7 km northwest of the city’s centre, seems at a glance as a nice spot for kids and families, with its water park, picnic area and great promenade along the River Leen. In fact, it mostly attracts Nottingham’s adrenaline addicts with its Parkour facilities: there you will find a safe environment where you can practice your skills and moves, or even learn the basics!

If you seek something less “risky” but equally joyful, remember to bring your bat and table tennis balls: 2 permanent outdoor table tennis tables are available in the Park and free to use.

Festivals

Nottingham’s greatest annual event, the Goose Fair, boasts a 700 years tradition and the only way to understand why, is by being there! It is held in autumn (usually early October) at the Forest Recreation Ground, and hosts over 500 attractions, including waltzers, carousels, Ghost Trains, Giant Wheels and much more.

The Bonfire Night (November 5th), also held in Forest Recreation Ground, is a wonderful family event, with fairground rides, toffee apple eating, bonfires and a grand firework display.

The Nottinghamshire County Show is a must for horse lovers, hosting horse shows and jumping sections from Britain’s most experienced riders. Held in May in Newark Showground, it is a fun day out for all the family, embracing all ages and including livestock competitions, music performances, interactive games, falconry displays, gun dog demonstrations and the famous local Sheep Show.

Nightlife

Nottingham’s nightlife is as vibrant and wild as you wish it to be, offering great options for all sorts of fancies and tastes. Some of Britain’s oldest pubs are located near Nottingham Castle, dating back to the 12th century! Clubs (especially rock clubs), bars, great theatres (like the Royal), music scenes and some of England’s greatest restaurants complete the picture.

Nottingham is also the only place in UK where you can find a genuine “Hooters” restaurant. Hot wings, burgers, steaks, ribs and cold beer – all served by the world famous Hooters Girls.

Stag & Hen Groups

Nottingham has become a huge Stag destination, offering a vast range of activities and an inexhaustible list of pubs and cracking clubs, including “Ye Olde Trip to Jerusalem”, England’s oldest pub.

If you wish to add a tone of adventure to your club and brewery stag & hen “tour”, Nottingham offers quad biking, white water rafting, go karting, paintball, archery, treasure hunts, casinos, boat parties, burlesque and pole dancing, spas – even murder mysteries.

Summary

Nottingham is indeed a Queen city – and a humble one too, willing to share its riches with all of its fortunate visitors. Its castles and caves, magnificent parks and museums, fascinating nightlife and vibrant festivals leave no room for boredom and disappointment!

Nottingham is a great option for those of you who are tired of the same old activities, and seek something different and adventurous and one of the richest Stags & Hens Weekend destinations in Britain.

Families, party animals, restless future brides and grooms – whatever the case and no matter your expectations, Nottingham simply can’t let you down.