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A mini guide to: Nottingham

BY Josh Ferry Woodard

1st Jan 2015 Travel

A mini guide to: Nottingham

There's so much more to Nottingham than Robin Hood and the legends of Sherwood Forest. Our resident travel expert, Josh Ferry Woodard, explains his itinerary for the ideal weekend in Nottingham. 

Drink at Ye Olde Trip to Jerusalem

ye olde trip to jerusalem
Image via Wiki

'Trip' is the olde English word for a rest, or a stop, on a journey. And seeing as Ye Olde Trip To Jerusalem is built into the rock that Nottingham Castle stands on, it makes sense to take a trip in this ancient pub on the way to the city’s famous fortress.

Ye Olde claims to be the oldest inn in the country and its superb cavernous interior really does conjure up images of Medieval England.

 

Eat at The Alley Café Bar

Alley Cat
Image via Food Ponce

Nestled away in Nottingham city centre lies the laid-back Alley Café Bar, which serves lip-smacking vegetarian cuisine, fair-trade coffee and vegan beer.

This ethical establishment employs a creative approach to blur the lines between café, bar and gallery. This means the relaxed feel of a European coffeehouse during the day, the buzz of a bar during the evening and exhibits from local artists on the wall whatever time of day it is.

 

Have family fun at Wollaton Hall

wollaton hall
Image via Wiki

Wollaton Hall—aka Wayne Manor—is an outstanding 16th century Elizabethan country manor that plays home to Nottingham Natural History Museum, Nottingham Industrial Museum and, in The Dark Knight Rises, Batman!

As if visiting Batman’s house wasn’t enough to get the kids excited for a trip to Wollaton, festivals and fetes are often held in the beautiful gardens and herds of deer live in the surrounding parkland.

 

Get active in Holme Pierrepont Country Park

Boasting an exhaustive roster of activities, the National Water Sports Centre at Holme Pierrepont is a haven for both water sports aficionados and the uninitiated.

Set in a glorious 270-acre country park, the centre offers facilities for whitewater rafting, wakeboarding, kayaking, power boating and almost everything in between.

In addition to the aquatic activities, Pierrepont also features an exciting mix of overland attractions such as ECombat outdoor laser tag, the Sky Trail treetop rope adventure course and a specially designed Segway track.

 

Plan a secret treat with escape games

lockd
Image via Locked

The concept behind escape games is simple: you and your team have an hour to decipher codes, discover hidden clues and solve obscure puzzles to reach a goal and escape from a locked room.

The first escape games started popping up in Budapest back in 2011, but the craze has really started to take off in Nottingham in recent years and there are now four different companies running the activity: Logiclock, Cryptology, Escapology and iLocked.

Special effects, custom-made props and exciting storylines push your problem-solving skills to the limit at each of the four ventures.

 

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