Our Favourite Walks In Nottinghamshire
First of all, please accept our apologies. We didn't mean to disappear from the blogging world when we've only just made our entrance but we're back now. To come back we thought that we would share our favourite walks in our local area. We're fortunate enough to reside in a small village in the countryside but only a short drive from more populated areas and we're always exploring new places to go. We've got a lot of favourite walk spots but here are our most loved off lead and on lead walks in Nottinghamshire.
CLUMBER PARK
Worksop, Nottinghamshire, S80 3AZ
Free parking to National Trust members otherwise £4.40
One of our favourite places to go is Clumber park. A National Trust owned park that has heaps to offer from deep woodland to a walk around the vast lake. It's a place we can take the dogs if we want them on and off the lead so great for a little bit of variance. If you're going to go to the visitor's centre and to the ever so popular café then be aware that there a lot of squirrels and cyclists so best for dogs to be on leads unless you have incredible recall as the squirrels are so used to humans they are brazen. There are countless spots where you can pull off and navigate your own path through the woods [sometimes there is cattle so be careful] and this is what we tend to do as it's a little quieter for the girls to zoom around in peace. One of our most recent discoveries at the park is the beautiful walled garden which is well worth a potter around.
Blidworth bottoms
Calverto, Nottingham, NG14 6PX
Free parking in both carparks
This is by far one of our most visited woodland spots and it's one of the most dog-friendly woods in the area. It's very rare you'll meet somebody with a dog and we're yet to meet an unfriendly dog owner in there yet so a great place to socialise your pup. There are a couple of carparks to choose from, one has an excellent food van we've heard. There are mapped out paths that you can follow and the paths are huge so there is plenty of room for everybody and you're not getting in anybody's way. Although be aware it's also a popular spot for horse riders so just be on the lookout, they're always pretty friendly and aware it's a dog hotspot. It's free to park and there a dozen different ways you can make your way through the vast woodland so a great daily walk. We take the girls here quite often as we know they're generally ok to be off the lead.
SHERWOOD PINES
Edwinstowe, Mansfield, NG21 9JL
Parking is £6 all day.
Recently we've discovered a patch of Sherwood Pines which is a little bit of the beaten track as it's a hotspot for cyclists. You still have to be aware of them but of course, this depends on whether your dog has an issue with them. In an evening or in the week it's generally pretty quiet and it's a beautiful spot to the walk the pups. It's a huge forest with an abundance of different routes you can take so you could easily go a different route each time you visited. It's a very popular destination for walkers, families, cyclists and other dog walkers so it's not somewhere we're that confident with the girls always being off lead yet. But for an on the lead walk, it's ideal as there is a lot of paths to follow so you don't have to beat your way through the overgrown grass and dreaded nettles.
HARDWICK HALL
Doe Lea, Chesterfield, Derbyshire ,S44 5QJ
Free parking for National Trust members otherwise it's £4 to park only.
We count ourselves very lucky that this is on our doorstep and it's a place that we can walk to from our house. Just simply down the Rowthorne trial [read more information about the Five Pit Trail] and it leads you up to the beautiful stately home. As well as the walks surrounding the house itself that general area has numerous trails to follow. Our personal favourite is the Rowthorne trail as not too many cyclists are on it as it's a little uneven underfoot but it's a lovely one for dog walkers. Around Hardwick itself, it's best for dogs to be kept on the lead around the general vicinity but there a couple of spots of woodland in the grounds that they can run free. Sadly pups aren't allowed to go in the house or the beautiful gardens but they can be around the restaurant and food van. Down the road is a pub too that is dog-friendly if you fancy popping in!
BRIErley COUNTRY PARK
Brierley Forest Park Visitor Centre, Skegby Road, NG17 2PL
Free Parking
This isn't somewhere we go too often but we had to give it a mention as it's always a place to meet lovely dog owners. We once met a service Greyhound called Eric who went and visited people in hospital to cheer them up and we can still talk about him now. It's an on or off lead walk really, there are plenty of mapped out routes to follow and it's pretty easy to work out a route yourselves. We've never found there is a lot of cyclists around during the day or evening, weekends may be different of course. There is a dedicated area for mountain bikers so do be careful of that. Again, if you've got a young dog and would like to socialise them on a walk then this is a lovely spot and there are always plenty of owners all too willing to dish out a treat or two.
WOLLATON HALL
Wollaton, Nottingham, NG8 2AE
PARKING IS £5 FOR THE DAY
A walk that is a little further a field for us is Wollaton Hall, a lovely walk with vast grounds, a lake and of course the wonderful hall. Of course, pups aren't welcome in the house but you can take a wander through the stunning greenhouse which is one of our favourite spots. This is a strictly on the lead walk for us as it's also a deer park and they are something that Josie is all too willing to chase so we tend not to go near them and her chase instinct is too strong with them at this point to be trusted. If your pup is fine with deer and doesn't want to be there best friends then there is plenty of huge grassy areas for them to zoom around and meet other pups. Although it's on the lead walk for us it's a lovely place to visit in general.
