Five Top Walks For Leisure Lovers

Nottinghamshire is one of the UK’s finest counties for walks, so those who indulge in the campervan, caravan or motorhome lifestyle are going to find plenty of on-foot fun to complement their on-the-road time. As a motorhome, campervan and caravan dealer with great pride in our local area, in this edition of our blog we’re going to motor through our list of the best walks…

This Grade 1 listed National Trust park, not too far from Worksop, is one of the jewels in the crown of the north. Every year more than quarter of a million people visit Clumber Park, and it is consistently one of the National Trust’s top ten most visited properties. Once you’ve been there yourself, it’s really not hard to see why. With some amazing scenery (featuring temples, bridges and other features) the circular walk along stretches of Clumber Lake is simply the best. Six miles of quite possibly the most impressive leg-stretch since Tina Turner strode onto Nottingham’s Royal Theatre stage!

Route 6 of the National Cycle Network passes through Clumber Park, which means there’s a link to another incredible spot…

That spot is Sherwood Forest. This place is legendary all around the world as the home of Robin Hood. The ‘rob from the rich / give to the poor’ outlaw and his band of merry men reputedly lived in the forest. These days it’s approximately 420 hectares of incredibly beautiful woodland, with plenty of walking trails for you to tackle, some of which take you right through the area Rob and his rascals hung out – the Major Oak. It’s a beautiful tree, and a great place to stop for a few minutes and ponder how lucky you are to be here amongst all this amazing nature. Sherwood Forest also features a great visitors centre where you can grab a bite to eat and drink and find out more about the legend as well as the provable history of the area as well as, perhaps most importantly, the ecology.

A great route for Nottinghamshire walkers, this is a 9.5-km circular trail near Hucknall which should take you around three to three-and-a-half hours to complete. It’s not the easiest, nor is it the most difficult – it can be classed as a good moderately challenging route which is consistently popular and open all year round. It begins in the village of Linby and goes through Freckland Wood, Limekiln Wood, Newstead Abbey Gardens and the Chapel of St. Mary. Of particular interest during the walk will be Newstead Abbey (formerly an Augustinian priory and best known as the ancestral home of the 18th and 19th-century romantic poet Lord Byron). There are some road walking sections on this route, so there are times you will definitely have to take extra care. It’s worth it, though – what a beautiful few hours you will have.

Trent Locks is sited where the River Soar flows into the Trent and the Erewash Canal starts out on its way north towards the former coalfields. Interestingly, it also sits right on the border of three counties: Leicestershire, Nottinghamshire and Derbyshire. It’s a wonderful walking spot to explore, and there’s an abundance of terrific birdlife for the twitchers to enjoy robins, Egyptian geese, buzzards, herons, egrets, pheasants and many more. The 11.7-km loop trail runs on a series of easy to navigate footpaths and takes an average of just over three hours to complete. Along the way you’ll encounter Sawley Bridge Marina, the UK’s largest inland marina with plenty of boats and a decent cafe with outdoor seating.