Nottingham

Nottingham "The Home of Robin Hood" Country: United Kingdom Links: CS Group Wikipedia Wikitravel

"Nottingham itself is one of the nicest cities that I've visited in the UK. It's quite large, but small enough to retain some of the charm of a town. It's not just some sprawling, faceless metropolis - it has a lot of character. There are plenty of theatres and other arts venues to please the masses and a plethora of drinking venues that make Nottingham an outstanding night out on the town. I see Nottingham as a vibrant, beautiful city with friendly people on the whole. The nightlife cannot be bettered and there's a fantastic mixture of culture too. I can highly recommend visiting here if one has never been before. And there's no need for the bullet-proof vest." - Supplied by Host: NICKOFNOTTINGHAM, Surfer: unknown

How to get here

Train:- You can connect here from London St Pancras on hourly services run by Midland Mainline.

Plane:- The most convenient airport to fly into is Nottingham East Midlands Airport and you connect to the city centre using the SkyLink bus direct from the airport, which runs 24 hours a day and 7 days a week, for £5.00. Or if you pay £5.50 on the the SkyLink you can buy a Network Rider ticket which will allow you to use all the buses run by NCT and the NET Tram in Nottingham which you can use to connect to nearly every part of the city.

Bus/Coach:- MegaBus run cheap buses from London into Nottingham Broadmarsh Bus Station for as little as £1, prior booking may be required.

National Express also run coaches from London and other major UK cities into Nottingham at quite reasonable prices. Prior booking again is advised for the cheaper fares.

See travel links below

Attractions and things to do/see

Shopping:-

There are several large shopping locations within the city but two of the major ones are,

The Victoria centre

The Broadmarsh centre

Hockley

Hockley, is reached by walking out of the Market Square down either side of City Hall and following the road to the top of the hill and down again. This downward side is the Hockley area of Nottingham. This is the more alternative shopping/drinking/breathing quarter of the city centre. In recent years it has flourished with numerous drinks and sandwich shops opening to serve it residents and shoppers. Hockley is home to the infamous 'Ice Nine' and the ever entertaining 'Jugglers' for all you budding circus-esque folk.

Hockley is alive at night as well playing host to the Broadway Cafe; Lee Rosy's Tea Place; Market Bar; Browns; The Old Angel (pub); Muse; The Screen Room Cinema and a whole swathe of other nocturnal premises where you can drink, eat and fall over if you so choose.

Attractions:-

The lace market.

Galleries of justice

Tales of Robin Hood

Nottingham castle

The Castle is atop our trademark Sandstone cliffs and not actually a castle. No turrets and battlements I'm afraid but worth a visit! Nottingham Castle is free to Nottingham City residents (evidenced by a library or City card usually) from Monday to Friday so it is well worth going along with your host or their card if they don't mind you borrowing it. In good weather the Castle grounds are very relaxing if not too busy (go during the week!!) and you can look out over the South-West part of the city. The statue of fabled champion of the people, Robin Hood, pictured above is located outside and is perfect picture opportunity, even to us residents!! A stroll through the The Park, a sought after residential 'suburb' right in the city is nice too if you a fancy a quiet one.

Greens Windmill & Science Centre

Greens Windmill is located in the Sneinton area of the city centre and only approximately 20 minutes walk from the central market square. It is a working windmill that is producing its on flour at this very minute! You can climb up into the windmill and look out over Nottingham from the top with fantastic views for nearly 360 degrees. The Science Centre is small but has got some fun little experiments to play with, it is aimed at children more than adults but a fun loving grown up can still get smiles out of it.

You can buy the produce of the windmill in the shop there and on occasions you may find craft fairs being held at the windmill with some unique items produced by local artisans up for sale.

Nottingham Goosefair( October the 3rd from 15:30 )

Sherwood forest visitor centre

Wollaton hall deer park and museums

For the lush green grounds Wollaton hall is perfect for a lazy sunny afternoon. For walking, sun bathing, relaxing or playing games there is plenty of space for all. A good bike riding location and there is also a lake full of ducks to feed if you that takes your fancy! To get to Wollaton park from the city centre buses that run up Derby road are best and take approximately 15 minutes. The NCT bus number 30 can drop you outside the main entrance but the closest entrance to the city is on Derby Road 3 stops past the Hospital.

Travel

Travel within the city

There is a Tram and bus service within the city, you can find the time tables here

Nottingham bus operators

Travel to and from the city of Nottingham

By train

By coach

Bars/Pubs - Places to drink or eat

Listed below I will point in the direction of my favourite places to drink/eat on my own or in company. I sincerely hope that others will add to this list. A brief summary should be added as well where possible.

Broadway Cafe/Bar & Cinema

Lee Rosy's Tea Place

Lee Rosy's is located on Broad Street just off of Goosegate in the Hockely area of the ciy centre and is opposite the Broadway Cinema. It serves a dizzying array of teas (as well as milkshakes and fruit juices) and some gorgeous cakes produced by The Cheesecake Shop. Home-made soup is also now available and if you have your laptop or wifi enabled gadgets then there is free internet available. There is also a poster wall where you will find lots of local events/meetings advertised. Lee Rosy's is open until 10pm Friday and Saturday night which makes it a refreshing alternative to every other establishment that is serving alcohol at a weekend as it is alcohol free and an ideal place to chill out.

The Bell In

Loggerheads Inn

Loggerheads is located on Cliff Road at the bottom of the cliffs that shoulder the Lace Market. It is in a residential area and almost underneath the Pitcher & Piano. What makes Loggerheads a must visit is that it incorporates some of the caves that Nottingham is riddled with into into its available drinking area. Out in the beer garden you can have a drink in the caves if the weather is nice or if you are wrapped nice and warm. It serves a respectful area of drinks and hosts a crop of club nights which often incorporate these caves into their set up. The website does not keep up to date on the events that are happening there so you may have to look elsewhere for information on these. And you can also stay at Loggerheads in the accommodation upstairs.

Brass Monkey

Pitcher & Piano

Though a part of a chain of pubs the Pitcher & Piano in Nottingham has something special about it an is located by the Weekday Cross in the Lace Market area of the city centre. It occupies a former Unitarian Church. It is split onto two levels, the ground floor and a mezzanine floor, The character of the building alone makes it a work a visit. Though some drinks can be quite expensive, a pots of tea and other soft drinks are very reasonably priced, the food is mediocre and not cheap. There is wifi available, and the bar staff are happy to let you plug in behind the bar if you are sitting on the seats on the end of it. Though the bar area can get quite busy the rest of the place never feels so or claustrophobic even on the friday/saturday night onslaught.

E@ Me

A sandwich shop on Low Pavement just off the main shopping street linking the Broadmarsh Centre and the Market Square. E@ Me has a strange name, a relic of it's attempt at being an internet cafe, but does make exceedingly nice sandwiches for a good price. There is not menu or suggested options, just order what you want and if they have it they shall make it! Also does Jacket Potatoes and nice little cookies and cakes.

Clubs & Party Venues

Calendar of Events

October

First weekend in October
Goosefair - Held over the first weekend in October every year. It opens its gates on the Thursday night and shuts again Sunday evening. It is held 10 minutes walk from the City Centre on the Forest Recreation Ground which is easily accessible using either the Tram or Bus network run by Nottingham City Council.

9th - 12th
The Nottingham 'Robin Hood' Beer Festival - Held annually around this time of year. It is being hosted by Nottingham Castle (right in the City Centre) for the first time in 2008.

Nottingham city council tourist information