A Day Trip to Nottingham

In the child-free days of our marriage, John and I used to spend our weekends hopping on the train from Sheffield station for a day trip or getting on the car to the Peak District, to explore nearby English towns and cities. Nowadays, with a little boy in tow, we have contented ourselves with the easy predictability of walks in the park or coffee mornings by the riverside, for as much joy a child brings in your lives they do sap out a lot of your energy and zest for adventure (and doing anything seems more expensive!).

This summer we vowed to recapture the thrill of new experiences. And with Isaac's growing infatuation with Thomas the Tank Engine, we decided to take him out on a train journey. But with Britain's transport system being probably the worst in western Europe, we struggled to find anywhere to go that wouldn't be too costly for a family of three to go and visit for a day. That's how we settled for Nottingham in the East Midlands, a 50-minute ride from Sheffield for only £27 on the train.

Our two-year-old has been on train journeys before, when his boredom could be eased by a breastfeed that would send him to sleep. This time would be a more challenging one, or so we thought, but we were determined not to succumb to any form of electronic distractions so we brought a book, a Thomas train and some flashcards. We shouldn't have been nervous, children find ways of entertaining themselves. Isaac made faces to an older boy who sat opposite us on our way to Nottingham and they kept each other happy throughout the trip.

The journey went quicker than we thought (we left Sheffield at 9:30am) and from the train station, we took the tram to the city centre. We have read about the transport system of the city being the best outside London and it is well-deserved. The tram and bus systems were reliable and cheap (an adult train and bus ticket costs £4 a day) and we didn't haven any problems getting around.

We took the tram from the train station and got off at Old Market Square, located in the heart of the city and dominated by the Council House, a Neo-Baroque display with an iconic 200 feet high dome that is the centrepiece of the skyline.
In Within the square, Nottingham Riviera has been set up complete with beach sand and chairs, a paddling pool and fairgrounds typical of a British beach resort.  From Market Square, we wandered up King's Street, looking up the impressive Victorian architecture around the square and found Brian Clough's statue (a football hero who managed Nottingham Forest in their most successful spell in history). Around the market square is an abundance of high end shops along the pebbled walk housed by pre-war structures oozing with character. We went inside the Exchange Arcade that is within the Council House, the city's oldest shopping gallery with a collection of up-market independent stores enclosed within the mellow York stone walls and the magnificent dome with painted murals by a local artist capturing the historic events in the city. Outside the building, we found a Zara shop and did some shopping, impressed with the things on offer. We went down High Street and then turned to St Peters Gate which took us back to the square. We decided to have our packed lunches at Wollaton Hall and asked some locals for direction. We didn't have to walk far, bus stations run along the Market Street in front of the Old Market Square and Upper Parliament Street. On one of the streets, we passed by one of the oldest pubs in Notthingham (for apparently there are a lot of them that claims this title).

We took the TWO bus to Wollaton Park, a beautiful Elizabethan mansion with an expansive parkland. Entry was free and we had our lunch near the front entrance to the house admiring the views from the top of the hill. Then we explored the gardens at the back of the hall, while the exhausted little boy had his two-hour nap in the pram.
After the leisurely walk, we took the Number 30 bus back to town, getting off at Nottingham Trent University and made our way down towards the market square. We walked past a number of independent streets along the way.  We followed the map towards Nottingham Castle (which is not a castle but a small stately home) but decided that we didnt have enough time to explore it so we just got on the queue to take selfies at Robin Hood's statue just outside the castle walls. Then we walked towards the train station but did a short detour down a bridge at Carrington Street to listen to live music playing outside Canal House along the canal. Then before going inside the train station, I took a photo of the street art on one of the walls in front of the station that I saw through the tram earlier. Some Asian tourists saw me taking photos and they took some too! We got on the 4:15pm train back to Sheffield and was home by 5:30pm, not too exhausted to make dinner and relieve the experiences of the day. We only spent £35 on transport and because we brought packed lunch, we didn't have to spend anything on food. So it was definitely a cheap day trip!

The verdict:
The city of Nottingham has more than the legend of Robin Hood to offer. With an excellent transport system, plenty of independent cafes and restaurants and a superb shopping experience, it is a great place to visit! We are definitely coming back again.