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. 

Knaresborough: Yorkshire's Biggest Hidden Gem

Knaresborough is a picturesque little market town in Yorkshire that was built in the gorge of the River Nidd which spills down the river bank while towering above are the ruins of an ancient castle and an iconic viaduct. No other place in Britain has quite captured my imagination as it has and it will always surprise me how very few people seem to have heard of it.

We went on a day trip in 2011, on the bank holiday weekend that celebrated the royal wedding and the royalists that we are decided it was too good a day to be stuck inside watching the lavish ceremony paid for by our hard-earned money so we decided to commemorate the event by visiting a town that was a perfect example of merry England. In the days when it was still easy to just hop on a train and escape for a day, we headed off to Leeds where we changed platforms to take the Harrogate line.

The train crossed the river through the stone viaduct and we followed a warren of cobbled streets and staircases which led us down to the riverside that was littered with pretty cafes, riverside walks and boats for hire.

After a short coffee break, we borrowed a boat and a romantic ride ensued (after a tiny bickering about how to make it move!) under the river gorge, taking turns on the oars. The views of the town rising on the crag from the river was a sight to behold and it was almost with regret that we got off the boat when our time was up.

We took a different path on our way up, following the signs that led us to the Knaresborough Castle, a Norman ruin that includes a 700-year-old King's Tower and modern-day unofficial children's climbing wall (for we have captured a couple of wilful youngsters defying Britain's extreme health and safety regulations). The views along the way are almost too beautiful for words even though it is a familiar sight for those of us who are fans of Paul the Weatherman's segment at 6pm on  BBC Yorkshire.

We explored the medieval ruins and strolled along the castle grounds before heading towards the town centre that was mostly made up of Georgian homes, boutique independent shops and pretty little cafes. We followed the map of the town's tromp l'oeil - an art technique that sets out to 'fool the eye' into seeing a painted picture as something real. This colourful trail features characters and events from the towns long and rich history that goes back as far as 5th Century and were painted on the town's blank windows, a feature of Georgian buildings where the windows were blocked to avoid window taxes.

After picking up the traditional lunch of fish and chips from one of the village shops, we were off to chase our train to Harrogate. But the historic and delightful town of Knaresborough has sprinkled so much stardust that until now it remains my perfect vision of Peter Pan's Neverland. Go and see for yourself - it's an almost English paradise.

A Day at the Bakewell Show

I bought a polka-dot dress from a charity shop a few years ago. It was pretty, the sort of outfit that seems to evoke a sense of nostalgia for old England, with its dainty teapots and pretty cakes shared over afternoon tea by happy middle-class housewives, away from the murkier and gritty reality of the rest of the population who took a more active role in the industrial revolution. But when we think of the past, we always remember the nicer things and why not? Vintage is the new modern  and they are not cheap either.

So despite years of sitting at the back of the wardrobe, waiting for a decent enough summer day to take it out, I held on to it dearly even when storage became scarce and a few dresses had to go. This year it finally made its debut out in the sun, when we headed off to the annual Bakewell Show in the Peak District for Isaac's first birthday. 

It was the perfect dress for such an occasion. The two-day affair is the largest tented agricultural event and one of the oldest in Britain with 200 years of history attached to it. Every year, it attracts around 65,000 visitors with 300 trade stands exhibiting local crafts and produce and where local farmers and producers compete in cattle and crafts events as well as horse shows and show jumping.

We aimed to get there early, setting off from home at eight in the morning for the hour-long car journey to Bakewell. The temporary car park site was already filling up by the time we got there, with mostly pensioners or families with young children piling out of their cars and heading towards the direction of the Wye Valley just across the river, passing by a few cattles and ducks along the way.

We paid £15 each for our tickets at the entrance and after a rather expensively disappointing egg and bacon sandwich at the cafe, we did a leisurely walk at the show grounds. This blog will mostly show what was on offer.

Farming Competitions and exhibits
It was fascinating to watch young farmers showing off their cattle with clear pride in their faces. There were also activities for the little ones to get involved in. 

A Sheep Show
This was something we particularly enjoyed, which allowed us to have a better appreciation of sheep farming and realise how special these creatures are. We also watched sheep shearing live and were disappointed to find out that in Britain, those lovely wool are not really worth much and in fact just covers the cost of shearing them. But it is still necessary to do it to keep the animals cool in the summer and to protect them from the nasty fly strike that could kill them. At the end of the show, Isaac was clapping his hands with everyone else. 

Farm Animals
Ducks, chickens, rabbits and alpacas amongst others were also on display.


Carriage Driving and Show Jumping
There were beautiful horses trotting around and elegant ladies dressed up in exotic millinery for the carriage driving competitions. It was all rather too upper class for us but we enjoyed it nonetheless!



Dairy and Meat Products & Pigeon and Poultry Competitions
We visited the meat and dairy product tents too where there were beautiful displays of award-winning cheeses and meat pies then the neighbouring tent showing competing domestic fowls and their eggs. 


Lemonade Break
We took a short break to sip the thirst-quenching cold lemonade drink with a touch of mint. It was so nice I had to make one at home!


Vintage and Classic Cars
Reminded me of Inspector Morse.



Eco-Funerals
Just to give you an idea of what's on offer for the environmental conscious. The cycle hearse with a cardboard box is a lovely idea.


Horticultural Show

Giant vegetables. Impressive. Madame Zuccini held a show too. And of course the Tour de France reference had to be present. 

Children's Fairground Rides
This was a very busy place and there were plenty of rides for children to choose from. I was tempted to get on the merry-go-round, but will perhaps do it when Isaac is a bit older.

Seaside at Bakewell
A sandy beach in an open-sided marquee with a Punch and Judy Show and donkey rides. It also looked like a typical British day trip at the beach for the little children who off school for summer holidays.

We left the grounds just after two o'clock, totally exhausted even though we have not truly explored the show grounds thoroughly. But we had a lovely time and Isaac's birthday was memorably celebrated. We walked along the path by the river on our way back to the car park where a cow was grazing, oblivious that we were intruding on its space, just the perfect countryside scene to take back home.