Nottingham, England — Bethany Wanders

Jul 28

Jul 28 Nottingham, England

City Tours, Adventure Travel, Europe, History & Architecture, The Great Outdoors, Travel Tips, England, United Kingdom

Travel back in time with me to explore the lands of the infamous characters on the Robin Hood trail through Nottingham, England. The Nottinghamshire tourism industry even put together a great Robin Hood adventure guide for your wandering and childhood nostalgia needs.

If you're looking for something unique to add to your travel experiences, Nottingham can definitely keep you on your toes. From archery in the Sherwood Forest to crawling through the caves discovered underneath the city, you won't be bored! The local recommendation is for the well-known Adrenalin Jungle for archery and other such medieval shenanigans, though be sure to call ahead and get your group booked otherwise they may not make the trek into the woods that day. If going underneath the ground is more your fancy then dodging trees, then I highly recommend checking out City of Caves for either an audio tour or a nighttime haunted tour if wetting your pants seems like a good idea. The best part about cities like Nottingham with such a well-organized tourist offer is that combo tickets are available; once you're done crawling through bomb shelters and hide-tanning tubs in the City of Caves, you can head to the Galleries of Justice for just 15 quid total. Crime and punishment never seemed so intriguing or interactive and I don't mean that in a creepy way at all; this museum allows you to try on wigs and sit in the justice seat, or crawl through the laundry rooms of the women's cells. Don't worry, this extremely informative museum is no longer in use, rather it allows curious minds to understand how prison worked (and often didn't work) from burning witches to exporting about 162,000 criminals to Australia between the years of 1787 and 1868.

Where to eat?

If you plan to go to the shopping center or you're coming from the Galleries of Justice or City Caves, you should definitely swing by The Cross Keys for a delicious cider and a platter of your favorite British fare, as quality and comfort are of high priority here. If you're lucky to be in town on a Monday, you'll walk in on Pie Night which is not to be missed (or consumed without gravy).

Where to drink?

Just like the crusaders and journeymen throughout the ages, we also became quite parched after our adventures with Robin Hood and the infamous Nottingham Castle, so we popped into the oldest Inn in England, Ye Olde Trip to Jerusalem to assist the journey. Snag a sharing board of a British ham pie alongside your brew, of which there are many local choices like the delicious Dark Drake that I enjoyed. This famous pub is actually built into the sandstone wall of the Nottingham castle. In fact, from the upper rooms you can even look up the tunnel where a pulley system was used to raise ale into the castle; I wish we had one of those at home!

Where to stay and how to get there?

Considering how easy it is to fly to this area via the East Midlands Airport (EMA), I highly recommend the newly renovated and fabulous Radisson Blu near the airport which has a cheap, direct and express bus straight to the city (we booked a family day ticket for 16£) just around the corner. With a spa and pool included in the deal, you won't regret the amazing night's sleep these mattresses will bring.

Best part of the whole adventure?

I got to experience it with my mom, who is an absolute goof and has also watched Robin Hood in all its versions with me hundreds of times whenever I was home sick or homesick.