Best parks in Nottingham to visit with Kids
Best Parks in Nottingham to visit with kids
Nottinghamshire has some lovely parks to visit and whether you live locally, or visiting Nottingham, there is plenty to see and do.
So, as summer is finally here and many people will be heading out for walks or looking for somewhere to take their children, I thought it would be a good time to share some of my favourite parks in Nottinghamshire with you.
Wollaton Hall & Park
If you live in Nottingham and you haven’t visited Wollaton Park, make this park the first on your list to visit. It really is spectacular set on 500 acres of land. If you live outside of Nottingham, then this is one park which is definitely worth a trip to.
Key attractions: Deers, Wollaton Hall, Garden, Lake and Playground.
Wollaton Park is renowned for the deer which you’ll often see in the fields at the park. However, there are clear warnings not to get too close, as tempting as it is, to get closer to photograph them. If you’re walking in the fields with young children, be careful of the deer droppings!
You can spend a full day here walking around the vast grounds, visiting the Natural History Museum inside the Hall, taking a picnic, walking around the lake and spotting the local wildlife. There are also formal gardens including the Camellia House which are all beautifully maintained. For young children, there’s also a fairly new playground at the entrance of the park.
Although Batman isn’t my thing personally, Wollaton Hall also starred as Wayne Manor in the Batman movie The Dark Knight Rises which attracted a lot of visitors at the time and continues to spark a conversation amongst those who have watched the film.
Throughout the year, Wollaton Hall holds various exhibitions, Christmas markets/lights, fairs as well as concerts so if you are visiting locally or out of Nottingham, it’s worth checking out their website.
There’s plenty of parking in the grounds too and, it’s currently, £5 for a full day which I think is pretty good.
Parking: £2.00 for up to 2 hours or £5 for the day.
Highfields Park in the University of Nottingham
Highfields Park is set on the grounds of the University of Nottingham and is a beautiful park to walk around.
Key attractions: the boating lake; playground for children; adventure golf and croquet.
There’s also a cafe and the Lakeside Arts Centre holds various events which may appeal to some visitors.
There is some free parking at the main entrance, however, it’s not a huge car park so you may need to seek out the additional pay and display car parks within the University grounds.
Rufford Country Park
Rufford Country Park is north Nottingham and one I used to visit quite a bit when my son was younger. For families with young children, it’s great to walk around as it’s flat so if you have buggies and everything but the kitchen sink packed for a day trip, it’s good to get around. There are also plenty of cafes, a restaurant,
Key attractions: Rufford Abbey, children’s play area, mini golf, maze (you used to be able to get a map from the cafe but please check that beforehand in case it’s changed) and a large area of grass for playing games or having a picnic.
As well as having a look around the Abbey, you can walk around the lake which then takes to you another cafe and ice cream parlour! Everyone is happy.
There’s plenty of parking at Rufford Abbey and the car park fee is currently £5.00 for a full day.
Visit Rufford Abbey Country Park
Clumber Park
Clumber Park is north Nottinghamshire and is set on 3,800 acres of land and is part of the National Trust.
Key attractions: Cycling (including bike hire), Children’s playground, restaurant and cafe and lake and gardens.
When I think of Clumber Park, I think of a place to cycle. You can, of course, take your own cycle but you can also hire them out for the day which is great especially if you can’t get everyone’s bike in your car.
After entering the park through the main gates, and on the drive into the main park area, you’ll see lots of fields either side where you can park in and have a picnic and play games. These areas are great if you are wanting to keep out of the main area and enjoy some time with your family in nature.
Entrance fees: Admission is per person rather than car and with family tickets available. If you’re a member of the National Trust, it’s free entrance.
Gedling Country Park
Gedling Country Park is fairly new in comparison to the others but if you live locally, it’s a really nice park to go for a walk with the kids and/or take your dog. The land was formerly Gedling Colliery and you’ll see some signs of this on your visit. There are different colour-coded routes you can follow around the park, be it flat walking with buggies, steep inclines or long routes. There’s also a cafe for drinks and snacks.
Key attractions: Adventure playground too which with a rustic mining tower slide, mining train and old pit grasslands, nature trail and colour coded routes for walking or cycling.
Car park: Free
Rushcliffe Country park
Ruschliffe Country Park is another lovely place for walks with young children and over 8 kilometres of footpaths to walk around. There’s plenty of woodland area which is flat so if you have buggies or young children, it’s ideal and saves pushing buggies uphill (or carrying children uphill – even harder!).
There’s no indoor cafe here but there’s usually a snacks van near the children’s play area.
Key attractions: Play area, lake, old train track and a lake.
Car park: £1 all day
It’s worth checking the website of the parks before your visit in case there are any events and also for up to date parking fees.