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Nottinghamshire is home to many picturesque woodlands and forests, including the famous Sherwood Forest, which is right on our doorstep. However, there are many more that are well worth a visit during your stay with us. In the first of our holiday guides, we take a look at nearby Clumber Park, which covers more than 3,800 acres.

So you’ve booked your stay in one of our Sherwood Forest holiday lodges with hot tubs. You’ve packed your walking boots and you’re ready for adventure… but what to see and do nearby?

Clumber Park is just 15 minutes from our holiday village and is owned and maintained by the National Trust. It really is a must visit. This beautiful expanse of parkland, heath and woods covers a vast area and is perfect for adults who like to explore the great outdoors – and kids who like to stretch their legs.

What is the history of Clumber Park?

For over three centuries Clumber Park was the country estate of the Dukes of Newcastle. It was also originally part of Sherwood Forest before the Duke enclosed the estate as a hunting park for Queen Anne in 1707.

Clumber Park has a grand past and, although there is no longer a grand manor house here, as such, there’s still many clues to its illustrious past. From the Gothic-style chapel, often referred to as a ‘Cathedral in miniature’, here you can follow in the footsteps of Dukes through the peaceful pleasure ground to the Walled Kitchen Garden where you can experience sights, scents and a taste of life over the centuries.

What is there to see and do?

The simple answer to this question is, well, rather a lot! The park is so vast that the best way to see it is on two wheels. Cycle hire is available near the visitor centre and there are several routes that you can enjoy.

Clumber Park is home to a vast array of flora and fauna, including over 120 different types of tree. Even the approach to the main estate is rather special, and gives a nod to its grand past. The two mile-long avenue of lime trees leads you gently to the main car park and estate outbuildings where you will find a large café, amenities and shops. The avenue seems to go on and on – and it’s easy to imagine the large mansion awaiting you at the end. Adly this was ravaged by fire in the lat 1800s and demolished in the early 1900s.

Once you’ve arrived you can wander around the buildings (including the superb 19th-century glasshouses, which incorporate a palm house, vineries and working apiary, and overlook the walled kitchen garden) or head out into the estate on two wheels or on foot.

At the heart of the Clumber Park is a magnificent serpentine lake, complete with balustraded bridge and Doric Temple. A stroll along the lakeshore gives spectacular views and offers good fishing and birdwatching.

Clumber Park is one of a handful a Grade I registered parks in the UK and is undoubtedly a special place. So enjoyable is it that it’s in fact one of the top five most visited National Trust parks in the country.

Adult entry is £4, children are £2. Cycle hire is £16 per day. For more information visit the National Trust’s website here.