Location
The cottage is situated in a quiet rural village 3 miles from the A1 & about 14 miles from the M1.
The village has 2 pubs, one of which, The Italian Kitchen at the Carpenters Arms, serves excellent meals.
There is also a village shop selling groceries & essential provisions, an excellent garage & small garden centre.
There is a large Tesco & a smaller ASDA supermarket 3 miles away and a range of local shops. Similarly local are butchers, green grocers, a working windmill selling flour & Thaymars Ice Cream cafe and shop.
The Robin Wood Way passes about 30 yards away from the cottage and there are plenty of local walks across the fields and in local wood & plantations.
The 12 century church is about 30 yards from the cottage and we share a boundary.
The cottage overlooks farmland which is used for a mixture of dairy and crop production.
On the doorstep
- A number of walks can be started from the cottage. The Robin Hood Way can be picked up almost on the doorstep and this will give you the choice of 2 circular walks.
- There is a Leisure Centre 3 miles away. The nearest golf course is the same distance, quad biking is about 10 miles, GO Ape aerial walkway in Sherwood Pines is about 6 miles, (day passes can be purchased for Centre Parcs in Sherwood Forest about 4 miles away to visit resident friends)
- Another walk will take you to the next village of Kirton where there is a pub that serves lunches. A slightly more adventurous walk takes you to West Markham where there is a 12th century church which still has an earthen floor and a magnificent 18th century mausoleum built for the Newcastle family by Nicholas Hawksmoor, who designed some of the London churches built after the Great Fire in 1666. This walk can be done as a mixture of field paths and country lanes and is about 7/8 mile circuit.
- The Cottage is also an ideal start for a number of cycle rides which can be kept local or, by accessing the national Cycle Way at Edwinstowe (6 miles) or Clumber Park (5 miles), can extend further afield. There are also a number of easy rides in the most beautiful countryside in Nottinghamshire between Walesby and Newark.
- There are many excellent restaurants and pubs that serve meals in the locality and the owners are happy to advise on their favourites.
Within a short drive (about 6 miles)
- Sherwood Forest Visitor (now being re-built) and the Major Oak offer the stuff of legends and easy walking. Robin Hood and Maid Marion got married at nearby Edwinstowe church (!) and the village has a craft centre, gift shops, pubs and restaurants.
- Sherwood Forest is also now recognised as a National Nature Reserve.
- Centre Parcs in Sherwood Forest is an internationally recognised attraction and it is possible to purchase day passes if you want to enjoy their range of amenities and attractions.
- The Dukeries parks of Thoresby, Clumber, Welbeck and Rufford are all within this distance of the cottage.
- Thoresby Hall is now a Warner Hotel and the outbuildings house an art gallery and the Baytree restaurant.
- Clumber Park is owned by the National Trust and there are lovely walks in the park and by the lake. There is also a garden centre and restaurant. In the summer there is cricket played there too. Cricket lovers can also see cricket at West Markham.
- Welbeck Park has the Harley Gallery, farm shop, restaurant and garden centre.
- Rufford Country Park has lakeside walks, shops, cafe and restaurant
- The nearest Leisure Centre is 3 miles away offering fitness gym, tennis courts, all weather floodlight pitches, swimming pool, squash courts and sauna.
- The nearest golf course is about 3 miles and there are championship courses at Worksop and Coxmoor, both about 12 miles away.
- The Go Ape aerial walkway in Sherwood Pines is about 6 miles and there is a Quad bike attraction about 10 miles away.
- Food outlets include Thaymar’s Dairy Ice Cream shop which also serves lunches and afternoon teas; Tuxford Windmill & tea room and several farm shops.
- Other local attractions include a Leisure Centre, antiques outlets and craft workshops.
Within a medium drive (15-40 minutes)
- Nottinghamshire’s literary giants include Lord Byron and D H Lawrence. Their homes at Newstead Abbey and Eastwood respectively fall within this range. So does Mr Straw’s house in Worksop – a National Trust property that has been untouched since the early years of the last century. Hardwicke Hall, made famous by Bess of Hardwicke takes about 40 minutes to reach by car.
- There are a number of local antique outlets and Newark with its quarterly 2-day international antiques fair is just 12 miles away. The extensive Hemswell Antiques Centre is about 45 minutes by car and Newark and Lincoln are also renowned for antique outlets.
- Cresswell Craggs is a nationally recognised Stone Age site and has a new Visitor Centre.
- Mediaeval Lincoln, with its cathedral and castle and old streets is an easy drive away. There is also good shopping at Lincoln.
- Nottingham is renowned for the quality of its shopping, having 2 major indoor shopping malls and also a range of quaint shopping areas with independent outlets.
- Also in Nottingham are national sporting venues including Trent Bridge Test match cricket ground, Nottingham Forest and Notts County football clubs, Holme Pierrepoint water sports centre, Tennis Centre, and Ice skating. The Playhouse and Royal Theatres host plays and musicals, there are several art galleries, and the Royal Centre and Arena are the venues for major concerts and live shows. Other attractions in Nottingham include the restaurants, Wollaton Hall, parks, 2 universities, horse and greyhound racing , and Sneinton Mill.
- If gardening is your bag there are several garden centres within this range, notably Welbeck Garden Centre (8 miles) which also houses the Harley Gallery and a farm shop in magnificently converted 18th century buildings, and Reg Taylors Garden Centre at Southwell (12 miles) which also houses a swan and water fowl sanctuary.
- For younger visitors there are large children’s play parks at Sundown Corner and Wheelgate, each within 10 miles
Interesting towns include Southwell with its cathedral and racecourse; Newark with its castle and antique shops and National Civil War museum; Retford with its square; and many picturesque villages; Mansfield with the Water Meadows indoor swimming complex and the Make It centre.
Further afield
- London – Kings Cross station is 1 hour 15 minutes by train from Newark (12 miles away) or 1 hour 25 minutes from Retford (8 miles).
- York is about an hour’s drive.
- Chatsworth House (also with close connections to Bess of Hardwicke) is within a 45 minute drive, and you can be in the Peak District itself in about 40 minutes.
- The east coast resorts of Skegness and Sutton on Sea take about 90 minutes to drive.
- Sheffield takes about 40 minutes, with the Meadowhall shopping mall, shopping and major sporting venues.