Nottingham/Sheffield/Doncaster area on a shoestring??

Tightwadways

We're going to the Travelodge in Blyth (30 miles from Nottingham, 10 miles from Sherwood) and don't know the area at all. Our budget is limited, so can anyone recommened anything to do/see in the area that doesn't cost a lot and our 3 year old would enjoy? We'll also be needing places to east every night as we are taking a mini fridge to the hotel to store our lunch goodies

We've surfed the net and got some ideas, but surfing and not knowing the area can be a bit daunting! Our hobbies include ten pin bowling, gardening and we don't mind walking either

trisontana

Two free attractions in Sherwood Forest :- Rufford Park which has a ruined house, a wonderful wooded area, a nice big lake with lots of geese and ducks. Also Sherwood Forest Park which has a small museum with lots about Robin Hood. A topical place to visit (because of the new Oliver Twist film ) is the Workhouse in Southwell. This national Trust property (so there is a charge) shows you just what it was like to live in one of these grim places. There are even actors dressed up as inmates to talk to. You also get a headset to explain the various parts of the place. We have a ten-pin bowling place here in Newark. Just to the north of Newark , at Cromwell ( just off the A1 ) there is a very good doll museum. Your 3 year old should enjoy that.

cherry_snaps

Hi,

Clumber park is nice /Used to be free, and usually no parking fee in winter

Big Lake, loads of ducks, forest etc, very out doors though........

Ten pin bowling out of school hold in week used to be cheap (all day pass for a £5 each), it is on the lesuire complex, near the DOME in docaster


Custworth Hall 3miles off A1, nice grounds &pond &ducks, great grass hill to role down, and victorian vistors centre, dont think it cost alot, i got taken there alot, so i guess it did not?

Doncaster market could be an experiance and its free ?
Thats all i have got, not been to the places in a few years though.....

ex
doncastrian

Wombat

If you do decide to visit Newark and its brand new 10 pin bowling alley (Riva Bingo upstairs) on the corner of Lombard Street and Castlegate, you might also like to visit the Castle (at the other end of Castlegate). It has some lovely grounds to sit in on a nice day, some grand views, walks by the river, a Castle Museum, and several places to eat along Castlegate.

If you'd rather not pay town centre prices then I can recommend the Lord Ted which is situated where the A46 Nottingham Road meets the Newark bypass. We've always had a good meal there and they're doing Buy 1 Get 1 Free at the moment.

The market is on on Wednesdays, Fridays and Saturdays, with a smaller market on a Monday.

There is also an Air Museum, if you're intereted in aviation, on the Newark Showground site on the A46 towards Lincoln.

The local paper is available online for more information around the area:

http://www.newarkadvertiser.co.uk/

trisontana

The Mill Gate museum in Newark (right by the river) is also very interesting, and it's free. It features everyday life in times gone by and includes reconstructions of several typical shops and rooms from the past.

stellagypsy

Nottingham itself is a beautiful city - I wouldn't take the car in though as parking is a real pain, take a bus or train. There is a full range of places to eat to suit all pockets.

You can window shop in the fantastic range of shops - there are 2 huge shopping malls (Victoria and Broadmarsh) you can walk easily from one to the other and there are loads of shops in between, see the sights (Nottingham Castle, Trippe to Jerusalem Inn, etc), visit the Tales of Robin Hood (go back in time - kids love this), go in the underground caves (entrance in the Broadmarsh Shopping Centre - bet you didn't know there is an extensive network of caves under Nottingham!), Galleries of Justice (old courthouse and jail - they have a "mock" trial from 1800's going on, take your fingerprints etc - fascinating bit of social history, again kids love this), Brewhouse Yard museum, canal museum, the canal itself , go ice skating where Torvil and Dean used to skate,- these are just a few things to do, there's lots more.

A bit further afield there is Newstead Abbey, the ancestral home of Lord Byron, which as I recall, is a good day out also.

Wherever you go, enjoy it!

Stella (who originates from Nottingham!)

eml_3

Sheffield city centre is nice for a potter about. Once a month there is a farmer's market and my kids love going to the Winter gardens - an indoor garden where you can have a picnic if you want. You can also have a look round the free bits of the Milennium Galleries - mine love the moving dragon made out of cutlery!

In Sheffield, the Botanical Gardens are free (cafe is overpriced and staff are very snotty towards kids so don't bother). In the gardens there is a riddle trail you can follow, leading you from one area to the next which is good fun. there are also lots of parks around the place.

As has been mentioned, Rufford country park and Sherwood forest are worth a visit.

rede

magna at rotherham has a free outdoor playground if the weather is o.k.

Tightwadways

I'm just tracking down good places to eat and then we're sorted )

Clumsy_Girl

If you're looking for good places to eat, there is a nice pub/restaurant in Blyth called 'The Angel' the foodis good and resonably priced - Sunday lunch is particularly good

BNU_2

freecycle wrote:

We're going to the Travelodge in Blyth (30 miles from Nottingham, 10 miles from Sherwood) and don't know the area at all. Our budget is limited, so can anyone recommened anything to do/see in the area that doesn't cost a lot and our 3 year old would enjoy?

Recommendations:
White Post Farm
http://www.whitepostfarmcentre.co.uk/
This farm is extremely well developed for family entertainment with great play areas and plenty to do. Admission looked a bit steep when we went with our niece last year - but it turned out to be excellent value for money, for a full day of entertainment - and a very happy child at the end of it!
Lots of different animals, some of which you can pet and feed, and a large indoor playshed with stageshows for the kids, bouncy slides, and an astroturfed 'hill' that you can slide down on a tray (fancied that myself - just for the kids though apparently - BOOO!)
Take a picnic if you you want to keep costs down, but there is a reasonably priced place to get a hot meal on site. It is on the main road to Rufford/Sherwood Forest so could be twinned with a visit to either of them if you wished.

Rufford Country Park
http://www.nottinghamshire.gov.uk/home/leisure/countryparks/ruffordcp.htm
Excellent place! Free admission (just pay parking if you arrive by car) and lots to do.
Particularly nice large lake you can picnic at/walk round/feed ducks etc. with nature trails for the kids. But there is also a well respected ceramic's centre and craft shops which are interesting - and sometimes a little too tempting!
There is a really nice Orangerie and sculpture garden to explore if you like arty things, and the undercroft of the old Abbey which has interactive displays and information about life in the abbey when it was occupied by monks. If it has rained recently when you go, don't miss the road at the far end of the park (past the lake from the main abbey) where the kids gather (and adults to watch) to dodge the high spray from the road as cars churn through it, very entertaining, with the audience rating success with applause! If you are one of the drivers going through, please do so at speed to avoid being booed!

Galleries Of Justice
http://www.galleriesofjustice.org.uk/
Simply excellent - but perhaps for older kids than yours. Great for adults too. Has been extended since we went, so must be even better now. In a nice part of Nottingham too - very atmospheric!