What's on in September?

Dinosaurs of China @ Wollaton Hall - throughout the whole month
A one-time only world exclusive exhibition of dinosaurs in Europe for the first time. Held at Wollaton Hall with a complementary exhibition at Lakeside Arts. Featuring fossils and specimens never before seen outside of Asia, Dinosaurs of China brings to life the story of how dinosaurs evolved into the birds that live alongside us today. http://www.dinosaursofchina.co.uk/

Nottingham Castle Heritage Open Days - 10/09
FREE admission to the castle! Heritage Open Days celebrates England’s fantastic architecture and culture offering FREE access to properties usually closed to the public, or those which normally charge for admission.

Nottingham Mela @ Nottingham Castle - 10/09
Nottingham's annual South Asian celebration returns as Mela 2017! This year Nottingham Mela is bigger than ever, with a weekend extravaganza in September, filling New Art Exchange (NAE) and the majestic grounds of Nottingham Castle. On Sunday 10th, Mela continues in the open air, in the majestic landscaped grounds of Nottingham Castle. To coincide with National Heritage Open Days, the historic site will be filled with a colourful range of activities for the whole family to enjoy including: a dance programme, a line-up of live music performances, sports, street-food stalls, art and craft workshops for children and much more! http://www.nae.org.uk/event/nottingham-mela-weekend/532

Broadfest - 16/09
Broad Street is about to get taken over for the second year in a row. 7 venues. 10 promoters. 1 night. Nottingham’s creative taskforce is linking up to deliver an electronic music festival to see off the summer good and proper, all centred on Hockley’s famous strip. There’ll be live art, clothing stalls, and loads of food to smash in what’s set to be one of the biggest parties of the city this year. Broadway, Rough Trade, The Angel Microbrewery, Brewdog, Bar 11,and Suede will all be stuffed full of grins and skanking bodies until the early hours. Check out their Facebook page.

Nottingham Green Festival @ The Arboretum - 17/09
Enjoy FREE live music, outdoor entertainment and adult & children’s activities plus community stalls with refreshments, ethical products and energy-saving technologies. Organised by grass roots, community based volunteers, with no regular statutory funding, the event features many product, information and food stalls, kids rides, workshops, natural therapies and sustainable technologies, performers and entertainment throughout the park and live music from the bandstand. www.nottinghamgreenfest.org.uk

Leonardo Da Vinci @ Nottingham Castle - throughout the whole month
"A display of ten of the finest drawings by Leonardo da Vinci from the Royal Collection in a new exhibition. The works have been selected to show the extraordinary scope of the artist’s interests, from painting and sculpture to engineering, zoology, botany, mapmaking and anatomy, as well as his use of different media – pen and ink, red and black chalks, watercolour and metalpoint." http://www.nottinghamcastle.org.uk/explore/exhibitions/leonardo-da-vinci

Ricky Gervais @ Motorpoint Arena - 20/09
Considered one of the most influential British comedians since Charlie Chaplin, (received the Charlie Chaplin Britannia Award for Excellence in Comedy 2016 BAFTA/LA) Ricky Gervais is returning to stage with his first stand-up tour in seven years: Humanity. Tickets and info here.

Speigeltent @ Old Market Square - 29+30/09 and throughout all of October
The Salon Perdu is one of a handful of the unique and legendary tents left in the world today; it has spent its life travelling the world from New York to Sydney, and since 2015 annually to Nottingham, as a small part of the Goose Fair returns to its spiritual home of Old Market Square. Live music, events and loads of fun! http://octoberinnottingham.gigantic.com/venue/nottingham/speigel-tent#59a406139289a

A Day in Nottingham

Nottingham has so much to offer whether you are a solo traveller, couple, day tripper or family. We have come up with some affordable itineraries to make the most of everything going on in the city and surrounding areas. Find our first itinerary below...

In the morning use our kitchen facilities to cook a delicious breakfast that will keep you going throughout the day. There is a Sainsburys and other food stores just over the road from us so you can get your breakfast essentials there. Or pop into one of the many cafes close by. Hartleys do a great breakfast, as do Plava Laguna if you are staying at Igloo Annexe and Pods!

Then head across to the Nottingham Contemporary art museum. (FREE ENTRY! photo left) Afterwards you can explore the Galleries of Justice, a museum dedicated to exploring the history of British law and punishment, it's super interesting! Then after you might want to sit down for a cup of tea and cake, we recommend Lee Rosys in Hockley as they have over 100 types of tea to try! (My personal favourite is the vanilla tea).

After resting your legs you may want to take a trip to City of Caves where you’ll get to discover the hidden world beneath your feet. There are over 544 caves below Nottingham (read our blog about them). You can get a combination ticket to visit both the Galleries of Justice and City of Caves which is useful.

Lunch time! Head over to Malt Cross (photo below) not only has it got delicious food but the dining room is beautifully decorated with a big glass domed ceiling and lots of bunting, it’s the perfect place for a memorable lunch and has it's own heritage to explore.

Whilst you’re at The Malt Cross, pop into the shop next door called ‘Dukki’ for all your Nottingham souvenirs. ‘Dukki’ is a Nottingham term of endearment, you may hear locals in the street saying “Ayup m’duck” as it’s a widely used term for saying hello!

Now it’s time to explore Nottingham Castle. It may be called a castle but it’s actually a big stately home, the castle was burned down by angry locals a few hundred years ago. It later opened as an art gallery and museum, currently it is housing a Leonardo Da Vinci exhibition. 

Take a wander down the side street leading to the castle and you can get a picture with a statue of our local legend Robin Hood. Then stroll a little further and find the oldest pub in England, Ye Olde Trip To Jerusalem..

Head back to Igloo to cook dinner and socialise in the kitchen with other guests and volunteers. Or you could try out Annie's Burger Shack, (photo right) over 30 different burgers that can all be made veggie, vegan or meaty. 

If you fancy having a relaxing evening take a stroll over to Broadway, an independent cinema to watch an Indie or foreign film to top your day off without having to splash loads of cash. (Tickets are fairly priced, with under 25s only paying £4.50!)

Or If you want to explore our nightlife a bit more head over to Boilermaker, a cocktail bar hidden behind a simple boiler shop facade. Check out The Hockley Arts Club (photo below) too, hidden in an alley way in Hockley they do delicious cocktails and have possibly the most beautiful bar decor...ever?

If you're looking for live music or a club night The Bodega, Rescue Rooms, Rock City or The Maze are all great venues to explore!

At the end of your night you won't even need to worry about catching a taxi or public transport back as Igloo hostels are only 10-15 minute walk away from all central locations, so you can be wrapped up in bed in no time!

Volunteer's Experience of Igloo

Written by one of our lovely volunteers Taru who will be heading home to Finland soon *sad face*, we are going to miss her so much! She has spent the past 3 months living and working here at Igloo, so if you wanted to know more about volunteering and living here, read on..

* * *

I spent three months as a volunteer at Igloo Hostel as a part of my university course, which required me to do an internship in a country where English is the main language of communication. I couldn’t possibly be happier with my decision to do this at Igloo Hostel Nottingham; I had an amazing summer and will remember it for the rest of my life.

I applied for the position online, and took part in a fairly informal Skype interview. From the very first contact with the hostel, I felt very warmly welcomed, everyone I talked to was extremely nice, and all the arrangements were quickly done. When I finally arrived, other volunteers as well as other members of staff helped me settle in and instantly made me feel like home. The hostel provides free dorm accommodation to its volunteers as well as a weekly breakfast allowance. Personally, I was slightly worried about staying in a dormitory for three months, but in the end only ended up enjoying it!

Usually most volunteers work around twenty hours a week, but due to my university’s requirements, I worked slightly more. My tasks at work were extremely varied, which made the work very interesting and enjoyable. Some of my shifts were cleaning shifts, which includes general cleaning, changing the beds, doing laundry, and that sort of thing. Quite often my tasks also consisted of running all kinds of errands, welcoming and showing guests to their rooms, taking payments, doing check-ins and check-outs, as well as doing night shifts and being in charge of the emergency phone during the night. Most of the volunteers work in both hostels (Annexe & Pods and Hybrid), which adds even more versatility to the job.

I enjoyed my tasks, but the best part about Igloo is the people that work for the hostel. The volunteers have a very close-knit community, and they spend a lot of time together. It could almost be considered a sort of a family, so working for Igloo is also an amazing opportunity to meet new people from various and different backgrounds. New volunteers always receive a warm welcome from both the volunteers and other staff, so it is fair to say that no one could possibly feel lonely or left out here, and there is surely people to spend time with. As well as volunteers, all other people working for Igloo are just absolutely lovely, helpful and always up for a chat. In addition to the staff, the lovely guests we get also make the stay in Igloo enjoyable. In short, it’s always nice to meet new great people from around the world!

Volunteers usually get two days off every week, so there is plenty of time to explore the city as well as the surrounding areas even while working. The location of Nottingham is unbeatable, and one of the reasons why I chose this city for my internship. I have spent a lot of time in the United Kingdom the past few years and have friends around here, and Nottingham’s location makes it easy to get basically everywhere in the UK without taking ages on a bus or a train. There are loads of interesting cities within 2 hours train ride, so doing a day trip from Nottingham to another English city is easy. For instance, Manchester, London, Leeds and Birmingham are easily reached from Nottingham, as well as the beautiful Peak District.

Nottingham itself also has a lot to offer. I’ve found the people in Nottingham to be extremely nice and chatty, and as a language student, I love it that Nottingham has a quite distinct dialect of its own. When it comes to things to do, Nottingham has a castle, loads of caves, quite a few nice museums, and Wollaton Hall that was used in The Dark Knight Rises as the Wayne Manor. What I most love about Nottingham is that it’s not a huge city, but not too small either, and there’s basically always something going on. The nightlife is vibrant, and we have a lot of quirky and unconventional places to have a meal or drink at. For example, you could enjoy a Sunday meal inside a cave at Hand & Heart, or have a pint inside a former church at Pitcher & Piano, or inside a Victorian Music Hall at Malt Cross (which also has a great tour that tells you about the history of the place!). Nottingham also has loads of independent cafés and stores with loads of character, which is something I really like.

In conclusion, I really enjoyed my summer in Nottingham and with Igloo. I made some great new friends both inside and outside the hostel, and am sure to return to Nottingham at some point. I would recommend both Nottingham and Igloo to everyone who’s interested in sort of a working holiday in a lovely city with a great atmosphere!

Taru, Finland

Citylife Nottingham

Citylife Nottingham create unique experiences for international students here in the city, as well as helping them integrate into the community. It was founded by students, for students, so these guys know what they are doing! 

They offer bar crawls, meet-up events and parties at various nightclubs throughout Nottingham and include drinks offers, loads of entertainment and great opportunities to meet new friends throughout these events too.

Every Thursday they hold a free meet up event called 'Meet and Speak' at The Lacehouse from 9pm, a language exchange to help improve each others English/foreign language skills as well as making new friends! They also hold tours and trips to destinations across the UK, Europe and even Africa. 

Another brilliant service Citylife Nottingham offer is a FREE accommodation/house finding service, so to all those new and international students struggling with finding somewhere to live in Nottingham get in touch with them.

They also provide a free welcome guide too! With information about all things Nottingham, from transport, to nightlife, to health care, banking and more. You can download HERE.

So whether you are looking for accommodation, cultural experiences, parties, travel opportunities or even just meeting new people from around the world Citylife Nottingham is the group for you! http://www.citylife-nottingham.com

Live Music in Nottingham

We've got an amazing music scene here in Nottingham! With plenty of live music venues that host local and big time bands we highly recommend checking out, read on to explore our booming music scene.

THE MAZE  has live music nearly every night of the week, mixing a host of underground club nights and alternative band nights.  It has become a linchpin in the ever growing music community of Nottingham city, remaining one of our only truly independent venues. It has hosted the likes of Jake Bugg, Bonobo and Newton Faulkner so if you want to see any up and coming exciting musicians this is the place to be, as well as fun affordable nights out. Click here to view The Maze’s gig list: http://www.themazerocks.com/gigs

There is only 4 ROUGH TRADE stores in the WORLD!! (New York, 2 in London and 1 here!) By day they are a vinyl, CD and book shop but at night they have a bar and music area upstairs. Here you can go to various gigs, poetry recitals, album signings and meet other like minded music lovers.  Click HERE to see Rough Trade's gig and event listings.  

ROCK CITY erupted in Nottingham back in 1980. Since then it has been one of the flagship venues in the UK for live music and club nights. They have held artists from the likes of Nirvana, Def Leppard, The Pogues, David Bowie,Guns And Roses, Ozzy Ozbourne, The Cure,Rage Against The Machine, Slipknot, Run DMC, Queens of The Stone Age, Bloc Party and that's not even close to us listing them all! A great venue for big bands to play, we highly recommend experiencing a gig here. It’s also received numerous awards, including Kerrang! magazine's Venue of the Year for ten consecutive years so that must count for something. Click for upcoming gigs.

THE BODEGA is another wonderful venue that we have in Nottingham. A close intimate gig and then a breath of fresh air in the beautiful fairy-lit beer garden. They pride themselves on having ‘festival headlining talent’ playing at their venue before they make it big including the likes of; Arctic Monkeys, Bloc Party, Caribou, Florence and the Machine, The Libertines, Mumford and Sons and the Strokes. So it’s definitely a venue to head to for a fun night and perhaps you might become a fan of a new up and coming band. Click here to see Bodegas upcoming gigs: http://www.bodeganottingham.com/gigs

RESCUE ROOMS is a real highlight to our music scene with its 450 person capacity you feel like the bands are playing in your living room, its so intimate and lovely. The stage is raised higher than most so good visibility throughout.  Check out their listings here. 

And of course we have MOTORPOINT ARENA holding 10,000 people a night to see some of the biggest musicians in the world, upcoming gigs include The Killers and Andre Rieu. Take a look at their lineup HERE and you may be able to experience one of the bands you’ve dreamed of seeing!

Finally, If your wanting a cheap music event to attend in the city on October 8th there is the HOCKLEY HUSTLE event. Lots of local musicians playing in different venues throughout Hockley area in Nottingham City Centre raising money for 7 local charities, with 24 venues and 300 artists. Currently tickets are only £11! For all info check out their website: https://hockleyhustle.co.uk/

The city has loads to offer if you're wanting to immerse yourself in some music! Then after a fun gig or event IGLOO is placed so centrally that we are a short walk from all the music venues mentioned meaning you can crash out in our affordable and cosy rooms.

Nottingham Caves

Nottingham has over 500 known caves, with more being discovered every year. No other location in the UK has as many of these man made caves as we do! So much so that it was first known as the 'Place of Caves'. It turns out the whole city is built on them. They run deep underground and in the cliff side of Nottingham Castle. Many of them are linked with a network running under the whole city.

In the 11th century they were used as some of the first housing in the area and people continued to live in them up to the mid to late 1800s. Other uses for them included store rooms, a chapel, air raid shelters, slums, a tannery, work/factory rooms, a prison, storing live fish, brewing and storing beer, pub cellars, wells, cesspits and other daily life spaces most of us would now have above ground. In the present day Nottingham residents are using them as basements, bike stores, play areas and store rooms for their businesses, not much unlike what was happening here a thousand years ago!

The most famous tale of the caves is from 1330 when King Edward III went through a secret tunnel that led directly into Nottingham Castle. The castle was the residence of nobleman Roger de Mortimer who had been ruling England unlawfully and had been supposedly involved in the killing of Edward III's father. Edward III took Mortimer as a prisoner and took back his right to rule as king. The tunnel is known as Mortimer's Hole. 

To go in the caves and see their history you can visit the City of Caves attraction (check out their website here). You can also experience the caves by going for a meal at the Heart in Hand pub on Derby Road, or book a cellar tour at Ye Olde Trip. You may even stumble upon one randomly on your travels! 

What's on in August?

Riverside Festival - 04/08 to 06/08
Stretching along the banks of the River Trent/Victoria Embankment, enjoy live music, a huge fireworks display, dragon boat racing, funfairs, steam engines, craft fair and loads more. All free! An annual event enjoyed by locals and visitors every year. https://www.nottinghamcity.gov.uk/events-markets-parks-and-museums/events-in-nottingham/riverside-festival/

Dinosaurs of China @ Wollaton Hall - throughout the whole month
A one-time only world exclusive exhibition of dinosaurs in Europe for the first time. Held at Wollaton Hall with a complementary exhibition at Lakeside Arts. Featuring fossils and specimens never before seen outside of Asia, Dinosaurs of China brings to life the story of how dinosaurs evolved into the birds that live alongside us today. http://www.dinosaursofchina.co.uk/

Pagan Pride - 06/08
The biggest free pagan event in the UK, just over the road from Igloo Annexe and Pods at The Arboretum park. Talks, shopping, live music, friendly family festival vibes, free entry! http://www.paganpride.org.uk/

Melodica Festival @ Rough Trade - 12/08
"Melodica acoustic festival brings together songwriters and musicians from around the world and gives them the opportunity to experience playing in different countries, meet local artists, swap ideas and form musical collaborations. Audiences are treated to rare and intimate performances from artists they would normally never get the chance to see and local artists then get the opportunity to play at the other Melodica festivals." https://www.roughtrade.com/events/melodica-festival-at-rough-trade-nottingham

Hyson Green Cultural Festival - 19/08
A free annual event celebrating the diversity in the local community. Family friendly with loads of activites, food and music. Held on Forest Fields just a 10minute walk from Igloo Annexe and Pods. http://hysongreenculturalfestival.org.uk/

Leonardo Da Vinci @ Nottingham Castle - throughout the whole month
"A display of ten of the finest drawings by Leonardo da Vinci from the Royal Collection in a new exhibition. The works have been selected to show the extraordinary scope of the artist’s interests, from painting and sculpture to engineering, zoology, botany, mapmaking and anatomy, as well as his use of different media – pen and ink, red and black chalks, watercolour and metalpoint." http://www.nottinghamcastle.org.uk/explore/exhibitions/leonardo-da-vinci

Pull Up! with Reggae Takeover - 19/08
An interactive all-day event shines the musical spotlight on Nottingham's rich reggae heritage. A of talks, workshops and film screenings. Music will be provided by Reggae Take Over DJs plus special guests, and a tasty Jamaican menu will be available. http://www.nae.org.uk/event/pull-up-with-reggae-takeover/514

Nottingham Carnival - 20/08
A parade, live music, workshops, funfair, all in true Caribbean carnival style! £2 entry,  12-8pm at Victoria Embankment. Reggae legends Michael Prophet and Horace Andy are headling the main stage too. Take the tram from Market Square near Igloo Hybrid. http://emccan.org/nottingham-caribbean-carnival/

The Shins @ Rock City - 23/08
On their world tour! With support from Kidwave. Tickets £27.50 http://www.rock-city.co.uk/gig-guide/1202/the-shins

Kindread Sound System @ The Maze - 25/08
Nottingham's own heavyweight roots reggae sound system! Just a few minutes walk up the road from Igloo Annexe and Pods. £5 entry, fundraiser for keeping The Maze alive and kickin. Ital food, arts and craft stalls and a 12v 'off grid' sound system room upstairs. http://www.themazerocks.com/gig/kindread-presents-steppin-out-of-babylon-part-1

Jehst @ Rough Trade - 26/08
British hip-hop legend Jehst will be live in store performing tracks from his new album FREE! https://www.roughtrade.com/events/nottingham-jehst-live-signing

Rescue Room's Beer Festival - 27/08
Celebrate the bank holiday Monday with Rescue Room's first ever beer festival. They'll be turning the venue into an Oktoberfest style beer hall, hosting live music and showcasing craft beers. Tickets £10 which includes 2 drinks tokens! http://www.rescuerooms.com/gig-guide/2052/rescue-rooms-beer-festival

Getting around Nottingham

Nottingham is a fairly small city but we have sprawling suburbs and great places to visit outside of the city centre. 

The best way of getting around the city centre is by walking. Most streets are pedestrianised and don't provide access to cars which have to follow the 'one way' system around the city. Most roads in the immediate city centre only give access to taxis, trams and buses. But this is no problem because our city centre is very compact and everything is within walking distance! When you get to reception you can pick up a free Igloo map of the city centre and our staff will be happy to give you directions.

If you are travelling out of the city boundaries, or want to visit places such as Wollaton Hall, The University of Nottingham or other university campuses the best and cheapest means of travel is getting a bus.

Our main bus service is Nottingham City Transport (NCT). You can find all their bus routes and timetables on their website www.nctx.co.uk. Their system is well organised with colour coded buses for similar routes and super helpful bus drivers. An all day bus ticket for use on any of their buses is £3.70 for the day or £2 for a single journey. You will need exact change as the bus drivers don't give any. If you download the NCT app on your smartphone you can get live timetables and even pay by card for a mobile ticket (just show the app to the driver), it's cheaper this way too, £3.50 for all day or £1.90 for single!

Most buses leave from Upper and Lower Parliament Street, Market Square or at the side of Victoria Centre. You can pick up NCT leaflets and maps at our receptions, but some useful bus routes and numbers are:

Orange line: 36 stops at the Derby Road entrance of Wollaton Hall and University Park. 34 heads directly into to The University of Nottingham University Park and also passes Jubilee Campus.

Pink line: 30 goes to front entrance of Wollaton Hall, it also stops by UoN Jubilee Campus. 

Lime and Purple lines: Lime 56/57/58/59 and Purple 89/88/87 go up Mansfield Road to Forest Recreation Ground (for Goose Fair, Bonfire Night and other major events), Sherwood and Arnold. The 89 will take you to Bestwood Country Park.

You can also get the tram! It stops in Market Square just a minute away from Igloo Hybrid. Depending which direction you get (North/South) it will take you to Forest Recreation Ground, Train Station, QMC Hosptial, The University of Nottingham (South Entrance) or the suburban areas of Clifton and Bulwell. Find out more about getting around on the tram HERE.

Taxis are easy to find in the city too. There are numerous black cabs that can be waved down. Or you can book with firms such as D&G Taxis (0115 9500500) who also do a great deal of a fixed fee airport journeys of £26. Other taxi options include Nottingham Cars (0115 9700700) and Trent Cars (0115 9505050). 

And finally if you want to visit Sherwood Forest, the best public transport option is The Sherwood Arrow. It goes from Victoria Centre bus station just a couple of mintues away from Igloo Annexe and Pods. Their £10 Family ticket can be used for 2 adults or 2 adults + 3 children. All the details can be found on their website.

Happy travels!

Summer in the City!

If you want to get that summertime feeling in Nottingham City but don't know where to go look no further. Believe it or not we have a beach (kind of..), plenty of festivals and even outdoor cinemas.

Go down to Old Market Square between 13th July - 3rd September and you'll find Nottingham Beach... complete with a sandy beach, palm trees, a large paddling pool, rides, food and a 'beach bar' - you may even spot people snorkelling in the fountain!

Head to Victoria Embankment for Riverside Festival between 4th-6th August for a classic British travelling funfair experience, street theatre, global foods, live music until late, plenty of things for kids to do and an amazing fireworks display over the River Trent (10.30pm on Saturday 5th). We recommend getting a spot by the river to watch it. The annual Dragon Boat race takes place over this weekend too next to the festival, and the best bit is it's FREE ENTRY!

Or if something more relaxing is your thing, this year Wollaton Hall Park is being turned into an outdoor cinema on the lawn at the front of the house itself. Screenings include classics such as Moulin Rouge, Jurassic Park and Pretty Woman. They are also showing Batman: The Dark Knight Rises which was filmed at Wollaton Hall itself... aka Wayne Manor! For all information and tickets go to their website HERE. Take a blanket and a picnic. Splendour Festival also takes place at Wollaton Hall on 22nd July!

Parks and Recreation

Nottingham is a wonderfully green city with plenty of areas for meeting with friends, going for a walk, or relaxing with an ice cream on a sunny day... entry to all parks is FREE! Here are some of our favourites:

The Arboretum

Notts city centre's oldest (and most beautiful!) public park space. A historic Grade II listed green flag award winning park with a historic collection of trees, an aviary and pond. The closest park to the city centre and just a few minutes walk away from Igloo Annexe + Pods, or catch the tram at Market Square 1 min from Igloo Hybrid! Throughout the year some great events are hosted here including Bands In The Park, Pagan Pride and the highly recommended Nottingham Green Festival.

Forest Recreation Ground

Most well known as the site of Goose Fair, Forest Recreation Ground has a long history! Once part of Sherwood Forest, it has been used as a site for sports and other recreation for the last 300 years. As well as Goose Fair it also hosts the annual Bonfire Night celebrations, Oktober Fest, fun run events, parades and circuses. You can grab a bite to eat or a slice of cake from Homemade Cafe at The Pavillion too! Read more about the park and it's history HERE. A short walk from Igloo Annexe and Pods or if staying at Hybrid catch the tram from Market Square and get off at 'The Forest'.

Wollaton Hall Park

Now most famous for being the home of Batman in the latest movies, Wollaton Hall Park is an impressive area with botanic gardens, formal gardens, cafe, a lake, forest, the house itself (which is both a historic house and Natural History museum!) and home to around 200 deers. Check out their website with all the info you'll need to visit. Just a short hop over the road from the University of Nottingham too... the NCT 36 bus goes to both (£3.70 day ticket or £2 single, family/group tickets also available).

Woodthorpe Grange Park

A little further out the city centre in the vibrant area of Sherwood sits Woodthorpe Grange Park. The park contains a tropical house, walled and formal gardens, a plant shop, cafe, and a 18 hole pitch & putt golf course. It was once the home of the old Nottingham railway line and elements of it can be spotted all around the park. All the flowers you see around Nottingham are also grown here by the council! Events at the park include a lovely annual Open Day/Grow Your Own weekend usually in May or September, with local producers, gardeners, craft stalls and food stalls focusing on gardening, bee keeping and environmental practises.

Highfields Park

Situated on the site of The University of Nottingham's University Park, Highfields is a beautiful space with a boating lake (amazing in summer!), Lakeside Arts and Theatre, Djanogly Gallery, two cafes, bowls, croquet, stepping stones over the lake, lots of beautiful trees and plants, super friendly (and very chubby) squirrels and other wildlife...beware of the geese! The NCT 34 bus goes directly into the park and if you're a student it's just a £1 for a single journey. The rest of Uni Park is lovely too, rated the most green university in THE WORLD(!) and one of the most attractive campuses in the country.

Bestwood Country Park

Once one of Britain's busiest coal mines, the area has been turned into 650 acres of wildlife loving space. You can explore the rich mining heritage at the old Winding Engine House (open on Saturday's 10am-12pm), visit the lakes, go on varying walks throughout the extensive forests and fields, see the remains of a Japanese garden, or have a bite to eat and a drink at Bestwood Lodge Hotel. Get there on the NCT 89 bus, there is a stop directly opposite Igloo Annexe + Pods reception building, or just a few minutes to Upper Parliament Street from Igloo Hybrid. More about Bestwood Park here.

Victoria Embankment

Not technically a park but a beautiful place for a stroll along the river on a sunny day! Memorial gardens and fountains, home to the annual Riverside Festival at the beginning of August, dragon boat racing championships and is also the new home of Nottingham Carnival. Really close to Trent Bridge Cricket Ground too.

Other Parks and Outdoor Spaces in the Area

Nottingham is home to many green spaces and country parks so if you've exhaused this list here are some more to check out: Attenborough Nature Reserve, Clumber Park, Gedling Country Park, Colwick Park, Arnot Hill Park, Rushcliffe Country Park and of course, Sherwood Forest!