Need to make a speculative site visit near Nottingham and might make it the excuse for short holiday with the GF. We could break the trip down (from Scotlands) at any number of nice places – through the lakes or down the Yorkshire coast – drop in on Hull’s year of Culture Theiving Harry’s Breakfast Burger maybe – but is theres anywhere nice to stay in the vicinity of Nottingham itself?

We’ve done the city but not the shire.

Lincoln?

Id be tempted to hop over into derbyshire and the peak district, but it depends how far out you want to be and what you’re looking for. To the immediate north there’s a lot of ex mining villages/towns which can be a bit grim, although i exoect im out of date and they are all cultural hotspots these days. Out to the south and east it’s rural, but topologically uninteresting i think there’s a canal.

So i’d be looking to go over west and nort to Derbyshire, ashbourne, buxton, peak district, dove dale, edale, etc.

I grew up in Ashbourne and went to college in Nottingham, but not lived there for nearly 30 years so i may be full of it (and biased).

o the immediate north there’s a lot of ex mining villages/towns which can be a bit grim

The site visit is in Hucknall – don’t need to spend more than a day there (or even a whole day) so within easy reach of there would be good.

A nice town in the south eastern side of the Peaks maybe.

We do have a running joke that my work trips south of the border seem to correspond with bad murders. Maybe we should go to Crich 🙂

Southwell.

Nice place and direct ride on train track into Sherwood Pines.

What you after? Small quaint town, hotel, boutique hotel, b and b, walks? Loads of places I could recommend within 30 mins of hucknall.

Crich is a good call and anywhere else in or around Matlock/Bakewell.

Loads of places I could recommend within 30 mins of hucknall.

Yep, but not actually Hucknall.

Sorry, do you mean ‘ucknall?

To the immediate north there’s a lot of ex mining villages/towns which can be a bit grim, although i exoect im out of date and they are all cultural hotspots these days

Your first statement still holds true.

Hucknall – the land that time forgot.

OP – Visiting the royce’s site!?

Yep, but not actually Hucknall.

Steady on. I went to school in Ucknall.

To the immediate north there’s a lot of ex mining villages/towns which can be a bit grim,

Again, watch it, I grew up in one of those. My dad was one of those miners at one point….

Sorry, do you mean ‘ucknall?

He does. See also Rennath and Bliddath nearby

OP – Visiting the royce’s site!?

I don’t think they’d let an idiot like me in – the last time I was allowed near anything aviation related I blew it up.

What you after? Small quaint town, hotel, boutique hotel, b and b, walks? Loads of places I could recommend within 30 mins of hucknall.

Small quaint town I guess, walks (won’t have room for bikes) and some nice cafes I guess. I know that all sounds a bit vague – I don’t usually do very much ‘time off’.

If you are in Hucknall, head off to the Lincoln Green brewery to get some of their excellent beer.
Lincoln Green

There is a pub in Linby that did good food, cant remember its name, but IIRC, there’s only one pub there, 5 minutes north of Hucknall.

Cake of belvoir (pronounced beaver). It’s nice, it’s on the A52, proper rural but 20 mins from Nottingham. So good riding (for the midlands), nice walks/pubs, good restaurants and a sodding big castle.

If you don’t know the area, then Belvoir and Lincoln to the east, Crich/Cromford/Chatsworth/Bakewell to the west. Matlock itself is a bit meh! to me in terms of things to do and see, although it does now have a McDonalds!

Definitely more to see and do on the Derbyshire side, and I don’t think that’s just my bias.

Cake of belvoir (pronounced beaver).

And that’s “Cake” pronounced “Vale” 😆

Newark probably worth a look if you go east (I seem to remember it’s good for antiques if you’re into that), and plenty of nice small villages on the way to it, but I’d side more with pnik’s suggestions of Derbyshire – much more interesting landscapes over that way.

Southwell is Southwell to the locals, SUTHUL to most people with a Nottingham accent. My brother lived in Southwell for a few years recently; he said the night life was largely bored middle class people on coke.

I’d head in to wirksworth to be honest proper old school market town full of backwards folk, it’s where I’m from. Hucknall 30 mins on a brisk early morning drive. Busier would be matlock or belper. I’d avoid bath as it’s a bit meh as above. Crich a good shout and surprisingly a lot of facilities for a village. Loads of walks and scenery. Head a bit further out in to banjo country and go Carsington/brassington. I wouldn’t stay anywhere near hucknall as it’s shit flat boring and rough!

Yeah, not sure why auto correct went with cake for
Vale but given I grew up there, it’s probably due to having 3 three thumbs.

If it’s a Friday / Saturday trip, nip into Belper and have a chat with Jonny at Kunst Gallery

Southwell is Southwell to the locals, SUTHUL to most people with a Nottingham accent.

SUTHUL to me but then we moved to near there and I had to change. SOUTHwell still sounds odd to me. 🙂

The cabins out at Sherwood pines are quite nice.
Pub with nice food in Linby is probably the Griffons head in Papplewick a little bit further down the road.

Living in Hucknall, or Linby if you ask the estate agent selling us the house 😉