Following a beautiful visit to Wiltshire, my great British road trip has taken me north to the Midlands. People have been telling me about Nottingham for years, but I’ve never managed to get here. Now the land of Robin Hood and his sheriff is finally on my travel itinerary, and I arrive excited to spend 1 day in Nottingham.
1 Day in Nottingham
After visiting the Lake District, Yorkshire Dales, Chester, Wales, Wiltshire, London, and the Cotswolds, my boyfriend and I steer our camper van into the city ready to see what there is to do in Nottingham.
Nottingham Lace Market
We begin our 1 day in Nottingham in the Lace Market, an area once famous for being the center of the world’s lace production.
Nowadays it’s full of curving brick buildings and cobbled streets, and I can’t help wandering down every little lane I find.
One of them is home to our hotel, the Lace Market Hotel Nottingham by Compass Hospitality. It’s a great place to stay in the city.
The Lace Market is also full of hip coffee shops and restaurants, and the whole time we’re here I feel like I need to sip and nibble my way around the neighborhood.
Old Market Square
From the Lace Market our 1 day in Nottingham takes us to the Old Market Square. It’s at the heart of the city center, and all the shopping we can imagine radiates from it.
There are plenty of high street shops and modern arcades, but we focus our time on the quiet alleys.
And it pays off. We discover independent stores like the Five Leaves Bookshop and colorful courtyards like Cobden Chambers, which is full of picnic tables and flower pots.
If there were ever a kind of shopping designed for me, this hide-and-seek variety is it.
Nottingham Castle
Not far from the Old Market Square lies Nottingham Castle. Sitting atop a network of secret sandstone caves, it’s everything I expected from the land of Robin Hood.
A hulking gate with two towers marks the entrance, and down a road called Maid Marian Way (yay!) lies a statue of Robin Hood himself.
Not far from there sits the Ye Olde Trip to Jerusalem pub, which is said to be the oldest pub in England. It’s everything a “ye olde” pub should be, from the rambling architecture to the moss-covered roof tiles.
Nottingham Streets
We spend the rest of our time in Nottingham wandering through the city center and soaking up the atmosphere. The city has an abundance of beautiful architectural features, charming lanes, and pretty squares we can’t get enough of.
How to Spend 1 Day in Nottingham
So much so that we could spend more than a day here taking it all in. But the road beckons.
Our next stop is Yorkshire, so we wave good-bye to Robin Hood and hop in the camper van for the upcoming leg of our journey. Stay tuned…
How about you? What would you do with 1 day in Nottingham?
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26 Comments on Lady’s 1 Day in Nottingham Guide
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Great photos. I now have to add Nottingham to my ever expanding ‘ to do’ list!
Thanks! I hope you can visit sometime.
Looks amazing! I love how that pub is built right into the side of the hill/castle (whichever). It looks like my kind of town, yet another to add to my increasingly ridiculous list! 🙂 I’m looking forward to the rest of your road trip.
Thanks, Blaise! It’s such a great place to visit.
beautiful town!
Yeah!
One day would not even be enough time in that charming village, but I would definitely spend some serious time in that book store. Beautiful
Yeah, the bookstore is definitely worth a trip!
Yes! That bookshop looks very inviting. ?
Definitely!
I never knew Nottingham was so beautiful, love the architecture!
Yeah! Same here. It’s really lovely.
I live so close to Nottingham and have only been for the first time last month for the beer festival! We stopped in the old Jerusalem and it’s sooo cute inside! I need to go back and hang out by the sounds of it.
I’m glad you got a chance to go, and I hope you can do some more exploring soon!
I’m from Nottingham and have never seen it so beautifully presented. Thank you for showing my lovely home town in such a wonderful light.
You’re welcome! I really enjoyed visiting.
I was born in Nottingham and lovely shops and loads of restaurants and bars.Well worth visiting.
What a great place to be from!
In Nottingham for the first time and such a bright city, getting ready to explore today – thanks for the blog
You’re welcome!
Coming over from Australia next month and had Nottingham on our itinerary, so looking forward to it after reading your blog.
I’m so glad to hear that! I hope you have a great time.
I was there recently and loved the city. I could easily live there.
I hope to return soon.
I’m glad to hear that! I hope you can go back soon.
We were in Nottingham on the day of a parade. Enjoyed the Salvation Army band with the women wearing the darling bonnets they wore here in the States many years ago. Festive crowd, everyone having a good time.
That’s great! I’m glad my blog post brought back memories for you.