This fall was my five-year “study-abroad-aversary” from my year living in Nottingham! While I spent a lot of my study abroad traveling outside Nottingham in both the UK and Europe in general, I’ve been lucky to have lots of opportunities to return to my former study abroad stomping grounds. I spent several months with Notts as my base during my big travels in 2016, and have been back to Nottingham a few times since moving to the UK to see my friends there. The city is so special to me. But it also makes a fantastic place for exploring the surrounding area and the East Midlands in general!

If you want to get out of the city and explore the area, this is the post for you. Here are the best daytrips from Nottingham—and yes, all of them are doable without a car!

1) Sherwood Forest

Of course Nottingham is famous around the world for one particular local fable—Robin Hood! The evil Sheriff of Nottingham is the villain in the classic story where Robin Hood robs from the rich to feed the poor. Robin Hood allegedly lived in Sherwood Forest, which is easily one of the most popular daytrips from Nottingham! The Sherwood Forest Visitor Center is just around the corner from the village of Edwinstowe. If you’re short on time and not up for a major hike, you can take a leisurely 1-2 hour walk to see the Major Oak. This is one of the oldest trees in the country, and supposedly where Robin Hood hid out with his gang of merry men!

Public Transportation: The Sherwood Arrow bus goes from Nottingham Victoria Bus Station to Edwinstowe and the Sherwood Forest Visitor Center. The journey takes about 1 hour each way.

2) Newstead Abbey

While originally founded as a monastic house, Newstead Abbey isn’t really an abbey anymore—it’s a stately home. Its claim to fame is as the home of the poet Lord Byron, who lived there between 1808 and 1814. The house is beautiful to walk around, but the grounds and gardens are really what make this a fantastic daytrip from Nottingham. You can explore lakes, ponds, waterfalls and more in the stunning setting of the grounds! I visited just before Christmas and loved seeing the house decked out in its Christmas finest.

Public Transportation: The pronto bus goes from Nottingham Victoria Bus Station to the gates of Newstead Abbey, from where it’s a short walk to the house. It’s about 25-30 minutes each way.

3) Lincoln

It seems a bit unfair to put Lincoln on a list of good daytrips. This city could easily merit a trip of a few days in and of itself. Lincoln is a charming, old cathedral town, built on a hill, and has plenty of attractions and things to do in its own right. But as it’s much smaller than Nottingham, and is so easily accessible, it just has to go on the list! Lincoln Cathedral is simply stunning, and you can visit the castle (across the street) to learn more about the history of the castle and town. There’s small, narrow, winding streets to stumble down, and the main street in the historic part is called Steep Hill! You could easily spend a full day or two here on your own. But if you have extra time in Nottingham, this makes for a fantastic change of pace as a daytrip.

Public Transportation: Hourly trains run from Nottingham to Lincoln. The journey takes about 1 hour each way.

4) Newark-on-Trent

Having gone through Newark several times on the train, I was so happy to spend a day actually exploring this town in its own right. Newark Castle is certainly worth a visit—I recommend booking on (in advance) to a tour of the castle that takes you through all the nooks and crannies that are left. The town has a real gem of a museum in the National Civil War Center—this is possibly the best museum I’ve been to on the English Civil War, and interactive and engaging for all ages! Make sure to pop into the Church of St. Mary Magdalene, as it has the highest spire in Nottinghamshire. There’s also still a hole in the spire, supposedly caused by a Parliamentarian cannonball during the Civil War in 1644.

Public Transportation: Hourly trains run to Newark Castle from Nottingham. It takes about 45 minutes each way.

5) Chesterfield

This market town is famous around the area for one main reason: the church with the Crooked Spire! Officially called the Church of St. Mary and All Saints, it’s also commonly known as the Crooked Spire, which is visible around town and in the surrounding area. The Chesterfield Museum and Art Gallery provides an interesting insight into the local area (as well as being staffed by very friendly and informative volunteers), there’s several rows of Tudor-style buildings, and try to plan your visit for a market day. This is a nice place for a change of pace from the big and busy city of Notts!

Public Transportation: Trains run every half hour from Nottingham to Chesterfield, which take 35-40 minutes. You could also take the pronto bus from Nottingham Victoria Bus Station, but the journey takes almost 2 hours.

         

6) Hardwick Hall

My first true adventure living in England was a day at Hardwick Hall! The stately manor house of Bess of Hardwick, this is one place you must visit. The ditty “Hardwick Hall, more glass than wall,” is definitely true—Bess of Hardwick put glass windows all over the house, as a sign of wealth and status! There are beautiful gardens to explore as well. The house was also used in filming the Harry Potter movies: it was used as Malfoy Manor in Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part 1. Today, this gorgeous noble home is run by the National Trust.

Public Transportation: It’s a bit tricky to get to Hardwick Hall from Nottingham, but certainly doable. Take the pronto bus from Nottingham Victoria and get off at “Glapwell Young Vanish,” stay on the same side of the street, and go down the road just before the bus stop. Follow the road to Rowthorne—I asked some people walking their dog for directions—and keep on until you see a gate and signs for Hardwick Hall. Head up the main avenue for pedestrian access to the house. The bus journey is about 1 hour, and the walk is probably another 20 minutes.

7) Southwell

There are two main attractions in Southwell that merit a visit when in Nottingham: Southwell Minster, and the Workhouse. The Minster has some stunning Romanesque architecture, as well as a beautiful West Front that dates back to the 12^th century. The Workhouse is a fascinating museum that dates back to 1824. It’s one of the best-preserved workhouses in the country—where poor people lived (and worked) when they had no other means of escaping poverty. Life was extremely hard for these people, and the museum is interesting and very engaging. Southwell is certainly worth a stop when visiting Nottingham.

Public Transportation: Bus #100 goes from outside Nottingham Victoria Center to Southwell. The journey takes just over 1 hour.

8) Bolsover Castle

The newest addition to this list, Bolsover Castle is a fun day out for anyone in the Nottingham area. The castle was built in the early 1600s by the noble Cavendish family, built as an elegant home. During the Civil War, the Parliamentarians took Bolsover Castle and ruined it as a measure to ensure it couldn’t be used as a defense fortress again. The views from the top of the Little Castle across Derbyshire are absolutely stunning, and make sure to walk along the walls and enjoy the fountain garden. The site is run by English Heritage today.

Public Transportation: Bolsover Castle is rather difficult to get to, but entirely possible with public transit. You have two choices, both of which take roughly 1.5 hours one way. Take the train from Nottingham to Mansfield, and switch for bus #53 to Bolsover Castle. Alternatively, you can take the train from Nottingham to Chesterfield, and switch for bus #82 or #83 to Bolsover Castle (all buses will drop you off not far from the castle gates).

9) Derby

If you’re in the East Midlands area, and looking for something to do, Derby is a nice option. It doesn’t necessarily have as much to do as the other places listed here. But the city has a few attractions that make a trip worthwhile. Derby Museum and Art Gallery is certainly worth a wander (it’s free!), and Pickford’s House Museum gives an insight into Georgian life in Derby. The Silk Mill is another museum in town, but unfortunately it’s closed for renovation until 2020. Derby Cathedral is a beautiful building, and houses the family tomb of Bess of Hardwick. If you have the time, Derby is certainly worth a few hours!

Public Transportation: Frequent trains run from Nottingham to Derby in 20-30 minutes. You could also take the Red Arrow bus, which takes about 45 minutes.

Read More: Daytripping Around England: Derby

10) The Peak District

Of course, no visit to Nottingham would be complete without venturing into Derbyshire for the Peak District. The Peaks is one of my absolute favorite places in the country. If you like the great outdoors, this should be your main priority! While this area is huge (and difficult to get to without a car), some of my favorite areas have been Eyam, Curbar Edge, Castleton, and Edale. I also really enjoyed visiting Crich, Haddon Hall (near Bakewell), and Chatsworth House as well. If you’re daytripping from Nottingham and don’t have a car, I’d suggest going to Matlock Bath. This quaint little town is just on the edge of the Peak District, and gives you a taste of the Peaks while still being accessible to the big city. Check out Tucker’s fish and chips for fantastic (you guessed it!) fish and chips.

Public Transportation: You can take a direct train from Nottingham to Matlock, which takes just over an hour. If you want to go further afield, you can take the TP TransPeak bus from Matlock to Haddon Hall and Bakewell. Or take the train from Nottingham to Sheffield, and switch for the Peak Line #218 bus to Chatsworth House (roughly 2 hours). For Eyam, take the train from Nottingham to Sheffield, then take bus #65 (roughly 2 hours).

Read More: Eyam: The Peak District Plague Village, The Peak District: Hope Valley, Castleton, Mam Tor, and More, Postcards From The Peak District, Postcards From The Peak District, Part 2.

Planning Your Trip

Nottingham is in an excellent location in the East Midlands with good public transport links. If you’re flying to Nottingham, the closest airport is East Midlands Airport. I always use Skyscanner to find the best deals. If you’re visiting Nottingham by train, I use Trainline to book all my train tickets. You can search for hostels in Nottingham here, and for hotels here! You can also sign up to and search accommodation on Airbnb here. Considering travel insurance for your trip? World Nomads offers coverage for more than 150 adventure activities as well as emergency medical, lost luggage, trip cancellation and more.

Nottingham is one of my favorite cities, and will always be a special place to me. I’m so glad to have had so much time to explore this area, and to discover all these amazing daytrips that Nottingham has to offer! It is certainly more than just a big city, and the East Midlands has so many places to explore. I hope you enjoyed these Nottingham daytrips!

Have you ever been on a daytrip from Nottingham? What were your favorite places?!

Check out my other posts on Nottingham:

Nottingham: An Insider’s Guide

Where To Drink In Nottingham: My Top 10 Favorite Bars

5 Years Since Nottingham: A Reflection On Study Abroad

Like this post? Pin it for later!