Nottinghamshire is world-famous for some of our amazing woodlands such as Sherwood forest. There is no better way to tire out little legs than a walk through some of our stunning nature spots.
Here are some of the best places to take the little ones - from toddlers to teenagers.
Sherwood Forest
The best known and most well-loved forest in Nottingham has got to be Sherwood Forest. The location is not just beautiful but it is also home to a visitor centre and national nature reserve too.
The forest is known all over the world as the home of Robin Hood and is packed with things for kids to discover about the famous outlaw as well as the major oak tree which stands at 28 metres. The Nature Reserve set over 420 hectares is also a great place to go for a nice long walk.
Sherwood Forest houses the best collection of ancient trees in Western Europe, some of which are over 400 years old. This means that some of the trees have been around to witness the English Civil War.
There are plenty of different trails available at Sherwood forest including the Giants Trail where kids can count how many ancient trees they can find. Another walk includes the beautiful heathland at Budby South Forest which is a little bit further up the path. A full list of trails can be found at the visitor's centre.
Sherwood does have some parking but it can fill up quickly. However, it is easily accessible by bus or on foot.
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Colwick Country Park
Colwick Country Park can be found on Racecourse road just outside Sneinton and Netherfield. Already a family favourite, Colwick has a variety of different activities as well as walking in case you need to impress the most difficult of teenagers.
The park and woodlands surround beautiful lakes where kids can go rafting, canoeing, swimming or even try their hand at archery through the activity centre based there. The woodlands are perfect for little legs as the circular walks don't have to be too long and the paved path is perfect for pushing prams.
There are also plenty of different birds to spot including swans, ducks and geese. Wired Nottingham operates a popular coffee, ice cream and food van near the water edge which gives adults a chance to grab a well-deserved caffeine break while kids enjoy the surroundings.
Colwick park does have some parking although this can get quite full at the weekend so it can be tricky to find space later in the day when the weather is good. There are no toilets at the park but Colwick Hall is nearby and serves coffee.
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Gedling Country Park
Gedling Country Park is another family favourite in Nottingham that offers a variety of walks for all different abilities. The park, which opened in 2015, has wide-open spaces, footpaths and wildlife with benches where visitors can stop to talk a look over the city.
There are also children's play areas that feature a zip wire, picnic areas, viewing platforms and a mining tower slide. While kids stay busy in the play area, adults can take full advantage of the nearby cafe that offers hot and cold drinks.
The trails are colour-coded to help visitors find the path that best suits their abilities - saving little legs from getting too tired too quickly. The hardest trail, coloured red, is a 2.8km long trek with steep inclines while the easiest colour, blue, is 1.4km with gentle slopes suitable for wheelchair users or pushchairs.
There are also nature trails where children are given a map and crayons to find the different species that live in the forest and over 50 different tree varieties. The maps cost just 20p from the visitor centre.
Gedling park has parking spaces that open from 8 am until 6 pm daily although the park is accessible at all hours. There are toilets and changing facilities on-site as well as a cafe. Dogs are welcome to join in for a walk.
Attenborough Nature Reserve
It's hard to believe that the Attenborough Nature Reserve has been open since 1966 and was opened by who it was named after - Sir David Attenborough. The park is one of the most popular places to go for a walk in Nottingham and is only a tram ride away from the city centre.
The park is not only a great place to go for a trek but it is also home to many species of bird with over 160 recorded. It is thought to be one of the best places in the UK to spot kingfishers. It attracts over 500,000 visitors a year with many families visiting the area at the weekends.
There are several walks through the reserve each with different lengths and aimed at various abilities. The easiest walk is the circular Tufted Duck trail at 1.9 miles while the hardest, the Kingfisher trail takes visitors around the entire reserve at 3.7 miles. All trails are accessible for wheelchairs or pushchairs.
Sadly, it is worth noting that the nature reserve has put out warnings in relation to bird flu encouraging any visitors not to approach or interact with any sick animals they may encounter on their walk. This includes some of the swans who live at the reserve.
Attenborough Nature Reserve opens from 9:30 until 4m with parking on site. Parking costs around £3 per day and the site is wheelchair accessible. Dogs are welcome but must be kept on a lead due to the number of birds and wildlife.
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Bestwood Country Park
Bestwood Country Park can be found between Arnold and Bestwood villages which are both easily reached by city-centre buses. The park offers over 650 acres of landscape for visitors to walk through and is also popular with cyclists and birdwatchers.
The walks are graded from A to D in terms of how difficult they are with some including steep inclines that may be better suited to older children and teenagers. The longest walk is circular measuring three miles in total but never fear as the park also has a coffee shop that stocks cake - perfect for a post-walk reward. It should take on average around an hour and a half to complete.
The walk, which is generally considered an easy one, explores many different habitats including heath, woodland, grassland, wetland and gardens. It also takes into the surviving headstock and traditional winding house.
The walk starts from the free country park car park that can be accessed from Park Road. Dogs are also welcome but normal rules apply around scooping and binning any waste.
