Next up in the homebound series is Nottingham.
For a year, I called Nottingham home. It was 2019, and I made the hour trip north(ish) to the other side of the midlands for my Master’s degree. Well, that was the aim — to leave Nottingham equipped with a degree in Occupational Psychology and an armful of wild memories with new friends.
I’d like to think I was successful. I passed, and gained friends who I still keep in touch with, almost two years later. I’ve even travelled with them and have more plans to visit each place they call home in honour of our friendship. Nottingham was an place I plunged into independence, dealing with crisis and moments of pure joy in a way I desired to.
Nottingham allowed me to experience all the things I thought I’d missed when living at home for my undergraduate — so in memory of a place I love, I thought I’d tell you about my favourite spots in Notts.
Wollaton Hall is Batman’s house. That’s right, and it’s only a 40 minute walk from my (ex) student accommodation. In Christopher Nolan’s sombre trilogy, Wayne Manor is actually Wollaton Hall. To be honest, you can see why. When the sun begins to slumber, the light hits the estate at a certain angle and it illuminates the bricks into an iridescent pale orange. The sight is truly majestic.
The grounds are decorated with ponds so serene, wild deers are attracted to the peace. Ducks and geese call this place home, and to the public entrance is free. If you manage to snoop around the house, you’ll actually see bat stickers hidden in corners as an homage to its pivotal role in the films — and there’s even a place to dress up with a cape! As a student, you can often feel like a permanent tourist, but Wollaton Hall was a site I was not ashamed to repeatedly snap.
Travelling for hour, inside Nottingham’s borough, you can feel the presence of Robin Hood. Sherwood Forest is another green attraction of Nottingham, making it the perfect place for a hiking route. Nottingham loves to honour Robin Hood through it’s road names, street signs and even local chippies. Sherwood Forest is Robin Hood’s home, and although the origins of the myth is murky, many people believe he was a real figure. In the centre of the hiking trails sits a sturdy oak tree, the very tree rumoured to house Robin himself. But with barriers supporting it’s structure, you can only see and not touch.
In the heart of it’s bustling city centre, Notts has every shop you could imagine, even a Taco Bell! But the place I miss the most is a quirky little store dubbed ‘DoughNotts’. They sell doughnuts if you hadn’t gathered already — but what doughnuts do they serve! They’re injected with jams, chocolate sauce and cream I’m convinced were made in heaven. The flavours are unique and ever revolving, transforming into something bigger, better and crazier. For the last few months, I’ve been contemplating a trip down to Notts just for the doughnuts. After all, the past year has been hard!
It’s obvious to say Nottingham has more to offer than the three things I’ve mentioned above. But my time there were shaped around these experiences, they are my favourite spots in Notts.
