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Date spot in Nottingham

Attenborough Nature Reserve

Walk the paths between the lakes and reed beds of old gravel pits by the Trent, now full of birds, then warm up in the nature centre's café on the water.

Reed beds and a lake at Attenborough Nature Reserve, with geese on the water and the nature centre's curved roof behind

Barton Lane, Attenborough, six miles south-west of the city

Barton Lane, Attenborough, Nottingham NG9 6DY
  • Outdoors
  • Free
  • Out of town

Why it's a good date: Peaceful and wild-feeling, with herons, swans and the odd kingfisher. The train stops at Attenborough, so you don't need a car.

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Photo: Crep171166, CC BY-SA 4.0 (resized)

More from our Nottingham guide

  • Newstead Abbey's ruined Gothic church front beside the castellated house, across a lawn under a blue sky

    Newstead Abbey

    Ravenshead, twelve miles north of the city

    Newstead Abbey, Ravenshead, Nottingham NG15 8NA
    • Trip
    • Culture
    • Out of town

    Visit Lord Byron's ancestral home, a house built onto the ruins of a medieval priory, with lakes, waterfalls and gardens to walk round.

    Why it's a good date: Romantic in every sense, especially if one of you likes a poem. The house opens at weekends and in school holidays, so check before you go and make an afternoon of the gardens.

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    Photo: brianfagan from Nottingham, United Kingdom, CC BY 2.0 (cropped and resized)

  • The Major Oak's huge spreading crown above a wooden fence in a grassy forest clearing

    Sherwood Forest and the Major Oak

    Edwinstowe, about twenty miles north of the city

    Sherwood Forest, Edwinstowe, Mansfield NG21 9RN
    • Trip
    • Outdoors
    • Free
    • Out of town

    Head out to Sherwood Forest and walk through the ancient oaks to the Major Oak, a huge, propped-up tree that's been growing for centuries.

    Why it's a good date: Robin Hood's forest, and lovely in autumn when the leaves turn. The walk is easy, so make a day of it with lunch in Edwinstowe.

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    Photo: Ema Lee, CC BY-SA 4.0 (resized)

  • Nottingham Castle's pale stone mansion with a Union flag, high on a tree-covered sandstone rock under a blue sky

    Nottingham Castle

    Castle Road, city centre

    Lenton Road, Nottingham NG1 6EL
    • Culture
    • Rainy day

    Explore the ducal mansion on Castle Rock, with its museum, art gallery and Robin Hood galleries, then go underground on a tour of the caves beneath it.

    Why it's a good date: Views over the city from the terrace, a cave tour to give you a thrill, and a ticket that lets you come back all year. Finish at the pub at the bottom of the rock.

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    Photo: JimmyGuano, CC BY-SA 4.0 (resized)

From our guide to date ideas in Nottingham

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