Festival month in Nottingham

OCTOBER in Nottingham is festival month – more than 15 festivals and events will be held in the city. Here are some of them: 

Canal Festival, Waterfront – October 1: Castle Wharf will be alive with working boats as 20 of them bring their colour and history to the city. Visitors can also enjoy activities on and off the water, including canoeing, angling, boat trips, craft stall, and live music. 

Robin Hood Beer & Cider Festival, Nottingham Castle – October 7-10:
Renowned as the festival with the world's biggest selection of draft cask condition beers, with more than 1,000 on offer.

Hockley Hustle, various venues – October 11: A city-wide music festival taking place at more than 15 venues, from cafes to art galleries. One ticket gets you entry to all venues. Buskers and live entertainment throughout the day.

Mayhem Film Festival, Broadway Cinema – October 15-18: With an international reputation, Mayhem showcases the best horror, sci-fi, and cult features from around the world.

Family Arts Festival, various venues – October 16-31: From the theatre production of We're Going on a Bear Hunt to a musical adventure at Lakeside Arts Centre, prepare to be entertained.

International Robin Hood Day & Robin Hood Week, various venues – October 17-25: Celebrate the county’s famous man in tights with a week-long series of events and performances.

Game City 10, National Videogame Arcade – October 22-31: Europe's biggest videogaming festival returns for its tenth year. Ten days of events for all ages, including workshops, arcades, talks and, of course, games.


Robin Hood Pageant, Nottingham Castle – October 23-25: The pageant transforms the grounds of Nottingham Castle into a medieval village, with living history demonstrations and jousting tournaments.

Rockingham, Rock City – Oct 23-25: Three days of the finest melodic hard rock from around the world.

Nottingham Oktoberfest, Forest Recreation Ground – October 28- November 2: Enjoy a taste of Bavaria in the Oktoberfest beer tent … giant beers, German food, and live music.

www.experiencenottinghamshire.com/october

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Picture Credit: http://www.flickr.com/photos/41301592@N02/5517543797">Beeston Canal, Nottingham</a> via <a href="http://photopin.com">photopin</a> <a href="https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/2.0/">(license)

Homes of the poets on show

If you’re interested in the lives of Britain’s great poets, these five places – four in #England, one in #Scotland – might make for worthwhile #daysout … 

Newstead Abbey, Nottinghamshire: ‘Pleasure’s a sin, and sometimes sin is a pleasure’, Lord Byron wrote in his narrative poem Don Juan. You can judge for yourself whether the poet's magnificent giltwood bed is a pleasure or a sin. Byron inherited Newstead Abbey from his uncle, the 5th Lord Byron, when he was ten year old. The house is now a monument to its past inhabitants, with Byron’s possessions, such as his bed and pistol, on display.

Dove Cottage, Cumbria: William Wordsworth fell in love with the cottage, pictured above,  while on a walk with Samuel Taylor Coleridge. It was here that he was inspired to write some of his most much-loved poems, such as I Wandered Lonely as a Cloud. Little has changed since the poet and his sister lived here more than 200 years ago; the stone floors, coal fires, wild garden, and family’s possessions are still present.

Shakespeare’s Family Homes, Warwickshire: This collection of five houses in and around Stratford-upon-Avon traces William Shakespeare’s life and times, from the house he was born in to the thatched farmhouse where he courted his wife Anne Hathaway. 

Keats House, Hampstead, London: John Keats came to live at Wentworth Place in 1818, and although he stayed there for only 17 months he wrote some of his most enduring poetry and fell in love with 'the girl next door'. Keats is said to have written Ode to a Nightingale under the resident pear tree. On show are his personal objects, including the engagement ring he gave to Fanny Brawne (although he died before marrying her) and a copy of his death mask.

Robert Burns Birthplace Museum, Ayrshire: The museum encompasses Burns Cottage where the poet was born, monumental gardens, and a modern museum dedicated to the work of Scotland's most famous literary name.

Free entry to all of these (except the Burns Museum) with a National Art Pass.
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New in Notts

TWO new tourist attractions in Nottinghamshire will soon be opening for visitors.

The National Videogame Arcade in Nottingham opens today March 28, followed by the National Civil War Centre in Newark on May 2.

• The National Videogame Arcade – (www.gamecity.org) - a five-storey building in the heart of Nottingham's Creative Quarter – will be the world’s first dedicated cultural centre for games. Its aim is to promote the cultural, educational, economic, and social benefits of games.

• The £5.4 million National Civil War Centre will be the first attraction of its kind in the UK, telling the complete history of the 17th century clash between the Crown and Parliament. (www.nationalcivilwarcentre.com)

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To the woods, to the woods!

A date in the woods  ..... HEAD outdoors to visit Clumber Park, a National Trust property in north Nottinghamshire. 

Recently voted by the Great Date Guide as the most romantic place for a date in the East Midlands, Clumber Park has 3,800 acres of parkland and forest, including the longest avenue of lime trees in Europe.

It also has a cafe, and a walled kitchen garden. 

Park admission is £6.80 per vehicle, and Gift Aid entry to the kitchen garden is £4.10 per adult. www.nationaltrust.org.uk/clumber-park

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Picture Credit: "Folly in Clumber Park" by Oxymoron via Wikimedia Commons

Notts on show

THE Nottinghamshire County Show (May 9-10) in Newark is a traditional show promoting farming, food, rural life, and heritage.

From dog displays to show jumping and equine and livestock showing classes, there will be plenty to explore for the 50,000 visitors the annual show attracts.

www.nottinghamshirecountyshow.com

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Picture Credit:Courtesy of and via nottinghamshirecountyshow.com

When Charles I surrendered ...

BRITAIN’S first National Civil War Centre will open in Newark, Nottinghamshire, next spring.

The £5.4 million centre will be housed in the 16th century Old Magnus Building, now being restored. 

The centrepiece theme will be the deadly struggle for power in 17th century England and Scotland - aptly illustrated in this 1829 painting 'Charles I receiving a rose from a young girl when about to be brought as a prisoner to Carisbrooke Castle, where he was soon be condemned and executed' by the artist Eugene Lami (1800-1890)  

The fight to control Newark – a Royalist town – was one of the defining events of the English Civil War*. It was near here that Charles I surrendered to the Scots Army, which was allied to Cromwell’s Commonwealth forces.

*Also known by some historians as the English Revolution.

www.civilwarnewark.co.uk


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Picture Credit: 'Charles I receiving a rose from a young girl when about to be brought as a prisoner to Carisbrooke Castle, where he was soon be condemned and executed' - 1829 by the artist Eugene Lami (1800-1890) via Wikimedia Commons

Cheers!! .. to beer

NOTTINGHAMSHIRE is proud of its beer and brewing heritage, and early next year there will be a guide to pubs across both city and county. 

From England's oldest pub* Ye Olde Trip to Jerusalem, to a pub with a canal inside, pubs in caves, and pubs serving the best craft beer and real ale from around the county, beer lovers are spoilt for choice.

In Nottingham, take a tour of the Architectural Ale Trail, which highlights some of the most interesting heritage pubs on a self-guided walking tour of the city.

*Go Holiday editor David Kernek comments: Can there be a town or city in England which does not have England’s oldest pub?

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Picture Credit: From Top: 'Ye Olde Trip To Jerusalem' by Necrothesp from Wikimedia Commons; "Robin Hood Memorial". Licenced under Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 3.0 via Wikimedia Commons

Game for all

Female Harris' Hawk - "Parabuteo unicinctus takeoff2"
by Flickr user Dave-F (David Friel) - via Wikimedia Commons

FROM falconry to archery, jousting to fishing and all things in between, the Robin Hood Game & Country Show (October 18-19) spans the entire Newark Showground and is a celebration of country life and gaming.

"Modern-Knight 2"
by David Ballderivative work via Wikimedia Commons

The East Midlands biggest Game & Country show with plenty entertainment (and shopping) for all the family - 

Spectacular displays and fun-fueled demonstrations - there really is something for everyone...! 

"Broken lances"
by Easyv via Wikimedia Commons

There are knights, archers, owls, ferrets, falcons, horses, dogs and trade stands aplenty - whether you're stocking up on country clothing along Countryman's Walk, sampling the delicious foods in the Festival of Food & Drink, or just out for a fun-packed day, you'll love this years show....www.robinhoodcountryshow.co.uk

 

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Lawrence’s war

AT this year’s D.H. Lawrence Festival (September 5-25) in Eastwood, Nottinghamshire, Lawrence's War examines the impact of WW1 on the writer’s life and work, and on the lives of those at home in Eastwood.

www.dhlawrenceheritage.org

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To the forest for fun

NOTTINGHAMSHIRE’S Sherwood Forest is the setting for this year’s annual Robin Hood Festival (August 4-10).

There will be archery, falconry displays and duels, and entertainers will take visitors back to the medieval period when Robin Hood pitted his wits against the Sheriff of Nottingham to help the poor triumph over the rich.

Sherwood Forest Country Park – Swinecote Road, Edwinstowe, Nottinghamshire. 

www.nottinghamshire.gov.uk/robinhoodfestival

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