Clumber Park

We ventured out of Yorkshire for this walk, fancying something a little further afield. Clumber Park is a National Trust site in Sherwood Forest. Not being members we needed to pay on entry at the gates, per car rather than per person. The estate is vast and we were quickly disorientated as the road winds through areas where people were parked having picnics and playing games of cricket. We just kept wondering, "is this it?" We continued to follow the road until we reached a car park. We decided this was a walk suitable for the pram, and had taken a picnic with us. Setting off we were, once again, really confused about where to go and how to get "there" (being slightly unsure what it was we were looking for!) We found a courtyard where people were picking up bikes; it was lovely to see lots of families heading out together and we made a mental note that this is something we could do in a couple of years.

I'll address the negative first. We managed to find an entrance of sorts and headed off walking alongside Clumber Lake. There are loads of geese, the consequences of which are that the grass is absolutely covered in droppings! The map provided with the information at the entrance isn't very helpful at all and we felt lost for the whole trip and almost certainly didn't do the park justice. We followed the path into some woods and wandered along tree lined avenues, beautiful, apart from the danger of being run over by the many bikes and the completely confusing signs (when there are any!) During the whole trip I didn't manage to find a single waste bin, so picnic rubbish, nappies etc all came home with us.

We did find a quiet spot for a picnic, set just back from the lake, without too much of the aforementioned mess! There were lots of families out enjoying a warm September walk, and many people with pushchairs and prams. The paths are largely 'wheel friendly'. In the woods people were doing carvings and clay mouldings and there were activities for children to get involved. We also came across a lovely English scene; a local cricket match, right in the heart of the estate.

All in all it was a lovely day, I just wish we'd taken our own OS map so we'd been able to make best use of the many footpaths and the whole site. Next time we'll know and we'll certainly take a bike or two, and a mat for the picnic!

www.nationaltrust.org.uk