Best Places to Visit Near Nottingham
Written by UK Hidden Gems Editorial
Updated 5 August 2026
The best places to visit near Nottingham are The Park Tunnel, Anish Kapoor's Sky Mirror, Bromley House Library, The Arboretum, Beacon Hill Country Park, Newark Trent Weir, Lumsdale Waterfall and Rolleston Waterfall.
Nottingham hides a surprising amount just beneath its streets and within a short walk of the market square, then opens out to waterfalls and high country in the surrounding counties. In the centre, four spots sit within easy reach of one another: the Park Tunnel, cut through sandstone cliff; Anish Kapoor's Sky Mirror outside the Playhouse; the Georgian Bromley House Library; and the Arboretum, the city's first public park.
Venture south into Leicestershire's Charnwood Forest and you can climb Beacon Hill for a wide Midlands view. To the north-east, the River Trent tumbles over Newark Trent Weir close to Newark's castle.
North-west toward Matlock, the cascades of Lumsdale thread through a wooded gorge of ruined mills, while west near Burton upon Trent a small fall spills through the village of Rolleston-on-Dove. It is a mix of the underground and the open air, the man-made and the natural.
Whether you prefer a city curiosity or a walk to running water, there is plenty here to explore. Here are eight places to visit near Nottingham.
The Park Tunnel
Photo: Stephen Craven via Geograph.org.uk
Walk through the Park Tunnel Right in the middle of the city, this road tunnel is cut through the sandstone cliff, linking the Derby Road area down into the private Victorian estate known as The Park. Some 125 metres long and mostly unlined, it has an open shaft in the middle that lets in daylight and a stone spiral staircase at one end.
It was built between 1844 and 1855 for the Duke of Newcastle, designed by architect Thomas Chambers Hine, though it proved too steep for carriages and now serves as a footpath. This listed structure is an easy and intriguing find close to Nottingham's centre.
Anish Kapoor's Sky Mirror
Photo: Andrew Abbott via Geograph.org.uk
See Anish Kapoor's Sky Mirror A short walk away at Wellington Circus, this striking sculpture stands outside the Nottingham Playhouse, a concave dish of polished stainless steel roughly six metres across and weighing around ten tonnes. Tilted up toward the sky, its curved, mirror-bright surface reflects the clouds, the theatre and passers-by in an upside-down image that shifts with the weather and changing light.
It was unveiled in 2001 and is free to see at any hour, making it a quick and rewarding stop between other sights in the city centre. Catch it on a day of scudding clouds for the best effect.
Bromley House Library
Photo: David Hallam-Jones via Geograph.org.uk
Discover Bromley House Library Just off the Old Market Square on Angel Row, this independent subscription library is set in a Georgian townhouse of about 1752. Founded in 1816, it keeps the hush of a private library, with a spiral staircase climbing to a galleried reading room, a walled garden tucked at the back and a meridian line laid in the floor in 1836 to mark the moment of solar noon.
Full use of the books is for members, but regular guided tours open the doors to anyone curious about this listed building. It is one of Nottingham's quieter treasures, easily missed from the street.
The Arboretum
Photo: Alan Murray-Rust via Geograph.org.uk
Stroll through the Arboretum A little north of the centre, this Victorian park was Nottingham's first, opened in 1852 and laid out with lawns, a lake, flower beds and a broad collection of trees. Winding paths lead past an ornate bandstand, aviaries, a rose garden and a Chinese bell tower built to hold a bell brought back from China.
This listed historic park is free and open, a green retreat close to both the city centre and the university. It is much loved for gentle strolls and quiet afternoons, an easy place to slow down without leaving town.
Beacon Hill Country Park
Photo: Nigel Cox via Geograph.org.uk
Climb Beacon Hill Country Park About 26 km south, in Leicestershire's Charnwood Forest, this country park rewards the drive with a high, rocky summit standing at around 248 metres, the county's second-highest point. Paths climb through grassland and woodland to a top crowned with ancient volcanic rock, among the oldest in England, where a stone toposcope points out distant landmarks and clear days open miles of Midlands view.
People raised a hillfort up here in the Bronze Age, and low earthworks still mark the slopes. The lower ground has meadows, picnic spots and easy trails, while the upper hill is steeper and more open.
Newark Trent Weir
Photo: Richard Croft via Geograph.org.uk
Visit Newark Trent Weir Roughly 26 km north-east, on the edge of Newark-on-Trent and a short way from the town's castle, this navigation weir sits on the River Trent. Split in two by a small island, it holds up the level of the river above the town lock and once provided the head of water for local mills.
Kayakers use the drop as a playspot, and a small humpback bridge and a little parking sit close by. It is one of several weirs along this stretch of the Trent, and an easy riverside pause on a day out toward Newark.
Lumsdale Waterfall
Photo: Kate Jewell via Geograph.org.uk
Explore Lumsdale Waterfall Around 33 km north-west, near Matlock in Derbyshire, this run of cascades tumbles down the Bentley Brook through a steep, wooded gorge threaded with ruined mills and millponds. The compact valley is an important survival of water-powered industry, its buildings once used for smelting lead, crushing bone, bleaching and making textiles from the seventeenth to the early twentieth centuries.
The Arkwright Society cares for the site, reached on a permissive path, with a short circular walk linking the falls, ponds and old ruins. The whole place is a scheduled monument and makes a memorable half-day trip into the Derbyshire hills.
Rolleston Waterfall
Photo: Alan Murray-Rust via Geograph.org.uk
Seek out Rolleston Waterfall About 35 km west, in the Staffordshire village of Rolleston-on-Dove near Burton upon Trent, this small man-made fall sits at Brook Hollows, a little green space. Here water from an old estate lake, once part of the Mosley family's grounds, spills over a weir into the Alderbrook that runs through the village, more a modest overflow than a natural cascade.
Brook Hollows is a quiet spot for a short local walk, cared for by a group of village volunteers, with the little fall its best-loved feature. It is a gentle turn off the longer road, worth a pause if you are passing that way.
FAQs
Which places near Nottingham are good for a family walk?
The Arboretum offers gentle paths and a bandstand right in Nottingham, while Beacon Hill Country Park in Charnwood Forest has easy lower trails and picnic spots before the steeper climb to the summit.
Can you swim or paddle near Nottingham's waterfalls?
The falls here are best enjoyed on foot rather than in the water. Lumsdale Waterfall near Matlock follows a circular path past mill ruins, while Newark Trent Weir on the Trent is used by kayakers rather than swimmers.
How far is Lumsdale Waterfall from Nottingham?
Lumsdale Waterfall lies around 33 km north-west of Nottingham, near Matlock in Derbyshire, making it a good day-trip combined with other spots in the Derbyshire hills.
Conclusion
From a tunnel through sandstone to falls tumbling through wooded gorges, Nottingham and its surrounding counties offer an unusually varied day out. Start in the city with the Park Tunnel, Sky Mirror, Bromley House Library and the leafy Arboretum, all within a short walk of the market square.
Then strike out further afield: south to Beacon Hill for a wide Midlands view, north-east to the weir at Newark, or north-west to the cascades and mill ruins at Lumsdale. Even the modest fall at Rolleston-on-Dove rewards a gentle stroll.
Whether you are drawn to city curiosities or the sound of running water in open country, these are the places to visit near Nottingham.
