10 things to do at Sherwood Pines Forest

Whilst staying at Forest Holidays in Nottinghamshire, we were lucky to have had Sherwood Pines on our doorstep. Sherwood Pines is a huge forest park run by the Forestry Commission, and it has something for everyone. We spent many hours exploring the forest, as it was only a 5 minute walk away from our lodge. If you travel by car there is a large car park charged at £1.00 for an hour or £4.00 for the day. Here are 10 things you can do at Sherwood Pines.

1 – Hire bikes

Husband and the 2 children hired bikes from the excellent cycle centre located on site. The price for 3 bikes for an hour was £25.00 which included helmets for the children. You can hire them for longer, but with daughter in tow an hour was more than enough. There are plenty of bike trails around the forest ranging from easy to hard.

2 – Do the Superworm Trail

This a lovely 1 mile walk through the forest ideal for young children. There are signs along the way which have various Superworm activities on. You can purchase an activity pack from the café which includes a book and a trail leaflet. Not sure of the cost as we just wandered around the trail.

3 – Go Ape

For the more adventurous there is Go Ape located on site. As we live 15 minutes away from our local Go Ape site, the children decided they wanted to hire bikes instead. The course looked great and maybe one day I will conquer my fear and have a go.

4 – Hire a Segway

What better way to explore the forest than on a Segway. Son is desperate to try this activity but you need to be at least 7 stone.

5 – Visit the café

I was really impressed with the café, and we decided to have lunch there one day. There is a good choice of food at reasonable prices. I opted for a sausage cob which was £2.95 and was delicious. Or you can grab a takeaway coffee and sit outside and watch the world go by. If you are staying at Forest Holidays you get a 10% discount in the café.

6 – Build a den

Is there a better place to build a den than in the forest.

7 – Enjoy an evening stroll

Our plan yesterday was to follow the pink trail which is a 3 mile walk through the forest. However we did get a little lost (tip of the day, bring the walking trail map with you) but thankfully we didn’t end up sleeping in a den. The forest was lovely and quiet, with the occasional cyclist passing us. And the highlight of the evening was seeing this little fella.

8 – Visit the play areas

I was really impressed with the play areas at Sherwood Pines. I even managed to get the tween on one of the areas which was for older kids. It was nice to see lots of benches near to the play areas so us parents can have a well deserved sit down.

9 – Grab a picnic

As well as lots of benches dotted around the forest, there is also a large grassy area perfect for those summer picnics.

10 – Enjoy the outdoors

We are probably guilty as a family for not getting out more and enjoying the great outdoors. All of our visits to Sherwood Pines were filled with fun and laughter, and it was great to see the kids having fun together.

Sherwood Pines is a wonderful place to visit, and if you are lucky enough to be staying at Forest Holidays you will literally have the forest on your doorstep.