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.
travelingchristie
Fab post Tracey, your kids are just like ours and love an adventure these are all such great suggestions x
traceycwilliams
Thanks Sarah. Kids loved being in the outdoors this holiday xx
Foz
This is only about an hour away from us and I keep thinking to check it out. Looks fun!
traceycwilliams
You could easily spend a good few hours there. Its such a beautiful and relaxing forest to visit x
Coombe Mill
I’ve only ever heard lovely things about Sherwood pines and it looks like your visit was no exception. The one hour bike hire sounded just right for you and gave you a lovely look at the forest and all the things going on there. Sounds like it was part of a lovely holiday. Thank you for sharing with me on Country Kids.
traceycwilliams
Looking forward to linking up again, It really was a great forest to visit and we were so lucky that it was on our doorstep for the whole week x
Sara (@mumturnedmom)
Oh, this looks brilliant! So many things to do, although we love just walking in the woods, that would keep us happy 🙂 Love that there are other activities though, a great way to spend the day x #countrykids
traceycwilliams
It really was a great forest to visit. Definitely something for everyone as well as lots of walks through the trees x
Merlinda Little (@pixiedusk)
Lovely list and so helpful especially to someone like me who has not plans on what to do this summer yet! Love the idea of strolling at night. Everything looks different at night and I can only imagine how pretty wood walk is at night! #MondayEscapes
traceycwilliams
Glad it was some help to you. Yes the forest was so peaceful at night, though after taking a wrong turn we thought we might have been sleeping in the trees ! x
Forest Holidays Sherwood Forest – Part 2 | The Williams World
[…] Forest Holidays occupy a small corner of the Sherwood Pines Forest. There are 82 lodges on site, ranging from a 1 bedroom hideaway to the treehouses for up to 10 people. The majority of the lodges seemed well spaced out and private, and we were very lucky with our Golden Oak cabin. We were literally nestled into the forest, and I loved how we could just see an abundance of trees from every window. The surroundings offer so much nature, and whilst we were there we saw birds, squirrels, rabbits, butterflies and even a lizard. The great news is you have even more forest on your doorstep, with Sherwood Pines being a 5 minute walk away. See my post for 10 things to do at Sherwood Pines. […]
Packing my Suitcase
So many fun things to do in this place! Amazing for spending some time with the family.
Thank you so much for joining #MondayEscapes
traceycwilliams
We definitely had lots of fun family times at Sherwood Pines x