Woodthorpe Grange Park

WHAT IT’S LIKE

A big green space with a manor house, tropical house and free outdoor gym, the café and playground make it easy to fill a whole morning with kids.

This is a big council park on the edge of Nottingham built around The Grange, a Grade II listed manor house, with formal gardens, a sunken garden with water feature, grassland and small wooded areas. Kids can follow a downloadable tree trail or orienteering map around the grounds, burn off energy at the playground, and there's a free outdoor gym if the grown-ups fancy a workout too. The old railway line that once ran through the park is still traceable via tunnels, with a train sculpture marking the entrance to the northernmost one. The New Bean Culture Café is an eco-built kiosk (green sedum roof, natural light tubes) serving light bites, pastries, lunchboxes and a children's menu, open every day 9am–3pm all year except Christmas Day, New Year's Day and some bank holidays. The Tropical House, home to a banana tree among other plants, is open 7 days a week 10am–3.30pm, and there's also a working plant nursery where greenhouse tours can be arranged directly with the Nursery Manager. Parking is on-site via Woodthorpe Drive, and the park is easily reached from the city centre and surrounding areas via Woodthorpe Drive or Mansfield Road, with Nottingham City Transport buses also serving the area. Toilets are open 9am–3pm, seven days a week. Dogs are welcome on leads in designated areas, and the site has disability access throughout.