26 hours in Nottingham - day 1

I love to travel - and sometimes, I don't consider travelling within the UK. But the country has so much to offer, so many different cities that are all within fairly easy reach of each other. When the opportunity to visit Nottingham this summer came up, I decided to go for it. This post is in partnership with the tourist board, Visit Nottinghamshire, and Marketing NG. My trip was kindly gifted to me by them - so a huge thank you! Anyway - here's how I spent the first part of my 26 hours in Nottingham...

Getting there

As it was a Sunday, I had to get three trains from Lime Street - Crewe - Tamworth - Nottingham. During my 40 minute wait at Crewe I did my make up, and then during my 1.5 hour wait at Tamworth I abandoned my plan to walk around the grounds of Tamworth Castle (it was torrentially raining, to be fair) and headed to The Bole Bridge, a Wetherspoons about 10/15 minutes away from the station by foot.

I got into Nottingham shortly after 1, met my friend Mollie who was spending the weekend with me, and headed up to the hotel I was staying in: the Hotel ibis Nottingham Centre. There's a hotel review further down this post, if you're interested!

Lunch at Yarn Bar, Nottingham

Yarn Bar is a gorgeous city centre bar/restaurant offering affordable but delicious food. The atmosphere is just really calm, and the staff were lovely too. I opted for a Rekorderlig cider, and Mollie had a rhubarb gin & lemonade; for food, Mollie had the deli board (bread, oil, cold meats, olives, houmous etc) and I chose the two cheese pizza. Garlic base with cheddar and mozzarella? Yes please!

The prices on the menu were reasonable and honestly, the food was SO good. I'd definitely recommend it for a chilled lunch in the city. Yarn is actually a tapas, pizza and craft beer bar so if you're into any of those, check them out for sure. more info here

The National Justice Museum, Nottingham

I am an absolute museum nerd, as you may know from previous blog posts if you're a long-time reader. When I saw this on the itinerary I practically squealed with excitement! Located at the historic Shire Hall and County Gaol, the museum is full of all things crime and punishment. You get a wristband upon entry with your 'convict number' - this corresponds with a real criminal and you can find out within the museum who they were and what they did.

You can walk around old prison cells (including the pitch black tiny ones) and explore the different areas within the gaol. There is information about transportation and capital punishment, and there's an old police car as well as a police box. The museum has loads of interactive bits too, as well as a café. more info here 

I was then supposed to go to the City of Caves, which looks amazing, but due to a slight delay at the hotel which ended up pushing everything back, we weren't able to go. You can find out about the City of Caves here, though, and it's given me a definite excuse to go back and see what I missed out on!

Dinner at Pieminister, Nottingham

We popped back to the hotel for half an our to charge our phones and top up our lipstick, then it was time for dinner. We were booked in at Pieminister which was less than 10 minutes away from the hotel by foot. The restaurant has such a cool vibe - anywhere with neon lights is good in my book - and the food was decent for the price. more info here

We both opted for steak and ale pie with mash and gravy, and Mollie had cocktails (they were 2 for 1) while I had raspberry cider. It wasn't the best pie I've ever had in my life, but the prices are spot on and the food isn't too stodgy so you're not left with that heavy feeling in your stomach. They do dessert too, so we both had an ice cream sundae. These were lush!

Penny Lane, Nottingham

After dinner we headed back to the hotel and got ready to hit the tiles for a bit. We'd originally planned to head a bit further afield but the weather was grim at this point and Penny Lane was only over the road. It's a bar, kitchen and arcade open daily until 1am - the drinks are pricey but it has such a cool atmosphere. more info here

ibis Nottingham Centre: hotel review

For the most part, I have no complaints about the hotel. When we arrived, our room wasn't ready - this was frustrating as I'd checked in online a day early, letting them know approximately what time we were arriving. As I mentioned, due to this delay all of our activities were pushed back slightly. However, this was the only issue we experienced.

The room (we had a twin room) was basic but spacious. With a small en-suite, two single beds, a desk/chair and plenty of wardrobe space it was everything we needed. It also wasn't too hot or too cold which is always good!

There's a really cool bar area in the lobby of the hotel too, if you're looking for somewhere to relax at the end of a long day!

The location was amazing - About 15 minutes walk from the station, near the stunning St Mary's Church and close to a variety of bars, restaurants and shops. I'd definitely recommend it you're looking for places to stay in Nottingham! book it here

So that was day 1 of my trip to Nottingham - day 2 will be coming soon...

For how I spent 19 hours in Manchester, CLICK HERE