Nottinghamshire by bike – how to tackle the Tour of Britain (the easy way)
Concluding our series on tackling the route of the 2018 Tour of Britain - at a more leisurely pace - Simon Parker offers a guide to Nottinghamshire.
The route
At 134-miles long this is the longest stage this year and will take pros like Geraint Thomas and Chris Froome around five hours to complete, cycling at an average speed of about 25mph. It’s a tough one to navigate at times – twisting and turning out of the city of Nottingham, before crossing the River Trent and ending in the centre of Mansfield. Amateurs should set aside an entire, gruelling day.
The highlights
If, like me, you’re a bit of a sports nerd, you’ll love the first few miles of this stage, starting off in West Bridgford, immediately south of the River Trent and proceeding on a loop of Trent Bridge, the City Ground and Meadow Lane – the homes of Nottinghamshire County Cricket Club, Nottingham Forest and Notts County, respectively. From here the peloton will head south via Ruddington, East Leake and Wysall, before an about-turn to the northwest and into the countryside surrounding Nottingham. The pros will have the assistance of a rolling roadblock on the day of the race, but as a mere amateur you might want to consider making a very early start – the morning rush hour is rarely cyclist friendly.
Of all the stages, this is certainly the hardest to navigate, however if you can establish some momentum it’s significantly flatter than all the others, seldom rising over 500 feet. The middle third of this marathon day is the prettiest and the Norman era Southwell Minster is definitely worth a pit stop, immaculately presented with boxed hedges resembling giant church bells. From here the stage continues northwards towards the town of Worksop, before finally rambling southwards through Robin Hood’s former stomping ground, Sherwood Forest, and past Rufford Abbey Country Park – the grounds of a 12th Century Cistercian Monastery. Finally, after more than 130 miles of cycling, you’ll reach the finish line in Mansfield.
Rest and refuel
Lace Market Hotel (01159 484 414; lacemarkethotel.co.uk) is just a few minutes from Nottingham Station and its 34 rooms and suites are grand and spacious with baths and showers. Its restaurant, Merchants, is renowned as one of the best in the city and their evening tasting menus rely upon local and ethically sourced ingredients. There’s scallops accompanied by celeriac and white chocolate, aged beef with shallots and Granny Smith apple, plus an entire vegan menu boasting seaweeds, smoked garlic and sea buckthorn. It’s an all round wonderful culinary experience and can be washed down with a series of wine pairings, if you can handle it. Doubles from £123.
Mansfield is somewhat short on decent places to stay, however the nearby village of Edwinstowe has Forest Lodge (01623 824443; forestlodgehotel.co.uk) with an adjoining pub. The hotel is also opposite St. Mary’s Church where Robin Hood and Maid Marian are said to have been married. Doubles from £75. The best place to eat in town is Launay’s (01623 822266; launaysrestaurant.co.uk) with seasonal tasting menus, a la carte dishes and weekend events like hog roasts using pigs from the nearby village of Wellow. They also grow the majority of their own veg in a garden behind the restaurant and there’s Derbyshire aged beef, Lancashire smoked cheeses and sponge cake using the honey from local hives. Exceptional across the board. Fresh, local and nutritious. Exactly what you want after this mammoth ride.
Short cuts?
After spending the night in Nottingham you might want to give the southern loop of this massive stage a miss, so follow the River Trent out east, adjacent to the A52 to Radcliffe on Trent to join the route at about the 18 mile point. This will save you considerable stress.
Getting there & away
The one hour and 40 minute train to Nottingham from St Pancras run several times an hour and one-way fares start from £61. At the end of the stage, Mansfield Woodhouse is the easiest station to get to, with fares to London costing £67.50 and the journey taking around three hours.
The verdict
Completing this monster ride in its entirety is certainly a feat to be proud of, however of all the stages it’s probably the least picturesque because it’s in a busy portion of the Midlands.
