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Southwell Minster, Southwell

Companionship careNottinghamshire

Days out in Nottinghamshire for an older parent

Nine places in Nottinghamshire that make a good day out for an older parent, from Southwell Minster to Bassetlaw Museum. For each one: what its own access information confirms, what it costs, how long to allow, and the carers nearby who drive and could take them.

Researched by PrimeCarers from each place’s own website and access information  ·  Updated October 2026

Southwell Minster. Photo: DeFacto, CC BY-SA 4.0

Nine days out across nine towns

The best places to take an older parent in Nottinghamshire

Five of them are free to visit or to walk around. The access information for four confirm an accessible toilet. Where a place does not publish its access, we say so.

Southwell Minster, Southwell

Photo: DeFacto, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons

Cathedral · Southwell

Southwell Minster

Southwell Minster is the cathedral of Nottinghamshire, with a Norman nave, twin towers and a Chapter House famous for its carved stone leaves. Next door is the restored Archbishop's Palace and its State Chamber.

The Minster is wheelchair friendly apart from the historic library, a lift reaches the Chapter House, a wheelchair can be borrowed and there is an accessible toilet in the Archbishop's Palace next door.

Time to allow
An hour or two
Cost
Free

What their access information confirms

  • Partly step-free
  • Accessible toilet
  • Wheelchairs to borrow

Their websiteAccess information

Wollaton Hall and Deer Park, Nottingham

Photo: arrannffc from Nottingham, UK, CC BY 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons

Historic house · Nottingham

Wollaton Hall and Deer Park

Wollaton Hall is a grand Elizabethan mansion on a hill in a large deer park on the west side of Nottingham, now home to the city's natural history museum. Red and fallow deer roam the park, and there are gardens, a lake and a café in the courtyard.

All museum galleries on the ground and first floor can be reached by platform lift and internal lift, and accessible toilets are in the courtyard and next to the café.

Time to allow
Half a day
Cost
Free

What their access information confirms

  • Partly step-free
  • Accessible toilet
  • Café

Their websiteAccess information

RSPB Sherwood Forest and the Major Oak, Edwinstowe

Photo: Alexey Komarov, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons

Nature reserve · Edwinstowe

RSPB Sherwood Forest and the Major Oak

Sherwood Forest is the ancient oak woodland linked with the legend of Robin Hood, and its best-known tree, the Major Oak, is thought to be around a thousand years old. Trails of different lengths start at the RSPB visitor centre near Edwinstowe.

There is an accessible car park next to the visitor centre, two accessible toilets and a Changing Places toilet, and a mobility scooter can be hired if booked in advance.

Time to allow
Half a day
Cost
Free

What their access information confirms

  • Accessible toilet
  • Wheelchairs to borrow

Their websiteAccess information

Rufford Abbey Country Park, Ollerton

Photo: Tony Hisgett from Birmingham, UK, CC BY 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons

Park · Ollerton

Rufford Abbey Country Park

Rufford Abbey Country Park surrounds the ruins of a 12th-century Cistercian abbey and later country house, with a lake, woodland, formal gardens and sculptures. The Abbey Kitchen café and shops are in the old stable courtyard.

Apart from the abbey ruins and some woodland, the site is flat, there are 19 disabled parking spaces in the main car park, and wheelchairs and scooters can be borrowed or hired from the visitor information office.

Time to allow
Half a day
Cost
Free entry, parking charged

What their access information confirms

  • Partly step-free
  • Wheelchairs to borrow
  • Blue Badge parking
  • Café

Their websiteAccess information

Newstead Abbey, Ravenshead

Photo: Neil Theasby, CC BY-SA 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons

Historic house · Ravenshead

Newstead Abbey

Newstead Abbey was the ancestral home of the poet Lord Byron, a country house built into the remains of a medieval priory with a dramatic ruined west front. Its grounds include lakes, waterfalls, a Japanese garden and the memorial to Byron's dog Boatswain.

Wheelchair access is to the ground floor only, such as the medieval cloisters, but there is mobility parking near the house entrance and accessible toilets near the courtyard.

Time to allow
Half a day
Cost
Paid entry

What their access information confirms

  • Partly step-free
  • Accessible toilet

Their websiteAccess information

National Civil War Centre, Newark on Trent

Photo: Roger Templeman, CC BY-SA 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons

Museum · Newark on Trent

National Civil War Centre

The National Civil War Centre in Newark tells the story of the 17th-century British Civil Wars through the people who lived through them, with interactive displays and a dressing-up area. Newark was a Royalist stronghold, and the castle ruins and market place are a short walk away.

It is open all year from Tuesday to Saturday, and the market town of Newark has plenty of cafés nearby for a break afterwards.

Time to allow
An hour or two
Cost
Free for Newark and Sherwood residents and under 25s

Access

Their website does not set out its access in detail, so ring ahead about parking, paths and toilets.

Their website

Attenborough Nature Reserve, Beeston

Photo: Crapat2hu, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons

Nature reserve · Beeston

Attenborough Nature Reserve

Attenborough Nature Reserve is a series of flooded gravel pits beside the River Trent near Beeston, looked after by Nottinghamshire Wildlife Trust, with trails, bird hides and a nature centre with a café. Kingfishers, herons and many waterbirds can be seen.

There is disabled parking on site and accessible trails suitable for wheelchairs, and the café in the nature centre makes a good resting point.

Time to allow
Half a day
Cost
Free, parking charged

What their access information confirms

  • Blue Badge parking
  • Café

Their website

Clumber Park, Worksop

Photo: Colin Park, CC BY-SA 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons

Park · Worksop

Clumber Park

Clumber Park is a National Trust estate of parkland, woodland and heath near Worksop, centred on a large serpentine lake, a Gothic Revival chapel and a walled kitchen garden. The long avenue of lime trees is one of the longest in Europe.

The estate is large, so a carer can pick one area, such as the chapel and lakeside, and keep the walk short rather than trying to see it all.

Time to allow
Half a day
Cost
Paid entry

Access

Their website does not set out its access in detail, so ring ahead about parking, paths and toilets.

Their website

Bassetlaw Museum, Retford

Photo: Green goosberry, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons

Museum · Retford

Bassetlaw Museum

Bassetlaw Museum in Retford tells the story of north Nottinghamshire, with a farm kitchen, a vet's office, vintage tractors and rural craft tools. There is also a costume gallery, a music room and the Percy Laws art gallery with changing exhibitions.

It is a small town-centre museum where a visit can be kept short, and the market town of Retford has cafés close by.

Time to allow
An hour or two
Cost
Check prices

Access

Their website does not set out its access in detail, so ring ahead about parking, paths and toilets.

Their website

Regular groups and events in Nottinghamshire

Something to go back to every week or every year, from our research into what older people enjoy doing in Nottinghamshire.

  • Cooking & Baking · SouthwellSouthwell's Bramley apple celebrationEvery October Southwell marks the origins of the Bramley apple, which was first grown in the town, with a food and drink fair of pies, jams, chutneys and preserves at the Minster. A carer could go along for ingredients and ideas, then help turn the apples into pies or crumbles at home afterwards.Details
  • Music · SouthwellLate summer festival in a minster townAn annual classical, jazz and folk festival held over four days in late August across venues in Southwell, with ticketed concerts and free fringe events. A carer can pick a shorter afternoon concert, book seats near an exit and handle the parking and travel.Details
  • Music · HucknallA mining community brass bandHucknall and Linby Mining Community Brass Band rehearses weekly in Hucknall and plays concerts around the area, keeping the local colliery band tradition going. A carer could take someone to a concert, or to a rehearsal night for anyone who once played and wants to sit in.Details
  • Dancing · NottinghamMorris and sword dancing since 1952The Foresters Morris and Sword Dancing Club, formed in 1952, performs Cotswold, border and Lichfield dances plus a traditional local plough play at the right time of year. A carer could find out where the side is dancing next and arrange a chair and a warm coat for watching.Details
  • Dancing · BeestonBeeston ceilidh with all dances calledNottingham Ceilidh Club runs dance nights in Beeston where every dance is called and explained, with no membership or experience needed and no booking required. A carer can go as a partner for the simpler walking-paced dances and sit out the fast ones.Details
  • Reading · Newark on TrentFour days of book talks in NewarkNewark Book Festival runs each July across the market town, with author talks and events spanning fiction, crime, history, nature and comedy. A carer can pick one or two daytime talks, book accessible seating and manage the walking between venues.Details

Hobbies and carers who share them in Nottinghamshire

At a glance

The nine places side by side

What each place’s own access information confirms. “Ask” means it does not say, not that it is missing.

PlaceTimeCostStep-freeToiletCafé
Southwell MinsterSouthwellan hour or twoFreePartlyYesAsk
Wollaton Hall and Deer ParkNottinghamhalf a dayFreePartlyYesYes
RSPB Sherwood Forest and the Major OakEdwinstowehalf a dayFreeAskYesAsk
Rufford Abbey Country ParkOllertonhalf a dayFreePartlyAskYes
Newstead AbbeyRavensheadhalf a dayPaid entryPartlyYesAsk
National Civil War CentreNewark on Trentan hour or twoPaid entryAskAskAsk
Attenborough Nature ReserveBeestonhalf a dayFreeAskAskYes
Clumber ParkWorksophalf a dayPaid entryAskAskAsk
Bassetlaw MuseumRetfordan hour or twoCheck pricesAskAskAsk

Where the places are in Nottinghamshire

The county’s boundary, numbered as on this page, with the main towns for reference.

ArnoldHarworth and BircotesOllerton and BoughtonSutton in AshfieldWorksopBinghamStapleford123456789
  1. 1Southwell Minster, Southwell
  2. 2Wollaton Hall and Deer Park, Nottingham
  3. 3RSPB Sherwood Forest and the Major Oak, Edwinstowe
  4. 4Rufford Abbey Country Park, Ollerton
  5. 5Newstead Abbey, Ravenshead
  6. 6National Civil War Centre, Newark on Trent
  7. 7Attenborough Nature Reserve, Beeston
  8. 8Clumber Park, Worksop
  9. 9Bassetlaw Museum, Retford

What it costs

What a day out with a carer costs in Nottinghamshire

Carers in Nottinghamshire charge £18 to £25 an hour through PrimeCarers, typically £20, with our fee included. A four-hour outing is about £80 for the carer’s time. Entry, food and parking are extra, and travel costs are only payable if you agree them with the carer in advance, in writing. The cost of home care in Nottinghamshire has the full figures.

Photographs on this page are from Wikimedia Commons, credited under each one.

Questions

Questions families ask about days out in Nottinghamshire

Southwell Minster in Southwell, Wollaton Hall and Deer Park in Nottingham, RSPB Sherwood Forest and the Major Oak in Edwinstowe, Rufford Abbey Country Park in Ollerton, Newstead Abbey in Ravenshead, National Civil War Centre in Newark on Trent, Attenborough Nature Reserve in Beeston, Clumber Park in Worksop and Bassetlaw Museum in Retford. Each has its own section on this page with what its access information confirms, the cost and how long to allow.

Southwell Minster, Wollaton Hall and Deer Park, RSPB Sherwood Forest and the Major Oak and Newstead Abbey have an accessible toilet. Southwell Minster, RSPB Sherwood Forest and the Major Oak and Rufford Abbey Country Park lend wheelchairs. Access changes, so ring ahead about anything your parent depends on.

Southwell Minster, Wollaton Hall and Deer Park, RSPB Sherwood Forest and the Major Oak, Rufford Abbey Country Park and Attenborough Nature Reserve. Parking is often charged even where entry is free.

Yes. A companion carer can drive your parent there, walk at their pace, help with the toilet and meals, and bring them home. Visits are booked by the hour, typically £20 an hour here with our fee included. Companionship care in Nottinghamshire shows who is available.

Often. Many attractions let a carer or companion in free, or at a reduced price, with a disabled visitor, and some ask for proof such as a letter or a benefit award. It varies, so check each place’s access or prices page before you go.

Companionship care in the counties around Nottinghamshire

Days out in the areas around Nottinghamshire

Companionship care by town in Nottinghamshire

Each town page shows the carers who list it as home, with their rates and reviews.

Find a carer who could take them out in Nottinghamshire

See carers near Nottinghamshire who drive, with their photos, interests, rates and reviews. Talking to them is free and nothing is booked until you say so.

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