The Arrow Farm Shop - Steetley - Nottinghamshire

http://www.aboutnottinghamshire.co.uk/
It was following a lovely walk in Whitwell Woods that I stumbled across The Arrow Farm Shop - and how pleased I was to find it!

Established initially in 1991 in order to sell their potatoes, it has recently been refurbished by the Blagg family who have been farming this land for more than half a century.  Situated on the borders of Nottinghamshire, Derbyshire and Yorkshire they pride themselves that everything is from a 30 miles radius of the farm, thus being very fresh and cutting down in transportation emissions.

The first thing that strikes you when you enter the large, airy building is how clean and spacious it is.  Everything is spotless and really well displayed.

One thing that caught my eye, and which I haven't been before, was this oil refilling station.  What a good idea - and I shall certainly be using that in the future!

There is also a most attractive cafe with a comprehensive, and most enticing menu, which prides itself on being made from local produce.  I certainly look forward to eat in these attractive surroundings.

This new facility is open an impressive number of hours, from 8am til 6pm Monday til Thursday, as well as Saturday, and then on Fridays it stays open until 7 at night.  It's also open on Sundays.

I really liked this place, and look forward to returning in the near future, and certainly wish them every success in the future.

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Attenbourgh Nature Centre - Bird Hides - Nottinghamshire

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Attenborough Nature Centre is owned and managed by Notts Wildlife Trust and covers some 145 hectares of flooded gravel pits.  It is an area of Special Scientific Interest and it has taken some 40 years to recolonise this fascinating area.

I had visited before, and knew there was an efficient, if somewhat small, cafe.  However, this time I discovered the bird hides!  This one was amazing, with windows round 3 sides, as well as a lot of posters and information about the various birds that might be spotted.

The views out were absolutely stunning, and being so high it was possible to see over a considerable distance.

Of course it was necessary to be fairly able bodied in order to climb the wooden steps up to the bird hide, although they were very safe and sturdy with a good handrail.  However, I discovered there was another hide, directly off the main pathway, which would have been accessible to everyone.

 Outside this one was a very well stocked bird feeding station, that was in constant use and was giving a lot of pleasure to the many children who were visiting.
I went on a windy, somewhat chilly day, but I look forward to returning to this special place during the coming months.

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Charles 1 Coffee House - Newark - Nottinghamshire

http://www.aboutnottinghamshire.co.uk/

I just love the town of Newark, particularly all the old buildings which are still in such excellent condition.   I couldn't wait to try out this 'Coffee House' which is  No 37 - 39 Kirkgate.

This following information is taken from the menue. 'Charles 1 was born in Fife on the 19th of November 1600, the second son of James VI of Scotland and Anne of Denmark.  He became heir to the throne on the death of his brother, Prince Henry, in 1612.  He succeeded as the second Stuart King of England, in 1625.
The building housing the Charles 1 coffee shop is known as Kirkgate House, which was once the home of Colonel and Lady Leeke.  Conlonel Leeke was the commander of the Royalist Forces during the time of the Rnglish Civil War (1642 - 1646)
This listed medieval building has survived for almost 400 years as an excellent example of a 16th century timber framed building'

I went upstairs, using narrow, steep twisting stairs, and the little rooms were full of character.  After an excellent meal, I decided this was a place everyone visiting Newark should see.

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Boxing Day Raft Rally, Matlock, Derbyshire

http://www.aboutnottinghamshire.co.uk/
This is a hugely popular event, with literally thousands of people attending.  This year was the 49th year, and it was particularly popular as last year it had to be cancelled because of the icy conditions and a number of whole trees blocking the river.

It was incredible how enterprising folk had been with their design - from a little car, to a train and a garden shed!  I was particularly taken with this boat, complete with parasol!

It is organised by the Derbyshire Association of Sub-Aqua Clubs and raises considerable amounts of money for the RNLI, whilst at the same time giving people a huge amount of enjoyment!

The course covers 4 miles and goes from Matlock to Cromford Meadow.  The most exciting part is when the flimsy rafts go over the weir just above Masson Mill. It looked incredibly dangerous, but was very heavily stewarded, and apart from being very bruised I would have thought, everyone seemed absolutely fine, and were having a great time!

Live Nativity - Totley Hall Farm - Sheffield

http://www.aboutnottinghamshire.co.uk/

I picked up a leaflet about this event in Chesterfield Tourist Information Centre, and as it sounded like fun, I soon had tickets booked!
On arrival the first thing one sees is barns full of sheep and little lambs - all making quite a racket!

Then it was inside to the adjacent barn, where there was an impressive collection of dressing-up clothes.  There was a small stand full of seats, so everyone got a good view, and at a pen at the side, taking a great interest in all the activities, was Rosie the cow!

Then the story began, with all the children being carefully led so they could take part, whether they were angels, shepherds or wise men.Of course, Mary, played by a very small child in flowing blue robes, arrived on the back of 'Spirit', a very docile donkey!

It was really lovely to see children actually carrying live lambs, and we could certainly hear them in the barn next door.

 Afterwards any child could ride on the donkey, under supervision of course.  Everyone was told to wash their hands thoroughly at the row of sinks along the wall, before collecting tea, coffee or hot mulled wine.  There were also hot mince pies, chocolate shortbread biscuits and soft drinks for the children.  They could also visit Father Christmas in his snug little house.

I thought this was all quite wonderful, and was so glad I'd made the effort to attend.  The children who took part will long remember their experience of the Nativity story. 

Carols by Candlelight - Treak Cliff Cavern - Castleton - Derbyshire

http://www.aboutnottinghamshire.co.uk/
Treak Cavern is the Blue John Mine way up on the cliff above the lovely little town of Castleton.  I've written about visiting it, now several years ago, and you can read that blog by clicking here.

This year I went to Carols by Candlelight held deep inside the cavern.  There is a steep walk, up quite a lot of steep to just get the entrance to the cavern, and then a lot of steps and narrow passages to get the relatively small cavern used for the carols. 

As can be seen by my rather poor photographs, it was extremely dark inside, just lit by candles and lanterns, but that did give a somewhat magical appearance to these amazing spaces.  The first thing that happened was the arrival of Father Christmas, who energetically led the singing.

We had all been given laminated carol sheets, and sensible people had brought torches!  It was also best to be wearing a hat, as there were a lot of very icy drips falling from the ceiling!

The carols were accompanied by an accordion, and the skilled musician  must have been thankful for the gazebo that at least offered some protection to the instrument, as it was pretty wet in there.

There were no seats - we all just crowded together and stood and sang, but it was good fun, and certainly put one in the Christmas spirit!  I got the impression that for some people it was definitely part of their annual celebrations.

Then it was outside to discover that we were at the top of the hill and had quite a long walk down to the somewhat basic Entrance building, where hot mince pies and mulled wine was waiting for us.

All definitely good fun!

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Lunchtime at the Cathedral - Southwell - Nottinghamshire

http://www.aboutnottinghamshire.co.uk/

During the winter months there are events held within this lovely building on a Friday lunchtime.  Predominately musical, but also including talks, dance and playlets.  I've even seen an interesting DVD about Cuba at one of these events!

They take place from 12.15pm til 1.00 pm, but it's best to arrival early, as hot drinks are available in the transept.

Altogether this is a lovely way to spend a winter lunchtime.  The events are free, with just a collecting bowl at the end.  Afterwards of course it's nice to walk across to the Minster Tea Shop for one of their excellent lunches, which are all prepared on site, or stroll into the delightful town of Southwell where there are some nice cafes and pubs.

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