leisure time: clumber park DIRECTIONS LOCAL ATTRACTIONS Leave the Club site via its main access TOURIST road. At the lane next to the site post I Clumber Park(National Trust). Tel 01909 INFORMATION 1 turn right to the main road. Cross this, 476592 or see nationaltrust.org.uk. Parking: Worksop Tourist and continue straight ahead towards £5.20 per car. Walled kitchen garden: £1 Information Centre, Hardwick village. (children free). Members enter and park for free. Coarse fishing 16 June to 14 March: £4 Worksop Library, Memorial Continue along the road and pass per day ticket. Website nationaltrust.org.uk. Avenue, Worksop, through the village, but just before 2 Toilets for disabled, but few trails are suitable Nottinghamshire S80 2BP. you get to a large wooden shed with twin Tel 01909 501148 for wheelchair users metal doors turn right (sp Car Park and I Mr Straw’s House, 7 Blyth Grove, Worksop S81 Toilets). Veer left through the car park 0JG (National Trust). Tel 01909 482380 or see and pass around a wooden barrier with a nationaltrust.org.uk. Open: 19 March to 29 National Trust cycleway marker on it, October. Cost: Adults £4.60, children £2.30, towards the lake. families £11.50. A modest semi-detached On reaching the lake, turn left to Edwardian house, completely unaltered since walk along its perimeter, keeping it to 1923. Includes displays of family costume, 3 letters and photos. The nature of the building your right, and cross the bridge over the makes disabled access difficult and weir. Continue, following the edge of the impossible for wheelchair users lake, then veer around to the right where I Rufford Country Park, Ollerton, the footpath forks, keeping to the higher Nottinghamshire NG22 9DF. Tel 01623 track. Continue circling the lake. 822933 or see ruffordcraftcentre.org.uk. 150- Go straight through another car park acre park is centred on the remains of a 12th 4and, when you get to the old stone century Cistercian monastery and country bridge, veer right to cross it. Turn house. There is also a craft centre. Disabled immediately right again, and continue facilities provided through the woods, passing through some breaks in the fence. Pass Clumber disabled buggy mark) indicating a turn When you get to the main road, TOP AND ABOVE RIGHT: Grotto. Continue along the footpath to the left. Take this turn, but note that turn right and continue along the Clumber Park 11 ABOVE LEFT: Hardwick closest to the lake. the low signpost is partially hidden by a avenue of trees – there are footpaths on village When you get to the Pleasure fir tree. both sides of the road. When you get to 5Ground (a landscaped area of Follow the arrows again to the right, the crossroads turn left following the gardens), go up the steps to your left and 8and pass through the black iron gate campsite’s sign and then go left again to continue across the grass towards the under a stone arch. Keep straight ahead re-enter the site. buildings ahead of you. Go through a gap between two fences towards two chest- in the hedge and continue past the tea height stone pillars. Pass through them, CLUMBER PARK: 5.8 miles (9.3km) rooms and plant sales (toilets are also and continue ahead following two arrows here). (one with a buggy and one with a cycle). Start Walk on the Go through a gateway and, at the Continue heading straight along the 6crossroads, turn right. Keep straight 9track until you get to a wooden ahead past the car park and cycle hire. vehicle barrier. There’s a wooden post Turn right towards Clumber Chapel, but just ahead with a number ‘8’ written on just before its entrance, turn left up a it. Continue across the road and down path marked with green arrows and a the track on the other side. Hardwick Wood disabled buggy sign. Continue ahead again around WILD SIDE At the path junction continue another wooden vehicle barrier, Osberton 10 Round straight ahead following the arrow. following the green arrow with a cyclist 7 P Don’t deviate from the track you’re on. upon it, after which the footpath White Pheasant Wood JO VAUGHAN FOLLOWS IN ROBIN HOOD'S Where there’s another post with two narrows. Go around another wooden arrows (one veering to the right and one barrier, cross another (smaller) road Clumber Park P FOOTSTEPS AND TAKES A STROLL THROUGH straight on) continue ahead again. and then veer left to walk along the line Ash Where the path leads around to the of trees, still following the arrow with Tree Hil WHAT WAS ONCE SHERWOOD FOREST right look out for a green arrow (with a the cyclist. G lumber Park today is a The park was once home to GENERAL INFORMATION Tank magnificent 3800-acre the Dukes of Newcastle, although NEAREST CLUB SITE:Clumber Park Caravan Club P Wood C parkland that is great for their house was demolished in 1938. Site, Lime Tree Avenue, Clumber Park, Worksop Boat House walking, cycling or horseriding – and All that remains is a Gothic revival S80 3AE. Tel 01909 484758. Open: All year Plantation caravanning of course! Its long, snaking chapel, a walled kitchen garden DISTANCE:5.8 miles (9.3km) lake is surrounded by woodland that and a visitor centre. It’s a fair trek TERRAIN:Good footpaths and quiet lanes ABOVE: Clumber Park – Five Thorns once the heart of would make Robin Hood feel quite at around the lake, but good footpaths NUMBER OF STILES:None Plantation Sherwood Forest home, as this was indeed once the heart and fine views make this walk a ESSENTIAL EQUIPMENT: OS Explorer 270 RIGHT: Clumber Park of Sherwood Forest. The Club site here pleasure. Navigating among the Sherwood Forest (1:25,000) LEVEL OF DIFFICULTY:Easy Caravan Club Site can be found just a 20-minute walk numerous paths can be hard, but P CAR PARKING:Windermere Road Pay and Display from the water’s edge. Your entrance don’t worry – as long as you Claypit Wood car park into the park is via the longest avenue of continue around the lake and cross REFRESHMENTS: Close to the Visitor Centre Thorney Hill lime trees in Europe, setting the scene at Clumber Bridge, you can’t Little Oak TOILETS: Close to the Visitor Centre Great Oak Square of this spacious site to perfection. really get lost. 30 The Caravan Club Magazine June 2005 www.caravanclub.co.uk www.caravanclub.co.uk The Caravan Club Magazine June 2005 31.