On a gloriously sunny day in the middle of May, we started our 5-hour car journey towards Nottingham, or more specifically Clumber Park. I touched on this slightly in our first, introduction post but here I will dive deeper into our first getaway together. You’ll discover our adventure and hear our opinions on the lodge, national park, and surrounding areas that we experienced.
Originally we were planning to have a week away somewhere abroad. Hot sunny beaches and cocktails were the idea. But due to passport issues, we have put that idea on hold. Our next thought was a nice getaway to a lodge that came fully equipped with a hot tub and beautiful scenery. Lord alive did we get a shock when we started researching some places. The price of this kind of holiday was insane. This was possibly due to COVID and taking advantage of the fact that people cannot go abroad as much right now. Good for the business, bad for us consumers. I had all but given up on the hunt for something affordable but nice, that was until one little tweet of mine caught the attention of a follower who suggested Clumber Park. Okay okay, now this was more like it. A cabin at a national park, near Sherwood Forest, fully equipped with kitchen, showers, bedrooms, lounge and most importantly a hot tub. 4 nights, £250. Patience had paid off. £250 is a fantastic bargain for this kind of getaway. We booked that shit right away and then we were ready to go!
The time had come for this little time off work and we couldn’t be more excited. We had a little pre-holiday in London, which involved lots of food, dancing, and shopping, but now it was time to fully relax. The long grueling journey from South Wales was a daunting one at first. 5 hours up towards Nottingham. Luckily the weather was kind, the traffic was smooth and the journey to our surprise flew by. A good start to be sure.
Upon arrival, we were first challenged with a large queue of people arriving at the same time. Clumber Park check-in is at 4pm and at 4pm sharp people arrived to fully take the whole of their relaxing holiday and dive head first into their hot tub. Some people weren’t too happy with the queues but I mean what do you expect. Take a chill bro, holidays not going anywhere. We eventually got our key and wandered to our Cabin.
The park itself was beautiful. A large green landscape surrounded by large forest trees. Cabins evenly spread out across the land connected by small stone roads. Colourful plants and water features were spotted around the place and in the glorious sunshine, it was a sight to behold. After taking in the park and its cute personality we arrived at our Cabin. Number 39 was our home for the next 4 nights. Before entering we could see the hot tub bubbling and warming away ready for us to take a dip ourselves. It was covered on 3 sides by a fence for some privacy and unless someone was about to enter your cabin you were pretty well covered. We found our cabin to be best situated for privacy compared to others that we could easily see from our place. We we’re lucky.
The cabin itself was absolutely beautiful. A modern interior build, complete with kitchen, lounge, diner, bedrooms, and bathrooms. The place was spotless. Dishes, cups, oven, and fridge are all as if brand new. Carpets vacuumed, Sofas brushed. Everything was as if it was straight out of the packaging. The kitchen sat in the corner of the main room and came equipped with an oven, 4 burner hobs, two-tier fridge freezers, a sink with a drying rack, and plenty of cupboard space. The only issue I had was there wasn’t much countertop space left to actually prepare food with. Besides that, you had everything you needed. The floor for this part was laminate wood and looked very tidy. A dining table sat near the kitchen that could easily be pulled out and used whenever necessary to which we had a lovely candle-lit steak dinner, Cooked by Ashley and it was delicious. The rest of that main room was the lounge area. The carpet was grey and fluffy, and very comfy to walk on. A coffee table sat at the center of the room between a generously large tv and large comfortable grey sofas. An electric fireplace sat under the TV that we took full advantage of at night to really relax and feel the ambiance. The walls were all white on one side and a wooden finish on the side of the TV and fireplace. It really brought out the personality of the cabin.
The bedrooms were just as nice. Our cabin came with two bedrooms, one master with a king-size bed, the other with two single beds. Both rooms were small and had enough space for the beds and a wardrobe each. A small desk was the only addition to the master bedroom for someone to do their makeup, perfect for Bethan. The master bedroom has an en-suite with a shower whilst the second bathroom was almost completely identical. Both walk-in showers with fully glass doors and enough room for two. Again everything was completely spotless. After our inspection, we were ready to relax with big smiles on our faces.
Our first evening was spent fully zen in the hot tub with some gin and strawberries and a night under the stars. Perfect. The following morning we ventured on a lovely bike ride to Clumber National park. A 10-15 minute ride along a flat road. The bikes we rented from our park itself, were £15 each all day. There were plenty of routes available to ride on. Some were very long and would be an all-day journey but we had no intention of using that much energy. It was a gloriously sunny day as we arrived at the National Park. Immediately you arrive at a courtyard where you will find a quaint little shop full of trinkets and homemade items, guides, and novelty items. A little museum of the area itself and a cafe. We enjoyed a baked potato and drinks which were reasonably priced. Following our fill, we wandered around the park and along the river. Visiting the church that is open to explore and taking in the nature surrounding. We spent a few hours sitting painting the incredibly pleasant scenery. The evening was spent similarly all week where we soaked in the hot tub and enjoyed each other’s company.
The rest of the week we stayed very still and really took the time to unwind from the stress of work and home life. Reading, writing, art, watching tv. It was very much needed. We did visit a pub down the road called “The Millhouse” that we highly recommend visiting as the food was out of this world. We suggest the ribs and wings as a starter and then the burgers to follow, both beef and chicken.
Our week came to an end and at 10am sharp it was time to venture on home, with a detour through Nottingham to visit “Ye Ol Salvation” the most haunted pub in the UK. Our week was a perfect getaway to begin our life of adventures as a new couple. The cabin and surrounding area were absolutely gorgeous and the cleanliness was to a very top standard. Our only negative would be the actual cafe onsite. We bought a pizza expecting a nice homemade rustic pizza but it was in fact a stuffed crust Chicago Town pizza but at the cost of £18. We weren’t best pleased. Other than that little hiccup the place was very charming. The park itself was charming and delightful and honestly, we recommend anyone looking for a hot tub getaway to visit here. £250 is the best price you will find anywhere in the UK.
We will definitely be returning in the future and would rate Clumber Park lodged a positive 8/10.
Vanlife - Welsh Wanderers 