Rachel Harrison, manager of the Workhouse, Southwell
Potwell Dyke in Southwell has the most amazing reserve of wildlife plants, including a wide variety of orchids, and is maintained by a group of enthusiastic volunteer botanists. Because the area is a reserve it's protected and people can go on guided tours during the summer. The volunteers keep track of the various species that visit from year to year and it's a lovely counterbalance to the bustle of the town.
Brenda Westwood, Elston Community Shop volunteer
Newark Castle is a great place to head in the summer when it holds concerts and festivals in the grounds and is free to enter. But the best thing about our local area is the abundance of country walks between the Fosse Way and along the River Trent which connect all the different villages across the fields. They are particularly nice during the springtime bloom.
• Newark Castle and Gardens, Castlegate, Newark,
newark-sherwooddc.gov.uk/newarkcastle
Ian Wall, director of Creswell Crags Museum, Welbeck
There are lots of lovely outdoor spaces in Nottinghamshire but I especially enjoy the tiny village of Laxton. The village has preserved the ancient medieval field systems that have disappeared from most of the country. You can walk around the small mott and bailey castle and in the fields themselves. The community made a short video that tells visitors about the history of the settlement – the small display area can be found next to the local pub, the Dovecote Inn.
• laxtonnotts.org.uk , dovecoteinnlaxton.co.uk
James Faulconbridge, ecologist
The Gunthorpe Bridge over the River Trent is a great spot to watch Daubenton's bats foraging over the river as the sun goes down. If you stand beside the river with a detector, there can be so many echolocation calls that you can't make them out individually, it just sounds like static. The bats are generally on the scene about an hour after the sun sets – and this spot has the added bonus of the Unicorn pub beside the bridge when it gets too dark.
• The Unicorn Hotel, Trentside, Gunthorpe, unicornhotelpub.co.uk
Clare Alderson, owner of the Craft Studio, Nottingham
Stonebridge City Farm in St Ann's is a fantastic place to spend an afternoon away from the city. The farm is run by volunteers for kids, who can feed chickens and handle pigs. You can spend lunch choosing from the home-grown menu, which includes an excellent butternut squash soup. The farm is free to visit and often holds craft or community events. People can even buy their own mini gardening kits.
• Stonebridge City Farm, Stonebridge Road, St Ann's, Nottingham, stonebridgecityfarm.com
Claire Walters, works at the Welbeck Country Estate
A perfect day for me, my partner and two-year-old daughter would be a visit to Rufford Abbey Country Park. We enjoy a leisurely stroll around the park's woodland, lakeside and the ruins of the 12th-century abbey before coffee and playtime for my daughter in the children's garden, play village and wheel of fortune maze. We end the day with a trip to the Rose Cottage, a cosy country pub with log fires and a relaxed atmosphere where children are made to feel welcome.
• Rufford Abbey Country Park and Craft Centre, Ollerton, Newark, english-heritage.org.uk
David Lyneham-Brown, Grantham Canal Society member
I love the contrast between the north and the south of the county. A trip up the Chesterfield Canal through north Nottinghamshire is stunning, but my favourite part is the Grantham Canal. It runs from near Trent Bridge to Grantham through some of the most attractive and peaceful countryside in England. It is currently being restored to full navigation. It would bring together the Three Shires (Nottinghamshire, Leicestershire and Lincolnshire) to become a real gem in a waterway.
• granthamcanal.org
