Kimarn two

Slow Way not verified yet. Verify Kimarn here.

Walked from Arnold to Kimberley. I must admit that my expectations for this one were not great, but it is surprisingly enjoyable for a route with so many pavements, and it took me through several unfamiliar parts of Nottingham's northern suburbs. A few steps and one muddy section so not 100% wheel friendly.

From Arnold, we start on pavements, with good crossings over all the busier roads. There is a central refuge on Mansfield Road just north of Church Drive, or you can cross at the lights by the old Home Ales brewery. More residential streets take us to Oxclose Lane, which is crossed on a big footbridge that is neither one think nor the other - it has ramps with steps, so is neither as short or as accessible as a more modern bridge with full ramps and staircases. It does at least offer interesting views.

I resisted the temptation to detour into the Mosswood Crescent Open Space, a little wood on top of a small hill. From Mosswood Crescent we descend an alley with steps, and having passed a Russian church we soon cross another small green space, Sandy Banks. More residential streets and alleyways take us to Ridgeway, which is high enough to give views to the north over and between the houses in the Top Valley estate. We skirt the edge of Southglade Park before descending to Hucknall Road through a Tesco car park.

As I didn't need to buy anything, I deviated a little from the route here to investigate the zebra crossing at the far west side of the car park, which, combined with the path along the top of the embankment, offers a slightly shorter route. The path through the golf couse is surfaced and is accessed through a gap in the fence. More residential routes take us over the railway and into Bulwell. The route up through the cemetery is a little less obvious in this direction, but is indicated by the positioning of the crossing by the bus station. A short section of industrial estate and a park take is up to the large cemetery, which we cross on a fenced path.

Beyond Low Wood Road (which has a pelican crossing just north of the junction with Hempshill Lane) I opted to use the surfaced old railway path initially rather than the rough path south of it. The path to Nuthall is signposted, and the section through the wood is a little indistinct. Leaving the wood we cross a wet muddy corner and follow field edges on an obvious path. We cross under the M1 on Nottingham Road. From here Kimberley Road offers a shorter route to the Kimberley meeting point, but the detour through quiet residential streets is only slightly longer, and quieter.

I walked this route Arnold to Kimberley on a fine day. This is a more direct route cutting through the northern suburbs of Nottingham so it's mostly pavement walking. Having said that the roads are generally quite and there are lots of homes with people who could be persuaded to join the Slow Way.

Avoiding the busy St Albans Road and Oxclose Lane the route exits via Daybrook, once the home of Home Ales. The Robinson family were masters here, building the church and Alms Houses. Opposite the brewery offices Byron Street provides a wide route before a bridge offers a safe crossing of Oxclose Lane. You may choose to cross on the level as many do. The bridge is neither slope nor steps so who finds it convenient to use, I know not.

Some shops here if provisions are needed then into the estate which looks good on the map but all these circles leads to difficult navigational choices. A cut through has more steps which it may be possible to avoid. A bit of green then more local shops. The planned route went wrong here so a redraw is necessary and I can't offer a review. The issue is caused because roads shown on the City Council map have been gated. It was a strange neighbourhood, a planners good intention with lots of open space but the linking paths are now blocked with security fencing.

Out on Ridgeway there are views north, between the houses and a detour via Southglade Park is possible but I didn't take it unsure if there would be an exit at the far end, yes there is. An interesting path takes the route along the front of Tesco before a breath of fresh air across the the strangely named 'Bulwell Forest' a municipal golf course.

Bulwell town centre offers every conceivable facility including buses and trams and is about half way. From here a walk past the cemetery then a bit of field walking or you can continue along the cycle route to meet Kimarn1. Route two returns to suburban side roads to pass an inn, church, park and school on the approach to the meeting place.

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