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. 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. Leaving the wood we cross a wet muddy corner and follow field edges on an obvious path. 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....

Hugh Hudson

Places I had never visited before were: the alleyway to Norfolk Place, the route north of Forest Road down into Mapperley Park (the short path down from Chestnut Grove to St Andrews Road is a little steep but has a handrail), the street route from Woodthorpe Grange Park northwards and Arnot Hill Park....

Hugh Hudson

There are good views around the Dorket Head / Woodborough Parish section, and the Fox Wood has the humps and hollows of an iron age fort....

StephenWalker

The northern section of this walk is mostly on excellent surfaced tracks so easy walking and navigation with no fields of cattle or stiles to contend with. Approaching Calverton there is a section of road walking with no pavement and in places only a narrow verge....

Ken

The route out of Arnold is tricky to follow, partly because there are several alternatives to arrive at the same point, the end of Spring Lane. Once onto the right of way across the fields, the route is easy to follow and you soon reach Woodborough....

StephenWalker

Leaving the meeting point in Arnold, we follow Worrall Avenue to its end and continue through a surfaced alleyway to Coppice Road, where we cross and turn right (if it is busy there is a pelican crossing a little further left). We take the next surfaced alleyway left to Killisick Road, where we turn right and follow it around a long bend and up the hill. Just before the path emerges on Mapperley Plains we turn left on an unsurfaced path which follows the road around the northern edge of the claypit (at one point there is a gap from which the full extent of the quarrying can be seen). Once we reach valley level we follow a farm track down along the stream, and then over the bridge to the left past Woodborough Park, then leaving the road to follow the waymarked field path up through Fox Wood (which has an iron age hill fort) then right a short distance along the bridleway. There are shops just off route to the right, but we turn left along Main Street, passing the Admiral Rodney pub. Where the right of way heads into the wood we follow it a short distance, then take the little path left that follows the power lines through a narrow fire break. This leads to an obvious forest track, which we follow half right, then down over the old colliery railway to Longdale Lane, which we cross and continue on a path just left of the junction....

Hugh Hudson

The walk along Moor Road south of Papplewick while part of the Robin Hood Way is in my view unsafe for walking with little if any verge and fast moving traffic. It may have been acceptable when the RHW was devised but recent development has no doubt increased vehicle use of the road....

Ken

We walked the section of this route from Arnold to Papplewick Lane as part of a test walk for a possible alternative route from Arnold to Rainworth that would have combined that with the new HUCRAI 3. In our view the road section south of Papplewick on the B683 (between Goosdale Lane and the first houses on the east side), which has no pavement and only a very narrow uneven verge, cannot be recommended to walkers concerned about road safety (see Photo 1, but this is not the narrowest section). This is a shame, as having walked most of it in the past I know that the route from Papplewick to Rainworth is a good one, though it is rather short on facilities....

Hugh Hudson

I started in Kimberley and enjoyed this walk to Arnold through countryside and parks. It fulfills many of the Slow Way requirements while failing on others. I feel there is still a shorter compromise for this route....

Ken

Once in the fields it was easy walking with plenty of farm tracks or wide grassy field headlands. Yes the road crossing in this direction has limited visibility, stay on the north side until opposite the next footpath as the verge is better. Had the path into Woodborough remained across the field it would have met the road at the imposition of the 30mph limit. Church Walk is a most interesting path which I compared to a path recently diverted away from a grand house, pushed further away from view of the wealthy owner for their exclusive privacy. The short section along Catfoot Lane was the least enjoyable part of the walk and crossing the main road at the roundabout was not easy because the already narrow verge vanished forcing me onto the road....

Ken

Quiet tree lined roads lead eventually to the edge of Woodthorpe Park but there is no entrance so we have to follow the perimeter to meet the busy Mansfield Road. Our route crosses Mansfield Road at traffic lights and takes a short climb up Magdala Road to reach more quiet roads and a footpath link to Chestnut Grove before arriving at St Andrew's church....

Ken

Changing scene, demolition of the Royal Mail Parcel Sorting Office Brook Street. A General Post Office strong hold, the liner once home to the Letter Sorting Office....

Ken

They meet at another junction, where we follow the Robin Hood Way down to Alexandra Lodge and continue down the access road. Just beyond the bridge we leave the Robin Hood Way to take the wide cycle track right through the wood, turning left at an obvious junction and following the path under the railway bridge onto Wigwam Lane, once the site of Hucknall colliery but now an industrial estate (notably Lincoln Green brewery)....

Hugh Hudson

Turn right along this track which meets a quiet road which you follow straight on. The official route now stays on quiet roads and tracks into Linby but you can cut a mile off this by turning right along the Papplewick Trail just after leaving the B683. The official route follows the road out of Linby before bearing left onto a path across fields and into Papplewick. Turn left along the road for 400m where you bear left onto the wide track into the grounds of Newstead Abbey....

Rob23Notts

We follow this quiet lane a little uphill and take the path to the right, which leads up the hill to Nottingham Road, which has a surfaced pavement on its east side. In the last field before the wood the right of way goes around the left edge of the field, but there is usually nothing to stop a more direct diagonal line being used. We emerge on Cotmoor Lane, another surfaced track which we follow left along the edge of Halloughton Wood until the T-junction where we turn right towards a farm. We cross a little bridge and proceed along the right edge of the field and past a house onto a lane, which ends at a T junction where we turn tight towards Bankwood Farm. At the end of the lane we turn right and cross Bland Lane, continuing along thick gravel onto a field path, where we encounter the first stile of the walk. We follow Hungerhill Lane just past where the bridlepath turns right down the hill, following the signposted footpath into the wood and out onto a field edge....

Hugh Hudson

The route through Bestwood Country Park was new to me and quite entertaining, but the final descent/ascent on the west side is quite steep....

Hugh Hudson

No major issues, though the paths either side of Lambley Dumble have stiles and narrow plank bridges and are definitely not suitable for wheels of any kind. As noted by an earlier reviewer the new A6211 road has slightly diverted the path up from Gedling - there are no signposts yet but the new paths are surfaced and obvious. If you are unfamiliar with Gedling Country park and it is a clear day, the detour to the two viewpoints is worth doing....

Hugh Hudson

I don't really see the point of going via St Ann's, and although this route skirts the famous Hungerhill Gardens allotments, it doesn't allow views into them - going via Sherwood would allow a little more green space in the Forest and the Arboretum to be included, though I am not sure that is sufficient justification for a new alternative route....

Hugh Hudson

From the edge of Bestwood Village, it briefly follows the old railway before entering Bestwood Country Park and gently climbing across grassland and through woodland to a summit near Bestwood Lodge....

StephenWalker

It follows quiet residential roads to the edge of Woodthorpe Grange Park, and then climbs on quiet residential roads to Mapperley reservoir. From here it follows the quiet roads on the edge of Coppice Park and Hungerhill Gardens. It then passes on footpaths through the St Anns housing developments to reach the city centre....

StephenWalker

We walked this route in April 2022 after the Gedling access road (Colliery Way) had opened, there is a new pedestrian crossing over the new road....

Maria Robinson

After crossing Mapperley Plains the route is along quiet suburban roads linked by estate footpaths....

StephenWalker

The only place that was slightly difficult to navigate was around Alexandra Lodges but, as most of the footpaths intersect, it is easy to get back on track without doubling back if you do go wrong....

clarefin

The walk began through a couple of streets out of Arnold but you were quickly walking next to fields and into Bestwood Country Park (BCP)....

Lynn Jackson

After crossing Moor Road it climbs up The Spinney and via the Robin Hood Way reaches Park Road leading to Bestwood Country Park....

StephenWalker

Most of the route is on firm gravel or tarmac route, except there are several stiles to cross in the farmland between Redhill and Bestwood Country Park, and three kissing gates with uneven and muddy surfaces in the three fields between Park Road and Bestwood....

StephenWalker

There is no official access to the park at the end of Woodthorpe Avenue and the route then climbs unnecessarily onto Woodborough Road before following this busy road into the city. If you want a direct walking route along a busy road take Mansfield Road via Sherwood....

Ken

The route is well plotted except for the start from Kimberley, there is no link from the FP bridge to the path along the old railway. This route does however use much of Kimhuc and Hucarn so I offer a more direct route Kimarn2. The exit from Kimberley may be of interest to railway buffs and nature lovers but the steps could prove a challenge for others so it may be worth considering a detour up Newdigate Street and join the route later. From Woodhall Farm the path is a tarmac road to the farm and fishing pond so there is light traffic. I offer a very different more direct route in Kimarn2...

Ken

Avoiding the busy St Albans Road and Oxclose Lane the route exits via Daybrook, once the home of Home Ales. Opposite the brewery offices Byron Street provides a wide route before a bridge offers a safe crossing of Oxclose Lane. 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....

Ken

There are lots of kissing gates and a couple of stiles - so not bike or wheelchair walk....

flynntastic

Very nice walk through housing estates and woods, although the last part is at the edge of a dusty industrial estate. Public toilets just before entering the woods. After exiting the woods, the footpath to the right is through a gap in the hedge which is only visible when you come close....

Seashaw

It's all paved or solid track apart from a small section across a meadow in the middle just outside Bestwood village and there is a small step to get out at the Arnold end of this meadow....

MagneticSpy

This is very similar to Arnocar one but avoids the route down a private road. It passes through Gedling Country Park where there is a cafe and toilets....

flynntastic

This route takes you through some nice country footpaths with good views as you approach the top of Lambley before dropping down to Gedling. There is a problem with the route at about 3 miles as the route goes along a private drive with signs up saying 'no public right of way'. It is preferable to turn right at the stile at 2.7 miles and walk up to Gedling Country Park....

flynntastic