Trent Bridge ground tours are £10 and the heritage railway's 25-acre site is free to walk into. Checked 2026 prices and opening times for 10 days out.
West Bridgford has two internationally known sporting venues within a few hundred metres of each other, and both let the public in when nothing is on. Beyond that, the best days out in this part of Rushcliffe are cheap or free: a heritage railway you can walk into for nothing, a country park, a nature reserve laid out for wheelchairs before almost anywhere else in the country, and a Victorian knitting yard in Ruddington.
Every price and opening time below was checked against the venue’s own website in August 2026. Anything we could not confirm is not on this page, and one well-known house that appears on other lists is currently closed to visitors.
In West Bridgford
Trent Bridge cricket ground
The Classic Tour is the reason to come on a non-match day. It runs for about two hours, takes in the multimedia presentation on the 1880s Pavilion, the Wynne-Thomas Library, a walk around the pitch and onto the turf if conditions allow, and the media boxes in the Radcliffe Road Stand with their view over Nottingham.
- Adult £10. Adult with one child aged 15 or under, also £10. Concession, meaning a child 15 or under or an adult 65 or over, £5. Nottinghamshire CCC members get one free Classic Tour a year.
- Selected Tuesdays at 2pm and selected Saturdays at 10.30am. There are no tours during August or on dates around international fixtures, so this is a spring and autumn outing.
- Advance booking is required, online or on 0115 899 0300, and each tour is capped at 15 visitors.
- Saturday tours start at the gates on Hound Road, off Bridgford Road behind the Pavilion. Tuesday tours start from the Trent Bridge Shop through the Trent Bridge Inn courtyard entrance. Arrive at least ten minutes early.
- No refreshments inside the ground and no car parking inside it either. Use the on-street bays or the council car parks, and see our parking tariffs before you do.
The City Ground
Nottingham Forest runs a Museum and Stadium Tour that takes you into the press conference room, the home and away changing rooms, down the players’ tunnel and pitchside, with the club museum included in the ticket.
- Bookings are online only and there are selected dates and times, not daily openings. The club says it plans to increase the frequency.
- The tour takes about an hour, but allow 90 minutes with the museum. Groups are capped at 20, with an English-speaking guide.
- The museum is only open in conjunction with tours and only to people booked onto one. It is not a walk-in attraction.
- Meet at the Megastore, Pavilion Road, NG2 5FJ, at least 15 minutes before your slot. There is no bag drop.
- Free parking in the Brian Clough Car Park off Lady Bay Bridge Road (NG2 5FA), about ten minutes’ walk away.
Worth knowing before you book: the Peter Taylor Stand and Trent End are the subject of live planning applications for a major rebuild, which is covered on our planning news page. (Nottingham Forest)
Rushcliffe Arena
The borough’s main leisure centre, on Rugby Road, NG2 7HY, with a gym, swimming pool, classes, swimming lessons and an X-Treme Air inflatable session for children. Open Monday to Friday 6am to 10pm, Saturday 7am to 5pm and Sunday 8am to 6pm. Call 0115 9814 027. (Rushcliffe Arena)
Edwalton Golf Centre
A full-size nine-hole parkland course, a par 3 course aimed at beginners and a driving range you can turn up to without booking, plus a dog-friendly clubhouse and a function room. Green fees from £12, range buckets from £2.50, membership from £50 a month and interactive darts from £16 an hour. Call 0115 9234 775. (Edwalton Golf Centre)
A short drive or tram ride
Holme Pierrepont Country Park and the National Water Sports Centre
270 acres of lakeland and parkland on Adbolton Lane, NG12 2LU, with the country’s best-known rowing course and a white water course, plus walking and cycling paths, a playground and a gym.
- Parking is ANPR-controlled, 08:00 to 20:00 daily, paid through the ParkPCM app using location code 4455, with a 30-minute grace period for drop-offs. An annual car parking membership is £65 for one vehicle, and gym and water members park free once their car is registered.
- White water course: Monday 12pm to 7pm, Tuesday and Friday 10am to 7pm, Wednesday and Thursday 10am to 8pm, weekends 10am to 3.30pm.
- Regatta Lake: Monday to Friday 7am to 4pm, weekends 7am to 1pm.
- Gym: Monday to Friday 6am to 9pm, weekends 8am to 5pm. Quieter hours run every Friday 12pm to 2pm and every Sunday 11am to 12pm.
- Current warning from the centre: the Regatta Lake has signs of blue-green algae. Check the water quality notice before booking anything on the water.
(National Water Sports Centre)
Skylarks Nature Reserve
Next door to Holme Pierrepont on Adbolton Lane, free and open at all times. Forty-seven hectares of wetland, grassland and woodland with four trails suitable for wheelchairs and pushchairs, an accessible Hereborg viewing hide added in 2023, a small car park at the main entrance and a layby on the northern side.
Created in 1982, it is believed to be the first nature reserve in the country laid out specifically for wheelchair users. Look for great crested grebe, kingfisher and reed bunting, with grey wagtails and reed warblers in summer and redwings and fieldfares in winter. There are picnic areas but no café or toilets on site: the nearest are at Holme Pierrepont, a short walk or drive away. (Nottinghamshire Wildlife Trust)
Great Central Railway (Nottingham), Ruddington
Eight miles of preserved railway running from Ruddington Fields to Rushcliffe Halt and on towards Loughborough, based at the Nottingham Transport Heritage Centre, a 25-acre site on Mere Way, Ruddington Fields, NG11 6JS.
- Site entry is free. The heritage bus depot, indoor exhibitions, café and gift shop cost nothing to browse. You only pay for what you ride.
- Adult return from £15 on standard running days. Children travel for £1 on selected family events including half-term and holiday open days.
- Parking is £3 per vehicle, paid through RingGo using the signs in the car park. Disabled bays are by the entrance.
- The Nottingham Society of Model Engineers’ miniature railway is £1.50 a ride on selected dates.
- Special events, steam galas and dining trains are priced individually and are higher. Check the specific event page for the fare.
One honest caveat. The railway announced on 11 July 2026 that steam operations were paused because of enhanced fire risk, so a “steam running day” in the calendar may run behind a diesel. Check the event listing before you travel if steam is the point of the trip. (Great Central Railway Nottingham)
Framework Knitters Museum, Ruddington
A preserved yard of knitters’ cottages and workshops, and one of very few places left where you can see how a framework knitting family actually lived and worked. The museum describes itself as one of the few places you can experience the living and working conditions of Victorian craftspeople, and it is a small charity run largely by volunteers.
| Ticket | Price |
|---|---|
| Adult (includes an annual pass) | £9.00 |
| Child aged 5 to 17, with a paying adult | £3.00 |
| Child under 5, with a paying adult | Free |
| Family, two adults and two children | £22.00 |
| Student, 18+ in full-time education | £6.00 |
| Art Fund member | £4.50 |
| Carer, and returning annual pass holders | Free |
The adult ticket is an annual pass, so a £9 visit covers you for a year of return trips. Open Wednesday to Saturday 11am to 4pm, Sunday 1.30pm to 4pm and bank holiday Mondays 11am to 4pm, last admission 3.30pm.
Parker’s Yard café, the gift shop and the Chapel Gallery are always free to enter, Tuesday to Saturday 9am to 4pm and Sunday 10am to 4pm. The Chapel Gallery is also hired out privately, so ring ahead if you are coming specially for an exhibition. (Framework Knitters Museum)
Rushcliffe Country Park
Also at Ruddington, and the borough’s biggest free green space.
- Entry is free. The car park is £1.50 for up to three hours and £3.00 for over three hours, open 8am to 6pm, with an exit gate so you can leave any time. An annual parking permit is £55.
- Visitor centre 8am to 4pm daily, including a Changing Places accessible toilet. Log cabin toilets 9am to 6pm, compost toilets 9am to 3pm.
- Coffee and Cake by the Lake, the takeaway café, is open 10am to 4pm daily, with seasonal variation. Tree Top Catering serves the play area.
- Paths around the lake are flat and wheelchair-accessible from the car park. A RADAR key opens gates around the perimeter.
- Picnics are welcome and there are plenty of benches. Barbecues of any kind are not allowed.
The country park and the heritage railway are next door to each other on the same Ruddington site, which makes them the obvious pairing for a full day: free park in the morning, £3 to park, a £15 train ride and a free wander round the bus depot.
The Grantham Canal
Built two centuries ago to move agricultural goods out of the Vale of Belvoir, the canal now runs through the borough as a recreational route for walking and fishing. It is free, it is flat, and it gives you a long green corridor east from West Bridgford without a car. (Rushcliffe Borough Council)
One to skip for now: Holme Pierrepont Hall
The Grade I listed Tudor manor house appears on plenty of “days out near Nottingham” lists, and it is genuinely one of the most significant houses in the East Midlands. It is not currently open to visitors. Its own website states that the house and gardens will open to the public again in January 2027. Until then it operates as an exclusive-use wedding and events venue only. (Holme Pierrepont Hall)
What a day out actually costs
Frequently asked questions
Can you go inside Trent Bridge cricket ground?
Yes, on a Classic Tour, held on selected Tuesdays at 2pm and selected Saturdays at 10.30am. It costs £10 for an adult and £5 concession, lasts about two hours and must be booked in advance. There are no tours during August or around international fixtures.
Can you tour the City Ground?
Yes. Nottingham Forest runs a Museum and Stadium Tour on selected dates, booked online only. Allow 90 minutes. You meet at the Megastore on Pavilion Road, NG2 5FJ, and there is free parking in the Brian Clough Car Park off Lady Bay Bridge Road. The museum is only open to people booked on a tour.
What is there to do in West Bridgford for free?
Skylarks Nature Reserve is free and open at all times. Rushcliffe Country Park is free to enter with parking at £1.50 for three hours. The 25-acre Nottingham Transport Heritage Centre site, including its bus depot and museum displays, is free to walk into. The Grantham Canal towpath costs nothing.
Is there a steam railway near West Bridgford?
Yes, the Great Central Railway (Nottingham) at Ruddington, eight miles of preserved line from Ruddington Fields towards Loughborough. Adult returns start at £15, parking is £3, and children travel for £1 on selected family events. Note that steam operations were paused on 11 July 2026 because of enhanced fire risk, so check the event listing.
Is Holme Pierrepont Hall open to the public?
Not at the moment. The hall’s own website says the house and gardens will open to the public again in January 2027. Until then it is an exclusive-use wedding and events venue.
What is there to do with children?
Rushcliffe Country Park has a large play area and two catering outlets. The heritage railway at Ruddington does £1 child fares on family running days and a £1.50 miniature railway. X-Treme Air at Rushcliffe Arena is an indoor inflatable session. The Framework Knitters Museum is £3 for children aged 5 to 17 and free under 5.
Related
- West Bridgford roadworks and travel: the parking tariffs you will need before you set off.
- West Bridgford to London by train: the tram stops that reach most of this list.
- West Bridgford planning news: what is proposed for the City Ground.
Sources
- Trent Bridge guided tours for tour prices, times, capacity and meeting points.
- Nottingham Forest stadium and museum tours for booking rules, tour length, meeting point and parking.
- National Water Sports Centre car parking for parking, facility opening hours and the current water quality notice.
- Nottinghamshire Wildlife Trust, Skylarks for access, trails and wildlife.
- Great Central Railway (Nottingham) ticket prices for fares, parking and the miniature railway, and the railway’s own news index for the steam pause.
- Framework Knitters Museum opening times and prices.
- Rushcliffe Country Park, visiting the park and Rushcliffe Borough Council car parking fees.
- Rushcliffe Arena and Edwalton Golf Centre.
- Holme Pierrepont Hall for its closure to the public until January 2027.
- Rushcliffe Borough Council tourist attractions for the Grantham Canal and the wider borough list.
Prices and opening times change, and small venues change them without much notice. Check the venue’s own site before you set off.
Have your say
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