Last week saw my boyfriends birthday and, in light of the celebrations, we travelled up to Nottingham for a little break. It was a surprise trip, as my treat for the birthday chap, and it was a rather splendid - and well-received - adventure. Nottingham is not a million miles away from our neck of the woods, if you hop on the train it'll only take a tad over an hour, but its a location that neither of us had done too much exploring of which made the time even better. This little adventure is one I'd been looking forward to ever since I clicked 'book' a month or so ago. It was only a quick break, just a single night away with a full (ish) day either side, but it was simply amazing.
On a quest for brunch as soon as we arrived, we found ourselves in Bagel Nash. Bagel Nash is - you've guessed it - a caff producing mouth-watering bagels that are prepared right in front of your very eyes. Personally, I chose the 'Ham and Swiss Cheese' filling on a simple plain bagel (they feature a vast array of bagel choices for you to pick and choose from) whilst Johnny chose a 'Chicken Club' filling on a poppy bagel. Nom.
Now with full bellies, our first port of call was The Treat Kitchen; the sweetshop of dreams and somewhere I'd been eyeing up on twitter for a little while. Stepping into the store you find yourself surrounded by hundreds of types of sweets, all packaged up in milk bottles and jam jars. Pinterest worthy or what? My personal favourite treat on offer was their fudge - all handmade in store might I add - as oh my it was truly something. A couple of slabs may have accidentally been purchased and whilst it definitely can't be placed under the 'healthy' category, this kind of thing is the reason the phrase "treat day" exists, isn't it? Whilst I didn't manage to snap any pictures of their gorgeous shop (I was too distracted by the potential sugar rush), I just see that as an excuse to return to one of their stores for more delights.
Following all of the sweetie buying it was check in-o'clock so we hopped on over to our chosen hotel. Of course it was real tiring partaking in two days of doing absolutely nothing but chatting, eating and drinking so a wonderful place to lay our heads was needed. Craving a budget-friendly yet fairly luxury abode for the evening I had picked Roomzzz, an 'aparthotel' conveniently placed only a skip away from the hustle and bustle of the heart of Nottingham's shopping scene. Our room - one of the 'Grande Studios' - featured a deluxe double bed, separate soft seating area, gorgeous en-suite (featuring one of the best showers I've ever experienced - bonus points), mahoosive TV and a spacious modern kitchen, featuring all the mod-cons you have at home. One of the things I adore about Roomzzz is the fact that they offer a 'Grab & Go' complimentary breakfast of a morning. Truth be told, we didn't quite make it up in time to grab any of those treats (it's all shut up at 10am you see). I blame the comfy bed. In all honestly, I can't fault Roomzzz. It made a rather excellent change from hotel life and provided a home away from home that suited us perfectly. The size of the room was rather incredible and it was immaculately laid-out with great features that screamed luxury. It would be a true delight to stay there again and I know they're going to be top of my list for booking rooms when on future travels.
After a little bit of chill-time, we headed on out again to mooch around the shops for a little while and explore what Nottingham has on offer. A particular highlight was stopping by Shakeaway for my one true milkshake love: a crème egg milkshake. Oh boy do I wish they would open up a branch in my home town. We also spotted a group at least 20 adults on a pokemon go walk, equipped with speakers blaring out the theme song. It definitely made for a rather interesting sighting, particularly for someone who (I'm sorry) has never had the slightest bit of interest in it all.
As the afternoon began to evolve into the evening we headed back 'home' for an outfit change (a girls got to take up any opportunity to dress up hasn't she) and then off we popped to our dining location for the evening - Rub Smokehouse aka "The Home of Real American BBQ Food". The restaurant, although a tad on the quiet side with it being mid-week, was rather large with urban and contemporary décor. The menu was extensive, offering both your normal size portions and the correctly named #EPICFOOD portions if you're one with a slightly larger appetite. The cocktail menu was diverse and I selected a delicious raspberry mojito which was rather amazing if truth be told. We were also eyeing up the skittles vodka shots however decided that they were perhaps more of a weekend venture. For starters Johnny enjoyed the 'Pulled Pork Garlic Bread' and I munched on the 'Rub Nachos'. I'll be honest, I'm not really a lover of spicy food and was a tad concerned that the nachos were going to blow my head off but luckily you have the choice of having the dish prepared mild, hot or insane. I, of course, went for the mild option but even that had a bit of a kick to it so I dread to think that the insane spice level would taste like. In regards to mains, I went for one of my favourite meals: a 'Rump Steak' (served rare) with the sides of fries and onion rings. Although this also had a surprising kick to it, it was rather nice none the less. He ordered the 'Full Rack of Slow Smoked Rubbed Ribs' with fries and 'dirty rice'. Although it's clear than in this instance his eyes were bigger than his belly as he was unable to finish it all (despite a tremendous effort), it received mostly great reviews.
Although we had planned to spend the rest of the evening out, exploring some of the Nottingham pubs, it was decided that we both felt more like a night in. Cue a stop off at a supermarket to pick up a couple of bottles of good stuff and then a night in watching late night telly.
When the sun rose on our second day in Nottingham and we were all checked out, we took ourselves off for a little wander into the city centre for a touch of breakfast. Booking a table for breakfast was another item that had been on my to-do list ahead of the trip and I had chosen 'Pitcher and Piano' a restaurant and bar "housed inside a striking Grade II listed church" in the heart of Nottingham's Lace Market. Of course, we couldn't resist the sound of a full English with Johnny choosing the (accurately named) 'Big Breakfast' and myself the (slightly smaller) 'P&P Breakfast'. Each came with Bacon, Cumberland sausage, fried egg, hash brown, grilled flat mushroom, baked beans, grilled tomato and toast. Exactly what you need to start the day. To wash things down I chose a delicious 'Passion Fruit Cooler' whilst he went with a coffee. The décor and feel of Pitcher and Piano couldn't have been more to my taste, full of character and charm in such a beautiful building. The experience and food were extraordinary and I'm definitely eager to try out more of the branches of this special chain.
With our tummies ready for the days adventures we headed over to 'City of Caves', something we were both eager to explore. The entrance is situated on the upper mall level of the Broadmarsh Shopping Centre and - equipped with audio equipment and a hardhat - you can venture down and investigate part of the maze of caves that lies under the city. As a bit of a history geek, I really enjoyed taking the journey back in time and exploring the varying uses of the caves according to the time period in question. The audio tour was extremely informative (although some of the voices featured were a little on the annoying side after a while) and it was a super cool sight to see that I'd definitely recommend if history is your cup of tea.
Eager to spend the rest of our day doing more exploring we worked our way up in the direction of Nottingham castle, with the plan of having a look around and absorbing more of the cities culture. However if truth be told we did end up getting a tad distracted by a pub. But what do you expect from two eighteen year olds eh? The Ye Olde Trip To Jerusalem pub came highly recommended from a vast array of sources so, of course, we had to take the opportunity to head over in that direction and see what the fuss is all about. If you're unaware of its history, the pub is actually built into the rocks that Nottingham Castle are built on and holds the status as the oldest inn in England (being born in 1189AD). As our breakfast had been wearing off and our tummies were beginning to rumble we chose to order a bite of eat to enjoy alongside our drink and I picked a 'Fish Finger Brioche' alongside some rather delicious fries with a good ol' bacardi and coke (my personal favourite tipple). It was truly delicious and the pub had such a wonderful atmosphere.
To close the trip we had another mooch around the shops (including a return to The Treat Kitchen for a bit of present buying) and a coffee or two before heading on home back to Peterborough. It was a rather amazing couple of days - a short but sweet trip - and has provided me with a real love of the city of Nottingham.
A good little break, however short, is always welcomed. It was so nice to be able to eat, drink and relax in completely different surroundings but with your favourite company. I'd definitely recommend Nottingham if you're after somewhere where there's plenty to see and do without spending a fortune. If I'm honest, this little trip has made me eager to explore more of the places the UK has on offer, so any recommendations on where to go for my next adventure would be greatly received.
'See more of the UK' is part of my 101 in 1001. You can see what else I'm hoping to achieve here.
'See more of the UK' is part of my 101 in 1001. You can see what else I'm hoping to achieve here.
