Summer Bike to Thoresby
Biking round Notts with Lunch at Thoresby Hall
August bank holiday was a lovely summers day. A perfect time to get out on the bike and enjoy a long ride. The family headed to Thoresby Hall to watch a live ‘bird of prey’ show outdoors in the sun. Thoresby Hall isn’t somewhere I’ve biked to before, so I got the Garmin route plannerbooted up, drafted out a route and uploaded it to the Garmin edge ready to follow it.
The first section of the route is a little urban until reaching the Skegby Trailto head through the village of Pleasley along the Meden trail and then into Mansfield woodhouse. Once through Mansfield Woodhouse it is totally new ground for me. Well new ground in terms of the trail along the river maun towards Kings Clipstone. All the time I’ve biked the area, it still amazes me that trails are there that I haven’t even touched. It’s a nice flat fast trail between the high grass and small sections of wood in a moderately built-up area. After leaving the built-up area it’s across the river and along a fishing lake, where there were plenty of fishing people to negotiate on a bank holiday.
From there it was back to familiar ground heading to the true Sherwood Forest between Warsop, Budby and Edwinstowe. This is where the famous ‘Major Oak’ is located, the home of Robin Hood. Route 6takes you straight through the Forest, but this route took a parallel path to provide a little variation.
Having reached the old Budby army grounds there isn’t a direct route straight through to Thoresby, so you have to skirt around the grounds to the North side as if heading to Clumber before switching back south off route 6, through a farm, across Netherfield Lane and into Thoresby’s grounds.
It was rest time with the family to watch the bird of prey show and have some well-deserved lunch.
The Thoresby Estatehas a long history. Robert Pierrepont, 1st Earl of Kingston-upon-Hull acquired the Thoresby lands in 1633 but was killed in the English Civil War in 1643. His son Henry Pierrepont, the 2nd Earl, built the first grand house, a Jacobean mansion attributed to the architect Talman, around 1670. This was burnt down and a second house, designed by Carr of York, was built. This house was demolished to make way for Anthony Salvin’s Thoresby Hall, built by the 3rd Earl Manvers in 1860. Thoresby Hall is now a luxury hotel, where guests can still enjoy many of the building’s original and historic features.
The park landscape was laid out in the 17th century in a geometric, Jacobean style. This original design was softened and rounded on the advice of Humphrey Repton and William Nesfield, who we have to thank for most of the mature landscape on the estate today.
The Estate acts as a guardian of Listed Buildings and Sites of Special Scientific Interest (SSSI). The grade I listed parkland is surrounded by several thousand acres of farmland and forestry, and 50 members of staff work on the estate.
After lunch it was a scenic tour through the grounds to head out the estate on the east side and cross the fast A614 heading to a river side trail towards Ollerton. A trail along the river maun again but further along and in the opposite direction.
Before leaving the grounds there is one fantastic view across the fields taking in the Perlethorpe St John’s Church. It can’t be brushed over as it is an idyllic British view.
The current church building, situated in the Thoresby Estate, was provided by the 3rd Earl Manvers and consists of a chancel, nave with north and south aisles, a western tower with spire, a south porch and a vestry.
The church was given by William II to the Dean and Chapter of Lincoln as one of the Chapelries of Edwinstowe and is mentioned in the first Chronicle of 1146. Edwinstowe remained with them until 1878 when Earl Manvers exchanged it for St Mary’s at Nottingham. However, in 1836 Perlethorpe, with Thoresby included, was created a separate benefice following an Act of Parliament, allowing Earl Manvers to endow the chapelry.
Back to the trail heading toward Ollerton. Again, this is new terrain for me and another gem of a find. The trail is only a couple of miles long but terminates in the smaller ‘New Ollerton’ village with some cracking pubs that no doubt would be a good stop. It’s ideal for a summer ride to the pub, if you know what I mean.
From New Ollerton it’s then minor roads to negotiate around the grounds of Rufford Abbey and onto the entrance road to the Centre Parcs village. Don’t worry though, you don’t need a pass to get in as halfway down the road it takes a left bend and you carry straight on to a track that heads into the amazing Sherwood Pines. From here it’s onto parts of the Kitchener Trailthrough the Pines. I’ve done loads of articles and videos about Sherwood Pines and the Kitchener Trail so I won’t bang on to much about it.
Normally, I head out of the pines toward Blidworth on route 6, but this loop leaves route 6 in the Pines and heads through a deserted mini valley. I’m not sure what you would call it. Maybe an old pit tip with gravel hills and hollows, quite an eery place. It’s known locally as the ‘Desert’. The exit from the ‘Desert’ leads into Ransom Wood which finally traverses along the edge of the A617 until you pop out onto the edge of the roundabout between the A617 and the A6191. Head across the A6191 to find a gravel road that meets and crosses the A617 into Harlow Wood.
Harlow Wood can be very sandy and at this stage of the route it was slow going like riding the bike on a beach. Exit Harlow wood to cross the A60 and into the fast-flowing Thieves wood. From here it’s a short route through to head home.
With a total distance of 46 miles it’s a good way to spend a full morning or full afternoon outdoors, or ideally split it over the two and take in a nice lunch at Thoresby.
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