Elkesley

Elkesley has no hotels of its own, being a small village rather than a tourist town, so anyone wanting a conventional hotel stay is better looking to nearby Retford or Worksop, both within easy driving distance and both well connected by rail. Retford, on the East Coast Main Line, has a handful of pubs with rooms, guesthouses and small independent hotels, while Worksop offers a similar mix along with easy access into the wider Dukeries estates of Clumber Park and Welbeck. Staying in either town puts Elkesley, the Robin Hood Way and Sherwood Forest all within a short drive, while still giving access to high street shops, supermarkets and a wider choice of restaurants than the village itself can offer. Business travellers and those passing along the A1 corridor will also find chain hotels clustered around Retford and further along the road network, useful for an overnight stop rather than a long stay. For a rural alternative to a town hotel, a handful of farm stays and bed and breakfasts are dotted around the Dukeries villages, offering a quieter base close to the parkland. Whichever option you choose, the roads around Elkesley are straightforward, dominated by the A1, so getting between a hotel base and the surrounding attractions is generally quick. Booking ahead is worthwhile at busy times, particularly during the summer when Clumber Park and Sherwood Forest draw day visitors from across the region, and during any events held on the Welbeck estate. Overall, treat Elkesley as a lovely stop on a walk or drive rather than an overnight hotel destination, and base yourself in Retford or Worksop for the fuller range of places to stay.

Elkesley's appeal is really its position within easy reach of some of Nottinghamshire's best-known green spaces and heritage sites.

• Clumber Park — A National Trust estate of parkland, woodland and a serpentine lake, with its famous double avenue of lime trees and a Victorian Gothic chapel, just a few miles from the village.
• The Robin Hood Way — The long-distance path runs straight through Elkesley, following the River Poulter, and can be picked up for a short circular walk or a longer stretch toward Clumber Park or Retford.
• Sherwood Forest and the Major Oak — The remaining ancient woodland of the historic forest, with its famous veteran oak tree, lies within reasonable driving distance to the north.
• Welbeck Estate and The Harley Gallery — A working estate with an art gallery, farm shop and walking trails, part of the wider Dukeries area.
• Worksop and Retford — Both nearby market towns offer shops, cafes and further access into the Dukeries and the Chesterfield Canal.

The village pub, the Robin Hood Inn, is the main option in Elkesley itself. For more choice, Retford and Worksop have a range of cafes, pubs and restaurants, and the Harley Gallery on the Welbeck Estate has a farm shop and cafe popular with visitors exploring the Dukeries.

Camping is one of the more natural ways to experience the country around Elkesley, and the village itself is home to a genuine riverside site: a campsite set in the grounds of a 17th-century house beside the River Poulter, with pitches for tents and camper vans, a scattering of family-friendly extras and easy walking access to the village pub and the Robin Hood Way. As with anywhere in England, wild camping without the landowner's permission is not legal, so sticking to established sites like this, or others in the wider Dukeries area, is the sensible approach. The flat, wooded terrain on the fringe of Sherwood Forest, threaded by the Poulter and close to the lake and avenues of Clumber Park, makes for gentle, family-friendly camping rather than anything rugged or remote. Spring through early autumn is the best window, when the ground is drier, the riverside pitches are at their most pleasant and the surrounding parkland and forest trails are easiest to explore on foot or by bike. Midsummer weekends can get busy at the more popular sites, so booking ahead is worth doing if you have a particular date in mind, while shoulder-season stays tend to be quieter and cooler but often reward you with better access to pitches and a calmer village pub. For those who prefer a roof over a tent, glamping options such as pods, safari tents and shepherd's huts are increasingly common across the wider Nottinghamshire Dukeries area, offering a step up in comfort while keeping the same rural setting among the old hunting estates. Whichever way you camp, Elkesley's position on the Robin Hood Way and its proximity to Clumber Park mean a tent here doubles as a base for some of the county's best short walks, with the Major Oak and the rest of Sherwood Forest a little further afield for a day trip. Facilities are modest compared to larger holiday parks, in keeping with the village's quiet, unassuming character, so this suits campers looking for a simple, low-key stay rather than a resort-style experience.