The best city hikes and walks around Mansfield

Excellent stop and good value. Great equal opportunities employment policy. 5 stars!

Nice cafe on the perimeter path around Kings Mill Reservoir. Good selection of hot meals, freshly made sandwiches and home made cakes and pastries. Opens 9am.

Mill Waters is a nice place for a coffee/lunch break. Heritage Centre. Plenty ducks and geese to feed by the water.

Starting at Kingsmill Reservoir, the Timberland Trail runs around the southern edge of Mansfield town centre, joining the Mansfield Way at Racecourse Road. Occupied since Roman times, Mansfield’s prosperity was fuelled by the industrialisation of coal mining in nearby villages, and the building of a local railway network. The River Maun also provided energy for textile and hosiery mills; the old mill ponds can still be seen in Quarry Lane Park and the trail runs alongside the Maun through Titchfield Park.

Quarry Lane was designated as a Local Nature Reserve in 2004 because of its importance to wildlife and the community. There is a lot of history associated with Quarry Lane LNR, beginning at the Field Mill Dam at the eastern end of the site. Alongside the restaurant once stood a large stone water powered cotton mill, which was built around 1877-89. Alongside the LNR is an old quarry, called ‘Lindley's Quarry’, where huge blocks of stone were transported into the town centre where they were cut into smaller manageable pieces. The River Maun meanders through this reserve, eventually entering Field Mill Pond. The Mill Pond attracts a wide variety of birds including Little Grebes and breeding Mute Swans. The area also boasts a thriving population of Water Voles. As the river flows through the site it falls over a number of small ruffles attracting Kingfishers and breeding Grey Wagtails. The river is flanked by mature woodland dominated by Ash, Beech and Oak.

The Oakham was designated as a Local Nature Reserve in 2005 and was created to replace habitats lost through the construction of Oakham Business Park. Covering 6.3 hectares, the Oakham is home to a mosaic of wet willow woodland, ponds, river, flower rich dry grassland and wet grassland. It comprises a wide assortment of wildlife habitats ranging from flower rich dry grassland and recently planted woodland areas to wetland habitats next to the River Maun.

Kings Mill Reservoir is a Local Nature Reserve offering a number activities. Visitors can walk the perimeter of the lake. The one mile walks takes in the views across the lake, with plenty of waterfowl and birds to spot on the way round. The visitor centre is home to the The Mill Adventure Base where you can try various land and water activities such as mountain biking, climbing and kayaking.

The area was first settled in the Saxon times and the Saxon suffix "ton" means "an enclosure or fenced in clearing,The town appears in the Domesday Book in 1086 as "Sutone". There are also documents from 1189 showing that Gerard, son of Walter de Sutton, gave two bovates of land and the church at Sutton to Thurgarton Priory.