 |
 |
| The start near Bestwood Lodge. Thanks John Y for all your photos |
 |
| Alexandra Lodge (1877), the base for the Park Rangers and now a study centre |
 |
| First view of one of the iconic sights of Nottinghamshire (the one in the background) |
 |
| Mill Lakes - now a nature reserve but once the site of a water mill, one of several in the Leen Valley |
 |
| First crossing of the Leen |
 |
| Coffee stop next to the lake |
 |
| Second crossing of the Leen |
 |
| Forge Mill (1787), one of only three remaining mills on the very industrialised River Leen, now a cafe |
 |
| The River Leen having just passed beneath Forge Mill |
 |
| John orders up a tram to Hucknall on his app ... |
 |
| ... and hurries to take a photo |
 |
| Not much of note in Bulwell Hall Park so no photos |
 |
| Misplaced signal |
 |
| Junction where a shorter version of today's walk would have joined us |
 |
The headstocks and winding house of Bestwood Colliery, 1875 to 1967 |
 |
| The Winding Engine House is the last remaining part of Bestwood Colliery, one of the busiest coal mines in Nottinghamshire and the first in the UK to produce over a million tons per year. The engine lowered colliers into the mine shaft and winched mined coal up to the surface. It houses a large winding engine, originally powered by steam. At its peak, the mine employed 2000 men |
 |
| Extra coffee and cake stop. The Dynamo House is the former electrical sub-station serving the colliery and is normally open only between 10am and 12 noon on Saturdays and Bank Holidays. Tours of the Winding Engine House are run from here |
 |
| Tip top, 124m, with views towards Hucknall |
 |
| Good forest tracks back to the start |
 |
| Bestwood Lodge, now a hotel, is a large 19th century country house originally a medieval Royal Hunting Lodge set within what was once a part of Sherwood Forest |
 |
| View of Bestwood Lodge across the gardens |
