Geodiversity and geoheritage play an increasingly important role in the tourism industry. As a result, geosites, geotrails, and geoparks are created all over the world to fulfill the need. Nottinghamshire has geological sites of interests, wonderful landscapes and great cultural heritage. This example of a geotrail shows its potential.

2. Tourism beyond COVID-19
‘Work together to build a tourism sector that
works for everyone, where sustainability and
innovation are part of everything we do ’ -
World Tourism Organization (UNWTO)
Crisis has made clear the important role tourism plays in
every part of our lives
Restart of tourism must be properly managed so that the
sector lives up to its unique potential
Tourism can be a force for good in our world, playing a part
in protecting our planet in its biodiversity, and celebrating
what makes us human

3. Geotourism
‘focuses on an area's geology and landscape
as the basis for providing visitor
engagement, learning and enjoyment’
Offers a form of sustainable tourism which is more holistic
than any other form of tourism
Comprises Geodiversity, Biodiversity and Cultural Elements
Incorporates all types of ‘nature-based’ tourism: Cultural,
Agri-, Eco-, Heritage, and Indigenous tourism

4. 1. Geosite:
location with particular geological or geomorphological significance
and/or with cultural or heritage significance
2. Geotrail:
journey linked by an area's geology and landscape as the basis for
providing visitor engagement, learning and enjoyment
3. Geopark:
single, unified geographical area where sites and landscapes of
international geological significance are managed with a holistic
concept of protection, education and sustainable development
Geotourism delivery

5. • Geoparks
• Geotrails
• large number of individual trails
• spread all over the country
• sometimes part of a geopark
• mainly focusing on geological heritage but also incl. cultural and biodiversity
elements
Situation UK

6. • meld the geological heritage features of a region with a cohesive story
• incorporates and packages in the biodiversity and cultural components
of the region
• constructed around routes currently used by tourists (logical journeys)
• has widespread appeal
• does not compete with land management or access issues
• relatively easy to establish
• represents a very cost-effective means of enhancing regional
development
• can form the basis of a geopark
Geotrail

7. • heritage sites of international significance
 Sherwood Forest, City of Caves, Creswell Crags, Dukeries, etc.
• widespread Triassic sedimentary rock named after this region
 Sherwood Sandstone Group
• last surviving tract of primeval forest in England
• one of the World’s most famous legends: Robin Hood
• one of the most successful former coalfields in Europe
=> excellent potential for geotourism development
Nottinghamshire

8. • Tells the story of Nottinghamshire
 in an entertaining manner
 by creating a geotrail (journey)
 featuring hotspots
(places where the story is visually illustrated for the visitor)
 focusing on a specific theme or storyline
 based on sub trails starting at an expedition gate, f.e.
 museum
 look out
 visitors center
 sacred place
 on a sustainable way (using public transport and existing cycle trails)
Sherwood Forest Geotrail

9. 1. Coal - Limestone trail
2. Sand - Mudstone trail
3. Ice Age trail
4. Forest trail
5. Dukeries trail
6. War trail
7. Poetry trail
8. Transition trail
Sherwood
Forest
Geotrail -
example

10. Theme : Carboniferous and Permian
1: Coal-Limestone trail
Nottingham Castle
Natural History Museum
STAGE 1: INTRODUCTION
1.Start at the Nottingham Tourism Centre for an
introduction of the Sherwood Forest Geotrail
2.Get informed about the geological history of
Nottinghamshire in the Natural History Museum
3. Enjoy the fossils from the region and get an impression
of life forms from different geological periods
STAGE 2: COAL
1. Discover in Beeston and
Stapleford the origin of the coal
fields of Nottinghamshire
2. Visit Bob’s Rock and Hemlock
Stone and learn about the
process of uplifting and erosion
3. Move on to Trowell and see how coal
has been mined and used as building
stone(Church of St Helen)
STAGE 3: LIMESTONE
1. Find out how the limestones Bulwell
sits on, were formed during the Permian
2. Analyze the composition of the
limestone and realize its importance as
source of building/ornamental stone
3. See how the limestone is used in
buildings and check for its presence
in Nottingham Castle
Bob’s Rock
Hemlock Stone
Trowell
Stapleford
Bulwell
Beeston

11. Theme : Triassic and Jurassic
2: Sand-Mudstone trail
City of Caves
STAGE 3: JURASSIC
1. Board the train to Mansfield and read about
the period that dinosaurs held sway in this area
2. In the Mansfield Museum, get an impression
of a local dino which footprints were found not
far from this town
3. Get familiar with other dinosaurs that once
roamed the Midlands and learn about their
daily life and food patterns
STAGE 2: MUDSTONE
1. Move on to Colwick Country park for an
introduction of the Mercia Mudstone and its
formation in the Early and Mid Triassic
2. Get explained that this stone’s name
is derived from the ancient kingdom of
Mercia which corresponds to the area
STAGE 1: SANDSTONE
1. Check out the Sherwood Sandstone the
Castle Rock is made of and understand
how it was formed in the Early Triassic
2. Look for examples of cross-bedding in
Park Tunnel and recognize the weakness
of the sandstone and the risks it brings
3. Walk through Colwick Woods and see how
the Mercia Mudstone overlays the Sherwood
Sandstone at the Colwick Cliffs
Mansfield Museum
Nottingham Castle
3. Continue in the ‘City of Caves’ and find
out the role of the sandstone and its caves
in Nottingham’s history
The Park Tunnel
Colwick Woods
Colwick Country Park

12. Theme : Pleistocene and Holocene (Quaternary)
3: Ice Age trail
Mansfield Museum/Library
STAGE 1: RESEARCH
2. See the results of the project so far
and get an impression of the glacial
cycles in the Quaternary
3. Get on the bus to Creswell Crags to
experience life in the Ice Age and all its
challenges at a real site
1. In Mansfield, find out more about the
Ice Age Journeys project researching the
archaeology of Ice Age sites in this area
STAGE 2: NEANDERTHALS
1. Go back in time and learn about the
life of the Neanderthals that arrived
here 40,000 years ago
2. Check out the tools they used and
learn about their hunting techniques
3. Hear about the theories of extinction
of the Neanderthals: modern humans,
climate change, and/or disease
STAGE 3: HOMO SAPIENS
1. Understand how the caves were used by Homo
Sapiens from around 22,000 years ago
2. Get an impression of their wide range of tools and
butchered animal bones and enjoy their cave art
3. See the remains of prehistoric animals that have been
found in excavations, including hyenas and hippopotami;
end this stage with a bus-trip to Edwinstowe
Creswell Crags
Edwinstowe

13. Theme : Sherwood Forest
4: Forest trail
Major Oak
STAGE 1: ORIGIN AND FUTURE
1. In the Sherwood Forest Visitor
Centre, check the development of the
forest since the end of the last Ice Age
2. Find out about the unique habitat of Sherwood
and its biodiversity, and see the effects of
deforestation and what is done for its recovery
3. Start walking into the forest to meet a great
collection of ancient oaks and check the effects
of climate change on Sherwood's habitats
STAGE 2: ROMANS, VIKINGS & NORMAN
1. Check how manmade intervention started
with woodland clearances in Roman times
resulting in the current presence of heathland
2. Move on for an exploration of Thyngowe as a
significant meeting and assembly place during
the period of Viking Danish settlement
3. Get an impression of Sherwood as a Royal
Forest after the Norman invasion in 1066
STAGE 3: ROBIN HOOD
1. Hear about the legend of Robin Hood and
how the Major Oak provided shelter and was
a place where he and his Merry Men slept
2. Experience how medieval life in the forest
looked like based on stories of Robin Hood
and his men
3. Learn about love and chivalry in the Middle
Ages based on the story of Robin Hood and Lady
Marian and end up in the Church of St. Mary
Sherwood Forest Visitor Centre
Church of St. Mary

14. Theme : Ducal Seats
5: ‘Dukeries trail’
STAGE 3: PORTLAND
1. Back in Edwinstowe, get on the bus to
Worksop and read how Welbeck Abbey became
the seat of the Dukes of Portland
3. Learn about the history and architecture of
the Harley Gallery and enjoy its exhibitions
2. Admire the treasures
collected by the Dukes
of Portland and their
families in the Portland
Collection
STAGE 1: NEWCASTLE
1. Get on the bike towards Clumber Park and hear
about the Dissolution of the Monasteries and how
this area was divided in 4 ducal seats
2. Get an impression of the former buildings of
the Dukes of Newcastle and see what’s left of it.
3. Walk through the gardens, enjoy the species-
rich habitats, and get informed about the effects
of climate change on the Dukeries
Clumber Park
Thoresby Hall
STAGE 2: KINGSTON
2. Understand how the economic and social base
of the Dukeries was dramatically influenced by
the auction of the Dukes’ mineral rights
1. Next stop is Thoresby Hall for an acquaintance
with the Dukes of Kingston and their life in this
impressive house
3. Find out how the country house was affected
by subsidence because of the historical mining
activities.
Edwinstowe
Thoresby Hall
Harley Gallery/ Portland Collection,
Welbeck
Worksop

15. Theme : The impact of war
6: ‘War trail’
STAGE 1: LATE MEDIEVAL WAR
1. Be informed about the Battle of
Worksop as one the early battles in the
“Wars of the Roses”
2. Find out about the backgrounds of
these wars and how violence was used
to achieve political aims
3. Realize how this late medieval war
resulted in a deeply divided society
with all its problems
Worksop
3. Move on to Southwell and follow the
steps of Charles I and find out about the
damaging and plundering of the Minster 2. Learn about the devastating effects of the Civil
War on society in the National Civil War Centre
STAGE 2: LATE MODERN WARS
Retford
1. Visit Bassetlaw Museum to get an
impression of living in a Prisoner of War
Camp during World War 1 & 2
2. Check out the exhibition about how
World War 2 changed life for every
civilian man, woman and child.
3. Take the train to Newark and meet the
brave men and women who lost their lives
for their country at the Newark Air Museum
STAGE 3: EARLY MODERN WAR
1.Walk the Civil War Trail in Newark and hear about
the role of the market town and its buildings
Newark-on-Trent
Southwell

16. Theme : Poetry heritage
7: ‘Poets trail’
Eastwood
STAGE 1: COUNTY OF POETS
1. Start at the Southwell Library for an
introduction of Nottinghamshire’s
most famous poets
3. Get on the bus to Blidworth and read
some of the best poems of Lord Byron
2. Meet Lord Byron at the grounds of
Burgage House and listen to the story
about his life in Southwell
STAGE 3: JOURNEY’S OF POETS
1. Stop in Hucknall to visit his grave and
hear about his journey’s that filled him
with inspiration, before dying in Greece
2. Move on to Eastwood for a story about the early years of
another famous poet, D H Lawrence, who was born here
3. Get an impression of his most famous work and
hear about his journeys around the world
Newstead Abbey
1. Walk a Blidworth circular, have a look at the
Druid Stone, and enjoy the landscape of the
region that has inspired so many poets
Southwell
2. Continue the bus trip for a visit of Newstead
Abbey and find out how Lord Byron was inspired
by his ancestral home
3. See his personal items, such as furniture,
letters, manuscripts and portraits, and the
desk at which he wrote his finest work
STAGE 2: HOME OF POETS
Hucknall
Blidworth

17. Theme : Transport and Energy
8: ‘Transition trail’
STAGE 1: RAILWAY
1. Start at the Sun Inn in Eastwood to hear about
the origins of the Midland Railway company and
the role it had in the development of the Notts
2. Take the train to Nottingham, enjoy the heritage
transport fleet of the Great Central Railway, and
experience a train travel in the old days
3. Understand the central role the railway system
plays, as one of the most sustainable means of
transportation, in decarbonising transport
STAGE 2: WATER
STAGE 3: ENERGY
1. In Green’s Windmill and Science Centre, learn about how energy from
wind is used for centuries now, for all kind of processes
2. Discover the story of George Green and experiment
with light, electricity and magnetism.
3. Be informed about (potential) sources of sustainable energy and see
how they can be applied in future society; end your geotrail experience
with searching for a special souvenir from this great county
Green’s Windmill
River Trent
1. Cruise the River Trent and hear why
the 3rd longest river in the UK is known
for its dramatic flooding
2. See how flood defenses were, are and will
be constructed to protect the region and to
mitigate the effects of more extreme weather
3. Check the importance of the river for transport
and trade, realize its potential regarding
sustainable transport, and enjoy the views
Eastwood
Langley Mill
Great Central
Railway

18. Summary
Sherwood Forest Geotrail:
• a complete story of Nottinghamshire
• told in 8 sub trails
• based on outstanding landscapes and geology
• incorporating biodiversity
• incorporating cultural characteristics
• incorporating a view into the future of the region
• an opportunity for future tourism development
• based on existing routes and facilities
• a basis for a future geopark