Walk in a Nottingham Winter Wonderland this Christmas

After returning to Nottingham after several years of travelling, Gwen from Eat Travel Love visited Nottingham over the weekend and enjoyed walking in our Winter Wonderland . . . here she visits the festive Christmas Market in Old Market Square, and takes to the ice on the outdoor ice rink.  Starting off on the walk down from my apartment, I was greeted by a giant helter skelter that had a bar at the bottom of it. Located next to this was a series of little wooden huts with snow topped roofs. From arts and crafts to yummy cupcakes – I spotted one of my all-time favourite Christmas stalls selling orange and cinnamon Christmas decorations and wreathes. Ranging about £6-20 depending on what you buy, each year I opted for the heart shaped Christmas decoration to hang on my door – and it smells incredible too! Next up we paid a visit to a cute little stall that specialises in different types of cheeses including local cheeses such as Stilton, they had a range of tasty cheeses to sample. As we strolled further down into Old Market Square, we were greeted by the mouth-watering smell of the hog roast stall. As we approached even more twinkling lights, we were greeted by Christmas songs, and quickly came across the most amazing chocolate and sweet stand! Filled with yummy treats such as candy canes, chocolate apples and fudge - I couldn't help buy some of the peanut butter fudge - delicious!! One thing that I love about the Nottingham market, in comparison to others, is that they incorporate traditional fairground rides - such as a carousel and hook-a-Rudolf – adding to the overall festive fun. Finally, through the snowy roofs of the huts, I saw the 60ft Christmas tree with groups of people ice skating around it. In all honestly, this had been the thing that I was most looking forward to! There is nothing more Christmassy than skating round a twinkling tree and listening to Christmas songs. As we put on our skates, we made our (shaky) attempts around the outdoor ice rink for the next 50 minutes. Relieved to make it off in one piece, we decided to treat ourselves to a tasty hot chocolate with all the trimmings (yes, I’m talking cream and marshmallows) to take on our walk home. You can enjoy the festivities at Nottingham's Winter Wonderland until 4 January 2015. It is free to walk around the Christmas market, and prices for the ice rink are £8.50pp for adults and £6.50pp for under-12s.