Zig Zag Tours

09/08/2024

Weather looking good for tomorrow's tree tour.

08/08/2024

08/08/2024

This Saturday 1.30pm-4.30pm, a lovely little bike tour around Nottingham, celebrating our glorious trees.

https://zigzag.tours/tours/tree-weelin-an-exploration-of-trees-in-nottingham

26/07/2024

Few tickets left for our tree exploration tour on the 10th August, everyone welcome.

22/07/2024

FERMENT, DESIGN AND TRESPASS

Walking TOUR

Date: Friday 11th-13th October

Where: Hathersage youth hostel

Difficulty: easy/medium

Highlights: Trespass, Fermentation, Autumnal scenes, Good food and Design

Friday 11th 3pm 2/3miles easy

After checking in at the hostel, our resident artist Chiara will lead a local exploration around Hathersage, among the explosion of autumnal delights of the peaks and all the nourishing fruits with health benefits, before she leads the Fermentation Extravaganza.

Can eating bring us closer to our bodies? What can it teach us about our connection with the land and the soil? This workshop provides a hands-on introduction to the art of fermentation and other natural preserving methods. Over the course of the session, you will be introduced to the history, health benefits and methods of these techniques, while using a range of ingredients to create your own edible stories to take away at the end of the workshop.

Saturday 12th ,12 miles and intermediate level of walking required

Don't forget to bring your beret, as we recreate the legendary Kinder Scout Mass Trespass.

On the 24th April 1932, activists from numerous Marxist sports clubs approached Kinder Scout to protest against the great landed estates who restricted the public from accessing their land (most of the Peak District that we know and love today).

Violent scuffles broke out with gamekeepers and several of the 'trespassers' were arrested. But it is said the protests paved the way for the 1949 National Parks Act.

We will follow in the footsteps of the trespassers, as Zig Zag Tours' Toby Ebbs recounts the background to the event, also considering the wider context of communist activism on the eve of the Spanish Civil War (many of those who were on Kinder Scout that day went on to fight Franco in Spain).

Sunday 4 miles easy

We don't have to rush to pack everything up we can have another relaxing breakfast before rambling down to towards the river Derwent.

Saria, as well as being head chef and designer of Zig Zag Tours will now guide us through her appreciation of gates (WHO KNEW?) and the design of everyday things that are often over looked but all around us.

We will then visit the fantastic design museum of David Mellor where we have a tour of the factory. £5

Included.

2x nights stay with breakfast at Hathersage hostel

2x Aperitivo and evening meals

3x fantastic tours.

Single private room £220 (limited availability)

Private double room £380

Private double room with en suite £425

Family room for up to 6 people £750

Bed in shared dorm £170pp

Own Camper Van £170

Dogs are welcome but YHA chargers £30.

If you would like to stay an extra night on the Sunday we will be charging an additional £30pp. No tours planned on monday but we can still have more Zig Zag fun on sunday night.

For booking please email Toby and Anthony on [email protected]

https://zigzag.tours/tours/ferment-design-and-trespass

27/06/2024

Back by popular demand, another chance to witness Nekki entertain you and take you to some lesser known places of Nottingham and discover some amazing trees.

CYCLING TOUR

Date: Saturday 10 August

Time: 13:30 – 16:00

Start: Nottingham Train Station, NG2 3AQ

Finish: Nottingham Train Station (or a nice pub)

Difficulty: easy

Distance: 5/6 miles

Surface: hard surface, cycle paths, moderate motor traffic in some parts, suitable for new comers, family, everyone.

Highlights: all the trees.

Paul Paine, our go to tour guide for all things trees, will take you to see a wide range of trees from majestic oaks and chestnuts in Wollaton park, to hidden fruit trees on the University Campus. We will also identify trees of riversides, urban environments and hedgerows along the route.

Paul will amuse you with facts and stories of these fantastic and ancient trees that we love so much but are always in constant danger of being removed.

This ride is suitable for all ages and abilities, just need an interest in trees. We will have a half way cafe break and most likely go for a social drink after the tour to discuss our findings and celebrate our trees.

Paul Paine is a permaculture gardening expert, you can usually find him at the community gardens at St Anns Allotments teaching, growing and cooking wholesome food.

https://zigzag.tours/tours/tree-weelin-an-exploration-of-trees-in-nottingham

20/05/2024

A full weekend of tours, an exploration of trees tour and a priavte for tour for the Green Meadows. Over 50 new zig zaggers exploring Notts by bike. Thanks for everyone that came.

13/05/2024

See Nottinghams best tress in there full glory this Saturday. Last few tickets remaining

Tree Wheelin. An Exploration of Trees in Nottingham

CYCLING TOUR

Date: Saturday 18 May 1.30pm-4.00pm

Start: Nottingham Train Station

End: Nottingham Train Station (or a nice pub)

Difficulty: easy

Distance: 5/6 miles

Surface: hard surface, cycle path, moderate motor traffic in some parts, suitable for new comers.

Highlights: all the trees.

Paul Paine, our go to tour guide for all things trees, will take you to see a wide range of trees from majestic oaks and chestnuts in Wollaton park, to hidden fruit trees on the University Campus. We will also identify trees of riversides, urban environments and hedgerows along the route.

Paul will amuse you with facts and stories of these fantastic and ancient trees that we love so much but are always in constant danger of being removed.

This ride is suitable for all ages and abilities, just need an interest in trees. We will have a half way cafe break and most likely go for a social drink after the tour to discuss our findings and celebrate our trees.

Paul Paine is a permaculture gardening expert, you can usually find him at the community gardens at St Anns Allotments teaching, growing and cooking wholesome food.

To Book visit

www.zigzag.tours

15/04/2024

Guided tours of Nottingham

08/04/2024

New Tour, and one not to be missed.

WALKING TOUR

Date: Saturday 27 April

Time: 13:30 – 16:00

Start: Nottingham Contemporary, NG1 2GB

Finish: Jamcafé, NG1 3AA

Difficulty: easy

Distance: 1 or 2 miles

Highlights: abandoned buildings, Squirearchy, People's Hall, Lace Market.

Zig Zag Tours, with the kind permission of the owner, temporarily has the keys to one of Nottingham's most important Georgian Townhouses – the Grade II* listed People's Hall: for years empty and unused (although still maintained), it is now the subject of a very exciting restoration project led by the Nottingham Historic Building Trust. Join us to explore this neo-classical masterpiece with its sumptuous interiors.

The tour of the building will include a 'deep dive' into the viability issues surrounding historic building restoration, the conservation deficit, how to access grant funding and potential new uses for the building (we welcome your ideas).

To get us in the mood for the tour of the building, we will walk from the Lace Market to the People's Hall in Hockley, taking in Nottingham's finest Georgian townhouses along the way. Toby Ebbs will lead the tour, informed by the most comprehensive guide to Nottingham's Georgian townhouses ever written (Historic England 2005), as well as JD Chambers' fantastically titled Nottinghamshire in the 18th century, a study of life under the squirearchy.

The 'Squirearchy'. What a word! We cannot get enough of the Squirearchy.

Join us for an afternoon stroll and an exploration of a building you've probably seen many times before but never been inside!

To book visit https://zigzag.tours/tours/georgian-townhouses-of-nottingham

Or link in bio.

02/04/2024

Tours in Melton Mowbray

14/03/2024

Tree Wheelin. An Exploration of Trees in Nottingham

CYCLING TOUR

Date: Saturday 18 May 1.30pm-4.00pm

Start: Nottingham Train Station

End: Nottingham Train Station (or a nice pub)

Difficulty: easy

Distance: 5/6 miles

Surface: hard surface, cycle path, moderate motor traffic in some parts, suitable for new comers.

Highlights: all the trees.

Paul Paine, our go to tour guide for all things trees, will take you to see a wide range of trees from majestic oaks and chestnuts in Wollaton park, to hidden fruit trees on the University Campus. We will also identify trees of riversides, urban environments and hedgerows along the route.

Paul will amuse you with facts and stories of these fantastic and ancient trees that we love so much but are always in constant danger of being removed.

This ride is suitable for all ages and abilities, just need an interest in trees. We will have a half way cafe break and most likely go for a social drink after the tour to discuss our findings and celebrate our trees.

Paul Paine is a permaculture gardening expert, you can usually find him at the community gardens at St Anns Allotments teaching, growing and cooking wholesome food.

To Book visit

www.zigzag.tours

11/03/2024

11/03/2024

BIKEPACKING HOLIDAY

Zig Zag will be leading a tour to explore an extraordinary area of the Peak District National Park, cycling through open countryside with big skies and a unique festival based in the ancient walls of the Watts Russel Arms in Alstonfield.

Date: Friday 10 – Sunday 12 May

Start/Finish: Nottingham Train Station

Difficulty: Medium

Distance:

Day 1: 43 miles

Day 2: 15 miles

Day 3: 42 miles

Highlights: quirky festivals, ancient pubs, scenic rides, chilled camping, bike packing.

OVERVIEW

Lost in the Hills is an annual live music and arts festival with a line up of contemporary and eclectic live music. For more information and the festival line up click here.

Zig Zag will be leading a ride to the festival from Nottingham and back along old waterways, parks, bridal ways and epic scenery. We will ride leisurely with plenty of stops so we can take in the ride and conversation.

ITINERARY

Friday 10 May: we will meet at 10.30am at Nottingham Station and cycle leisurely to Alstonfield via Derby to arrive around 3/4pm at the campsite, put our tents up and head down to the festival.

Saturday 11 May: if you are feeling active we have a superb ride planned up and down old railway lines and lovely villages before the festival starts again around 3pm.

Sunday 12 May: we will have a leisurely morning start before heading back to Nottingham via Cromford and the High Peak Trail to arrive around 4/5pm at Nottingham Train Station.

PRICING

Festival and camping ticket £75pp

E-bike hire for the weekend £70pp

Please bring your own camping gear, pannier rack and bags are recommended. If you are unsure how to carry your camping gear on your bike, please get in touch and we can help.

The tour will be accompanied by a bike mechanic.

BOOKINGS & ENQUIRES

If you are interested in booking or have any questions, please get in touch via email at [email protected].

26/02/2024

Upcoming Walking Tour.

African Enslavement and the Historic Development of Nottingham

Date: Saturday 16th March 2024

Start/Finish: Nottingham Tourist centre, The Navigation

Difficulty: Easy walking tour

Distance. 2/3 miles around the city centre

Join ZigZag Tours to learn about the contribution of enslaved African people to the historic development of Nottingham. Though far from Britain’s port cities, Nottingham has strong connections to the transatlantic slave economy. Discover enslavers in unexpected places and famous sites of commerce that you didn’t know thrived from African enslavement. Encounter people of African descent, past and present, who have contested enslavement and its legacies, and learn about their interventions in Nottingham’s commemorative landscape.

The tour is led by historian Dr James Dawkins, former member of the Legacies of British Slave-ownership project at University College London, and Dr Susanne Seymour, Deputy Director of the Institute for the Study of Slavery at the University of Nottingham.

The cost of this tour is £12 and 75% of the proceeds will be donated to Standing In This Place.

Standing In This Place is an arts and heritage project co-created by sculptor Rachel Carter & the Legacy Makers, in response to the work of the Legacy Makers group Est. 2014 by Bright Ideas Nottingham and the collaborative community-academic Global Cotton Connections project.

It looks to highlight the contributions and connections between white mill workers and black enslaved women uprooted to the Americas, showing how their stories and histories are connected by cotton, sorrow, strength and resilience.

For more information please visit. https://www.standinginthisplace.co.uk/about

To Book your place on this tour please click
https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/african-enslavement-and-the-historic-development-of-nottingham-tickets-850667337907

16/02/2024

Raleigh UK history talk at Bromley House

Get your tickets now for Raleigh - an iconic brand by Bromley House Library on 06/03/24 in Bromley House Library, Nottingham

12/02/2024

Lost in the Wolds Weekender.

CYCLING TOURS HOLIDAY

Date: Thursday 13 , Friday 14, Saturday 15, Sunday 16 June

Start/Finish: Lusby, Lincolnshire PE23 4JB

Difficulty: medium 45-65 km a day

Highlights: lost villages, foraging, area of outstanding natural beauty.

OVERVIEW

Do the names Hagworthingham, Ashby Puerorum, Skendley Psalter, Scanelsby, Calcethorpe and Belchford ring any bells? Can you even pronounce some of them? Perhaps not, but these are all magical places tucked deep inside the Lincolnshire Wolds; an area with some of the most beautiful and unspolit scenery of our very own Midlands region.

Rolling hills, golden sandy beaches, some of the earliest post-Roman brick buildings in the UK, Hansaetic League market towns, deserted medieval villages, and on top of all that it is ‘An Area of Outstanding National Beauty (AONB)’. Why haven’t we been here before?

It is time to get Lost in the Wolds on the legendary Zig Zag Summer Weekender. This year we’ve gone and booked out a Manor House (check out the photos) – Airbnb describes it as ‘Beautiful Victorian Elegance’. A change of scenery from our usual YHA affair, single and double rooms are limited so book early if you want your own space.

ITINERARY

Thursday 13th June
Evening arrivals and welcome dinner.

Friday 14th June

Foraging artist Chiara Dellerba will lead a culinary themed adventure, dedicated entirely to art and weeds; for dinner we cook together what we forage.

Distance: 35km

Elevation: 200m

Saturday 15th June

Our resident Zig Zag archaeologist Jason Mordan and conservation architect Simon Middlecote will be opening our eyes to the ancient neolithic burial mounds and shrunken medieval villages.

Distance: 65km

Elevation: 450m

Sunday 16th June

Zig Zag co-founder Toby Ebbs will finish the weekend off by making use of one his all-time favourite monographs: ‘Parliamentary Enclosure & New Lincolnshire Landscapes’ (1987) which he assures you is more exciting than it sounds. Before the tour, we will pack up, move vehicles and luggage, and return later in the day to collect everything.

For more info and how to book please visit our website www.zigzag.tours or link in bio.

24/01/2024

If you have been yearning for some historic content, Toby has some new videos on his Architectural Oddities YouTube page.

To celebrate International Women’s History Month (March 2023), Architectural Oddities joined Boots Archivist Sophie Clapp and the architectural historian Ela...

12/12/2023

7 th DECEMBER 2023 – ZIG ZAG’S FESTIVE PUB CRAWL OF
MANSFIELD ROAD VICTORIAN PUBS WITH INFORMED
COMMENTARY BY NICK MOLYNEUX (CAMRA) AND TASTY
TITBITS BY ANTHONY AND SARIA

Use it – or loose it. A well-known phrase that so often lies behind a
simple truth - that nothing stays the same for long.

My notes for Zig Zag’s end of year celebration tell me that in 1868 –
the thirtieth year of Queen Victoria’s reign – Nottingham had 548
pubs. There must be far fewer than that now.
Forms of entertainment and socialising, even sources of drink are
vastly different from those available 100 years ago. It’s cheaper and
easier to buy drink from a supermarket and knock it back in front of
the telly with a portion of chips – but if you do, the public, social,
convivial aspect of public houses is completely absent, lost, totally
defunct.

Determined to put a halt to the demise any more pubs, we started
last Thursday in ‘The Peacock’, a smart and stylishly refurbished
Victorian pub at 11 Mansfield Road. As I arrived a little late, the
usual buzzy ZigZag atmosphere of lively chat (in at least 3
languages) was already in full swing, aided by the delicious home-
cooked food.

Despite the rain, we moved off eventually ‘round the back’ so to
speak to admire the architecture of ‘The Playwright’ in Shakespeare

Street and then moved off up North Sherwood Street to ‘The Hole
in the Wall’. We didn’t go in - but as always before, during and after
ZigZag’s inspiring urban pub tours, I resolved once more to find a
place in my life for more of Nottingham’s beautiful pubs more
regularly. I keep realising how much I’m missing.
Next back to Mansfield Road, where we saw how easily iconic pubs
are lost. Not always by failure to use, but because property
developers can make more money out of conversions. There used to
be several pubs in the area with the words ‘Nag’s Head’ in the name –
but now none. Directly opposite, as we emerged into Mansfield Road,
was one such - now converted into student lodgings, but still
retaining the iron gate leading to the rear coach yard.
The last two Mansfield Road pubs we visited – ‘The Golden Fleece’
and ‘The Lincolnshire Poacher’ – combined both distinctiveness and
similarity. I used to visit the latter often because an upper room was
the venue of a discussion group I belonged to till it folded. Both
pubs had the classic island bar area, a large variety of tasty beers,
excellent home cooked food menus, a buzzy, chatty atmosphere and
clearly a good number of regular customers – using and so not losing.
They were only superficially alike, but still for quite a while I
thought the former was the latter. The architectural layout of both
buildings is intriguing, with nooks, crannies, corners, stairs, steps
and seats in secluded alcoves for chats that chatters prefer to keep
private.
And you could argue that “The Lincolnshire Poacher” was responsible
for the loss of a Victorian Mansfield Road pub because it was
formed by combining two separate businesses, one being one of
those “Nag’s Heads”. You can still see the join.

As always, ZigZag’s excellent urban tours encourages me to get out
more (even in winter!) and into more of our atmospheric pubs –
especially since I now know where so many are.

David Shackleton December 2023

Blurry photos by Zig Zag Media

01/12/2023

Last 5 tickets for our crimbo pub crawl, just imagine zig zagging up mansfield road with 30 other people sinking pints!

Victorian pubs of Mansfield Road

Date: Thu, 7 Dec, 6:00 pm

Location: The Peacock

https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/victorian-pubs-of-mansfield-road-tickets-770229034777

19/11/2023

Last chance to book early bird tickets for our famous Christmas pub crawl, we may have a subterranean exploration as well! www.zigzag.tours for tickets. Limited supply.

08/11/2023

Victorian pubs of Mansfield road

Our annual Zig Zag Christmas party is upon us and we have organised an expert in pubs and beer to give us a talk about Victorian pubs at the newly refurbished Peacock before meandering up Mansfield road to sample some fine ales and hear tales from pubs past and present.
Lets support our pubs!

Thursday 7th December 17.45-late
EARLY BIRD TICKETS £6.50 includes pub tapas to line the stomach.

to book

https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/victorian-pub-crawl-of-mansfield-road-tickets-754490018957?aff=oddtdtcreator&_gl=1%2A1lieu39%2A_up%2AMQ..%2A_ga%2AMTQ5NDI4OTQ0Ni4xNjk5NDQ2MzY0%2A_ga_TQVES5V6SH%2AMTY5OTQ0NjM2My4xLjEuMTY5OTQ0NjM3My4wLjAuMA..

07/11/2023

A fantastic water colour from our abandoned buildings tour earlier this year. The artist has an exhibition running in Wirksworth this month.

29/10/2023

The conversation was flowing non stop in response to Tobys findings on our tour. We departed Soho Square passing trough Dean Street, Highgate cemetery, Kentish Town and The Gypsy Queen then back into the west end for a stop at the remarkable Fitzroy Tavern to talk further about Marxism and Capitol.
As always it's the enthusiastic groups with the thirst of knowledge that makes these tours question the way we live our lives.

23/10/2023

We have a fantastic tour Karl Marx tour laid out for this Saturday 28th with some fantastic sights and great stops, we also made it into the as pick of te week. More info on the link in bio, few tickets still available https://londonist.com/london/things-to-do/things-to-do-this-week-in-london-23-29-october-2023

02/10/2023

Sunsets, harvest moons, biblical rain, humit caves, amazing humans and more stones than you can shake a stick at. Zigzag embarked on a hike around Derbyshires neolithic heritage led by an inspiring antiquarian Simon Middlecote Thanks to everyone that made the weekend a fantastic mini adventure.

18/09/2023

Ohhhh some rare tickets for the Fothergill tour 12th Oct.

Join tour guide Lucy Brouwer to explore the Nottingham city centre buildings of Victorian architect Watson Fothergill.

15/08/2023

https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/the-prehistoric-landscape-of-eyam-moor-tickets-698891010827?aff=oddtdtcreator

A full day 8-10-mile circular walk from Eyam exploring the prehistoric landscape and the hidden valley of Bretton Clough.

06/08/2023

Architects of the Neolithic Friday 29th September - Sunday 1st of October

Exploring the stone circles, henges and burial mounds of the Peak District. A two day walking tour of connected sacred monuments across an epic landscape which has been shaped by humans for thousands of years.

We’ll explore how the architects of the neolithic revolution kick started the human interventions that moulded the Peaks we see today and delve into a hidden valley to find a refuge that shows how the landscape could be restored.

You’re guides for this adventure are long-socked Architect and neolithic enthusiast Simon Middlecote and long-haired archaeologist and historic building expert Jason Mordan.

Itinerary

Prologue - Friday 29 th September

A late afternoon 3 mile circular walk to the hilltop chambered cairns at Minning Low

Day 1 – Saturday 30 th September

A visit to Arbor Low henge and stone circle. (The Stonehenge of the north!)

An 8 mile circular walk from Elton. Exploring a hill fort, stone circles and bronze age art work (if we can find it!)

Day 2 – Sunday 1 st October

A full day 8-10 mile circular walk from Eyam exploring the prehistoric landscape of Eyam Moor before seeking refuge in the hidden valley of Bretton Clough

Based in Youlgreave YHA for the weekend we will arrive at the hostel for around 3pm and have a short prologue walk before our welcome dinner in the hostel cooked by our in house chef.

If you cannot join us for the weekend or have alternative accommodation you can join us for just the day

We have a mixture of accommodations in the hostel, dorms, a group room and double rooms.

Prices:

Dorm room. £175 pp

Double room £235 pp

Group room £175pp

Single day tour £18

Price includes 2 nights accommodation, breakfasts, one evening meal and all three tours.

If you are interested in booking for have any questions please get in touch via email [email protected]

We will be leading a bike ride from Nottingham to Youlgreave on the Friday morning for those that need a Zig Zag bike fix.........