First World War Trenches Rebuilt at Sherwood Pines

Yesterday, we visited Sherwood Pines in the county of Nottinghamshire, UK which is the largest forest in the East Midlands area.

It's a good day out if you are a nature lover. They have lots of activities here such as Go Ape, going from tree to tree on ziplines, you can also hire a bike or take your own, try forest segways, visit the café or even camp here.

There is also an interactive Gruffalo family trail that teaches you about life in the forest for the Gruffalo and other inhabitants, but in a fun way.

The land was originally owned by the Duke of Portland, who offered it for military use during World War I, becoming known as the Clipstone Camp, which became the largest training facility in the country.Source

We decided to have a walk and explore the recreation of the trenches from the Great War in 1914 - 1918. Unfortunately, the signage was very poor so we ended up walking around in a circle before we finally found the trenches with a big information board outside saying, '"a day in the life of Frontline Tommy" referring to the Thompson rifle nicknamed the Tommy Gun.

There were touching exerpts from a soldier's diary.

After reading some of the information boards, we walked down the steps into the trench, trying not to get entangled in the camouflage netting over the top.

The trench was quite small, so you were in and out before you knew it.

The most interesting part for me was seeing the original trenches complete with original 'ammo' boxes next door. Unfortunately, it was fenced off, so we couldn't get too close.

It was a nice place to visit with lots going off whatever age you are. Apart from a brief shower, the weather behaved itself. It was just a pity about the extortionate parking fees.