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Call the sheriff! OutUK's Adrian Gillan takes a trip to the East Midlands
to visit Nottingham where gay boys in the ‘hood had better watch out.
Boys beware: Nottingham’s scene is awash with male youths but also with a refreshing and seemingly inexplicable number of gay girls on a scale one must see to believe - a kind of inland Midland Lesbos, sucking ladies in from surrounding shires. You'd best start off relaxed so check out one of the city's best gay cafes, the Broadway Café Bar is a spacious mixed haunt beneath the cinema that hosts the annual Lesbian & Gay Film Festival whenever that hits town, offering a wide choice of snacks and a great range of candle-lit booze. |
Eating out in Nottingham. |
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Jaunt north and call in at the New Foresters, a fine refurbished gay
community hub now largely occupied by boisterous lasses with male guests in tow,
the start of a Notts theme one fast discovers! Due south again and The Lord Roberts
is a predominantly gay pub next to a theatre attracting a lovie loved-up crowd.
The Newmarket is as you would expect, based in the New Market area. It's the perfect bar to warm up for a trek around town. You might even get tempted to stay all night as they have some great music, what many people describe as an awesome atmosphone and some rather beautiful bartenders. NG-ONE, close by, is the town's best known nightclub with four bars, two dance floors - one R&B/Pop, the other House - and a chill-out area for the ultra-cool. The loos are again quite unique with unisex scrubbing troughs, and the crowd is typically young and mixed. The club used to be exclusively gay but nowadays attracts a regular crowd. Gladrags is a Nottingham based LGBTQ+ club-night celebrating music, fashion & culture. They organise a whole variety of different nights at clubs throughout Nottingham, in particular Popworld and Rough Trade. Axolotl Full Throttle, Mellow Drama and Bin Bag are just a few of the drag queens who join them on a regular basis. Their facebook page has full details of what's on. | |
ADVICE AND PRIDENotts LGBT+ Network is a helpline based in the Nottingham Voluntary Action Centre. They provide information and support to many LGBT and associated communities in the county. You can call them from 7pm to 9.15 pm Mondays to Fridays on 0115 934 8485. Here's how you can get in contact with Notts LGBT+ Network. |
 Tram passing Nottingham City Hall Photo: CaronB |
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Nottinghamshire Pride celebrations in the city take place at the end of July each year and is the largest event of its kind in the
East Midlands. Over 8,000 people from Nottingham.s diverse population and visitors from all over the country fill the streets for the
annual celebration that gives the LGBT+ community enormous visibility, a vibrant platform to educate people on LGBT+ issues and a safe
place for LGBT+ people to meet a range of incredibly supportive organisations. Find out more about
Nottinghamshire Pride.
The Pride Shop Nottingham is a LGBTQ+ run coffee and cake shop which sits alongside their retail space selling LGBT+ items. The coffee shop has a range of cakes and some lunch options too. They have a selection of board games and puzzles for guests to play and use whilst with at the venue. You're also welcome to donate a game you no longer need for others to use. They operate a Pay It Forward Scheme where, if you can, you can donate a coffee to someone. On the counter there is a jar of hearts. If you’d like to donate a coffee simply give one to a member of staff. They will add an extra coffee to your bill and the heart will go into the Coffee Hearts jar – where anyone can pick up a free coffee if they need it – no questions asked. Great idea. HOT AND STEAMYDuring the first lockdown, ClubZeus Sauna & Spa, a gay sauna in Mansfield - about a 30 min drive from Nottingham, underwent a full refurbishment. Their building isn't massive, but they pack in all of the facilties you would find in other saunas. The club spans over three floors - and has 6 decent sized private rooms, a large sauna cabin, a large steam room and a Jacuzzi. The top floor houses gloryholes, a St Andrews cross, a sling, some other play cabins and an Amsterdam room. They also have a very low lit room, with a spin the bottom table and stocks. The venue has an outdoor terrace, where you can smoke or soak up the sun. They welcome gay and trans guys and it's not a problem to wear what you want - apart from their Naked Days! Lube is free and so are the condoms. | |
 Robin Hood Statue, Nottingham Castle Photo: fantail |
OUT AND ABOUTFor those with a car seeking authentic forest fun can try Thieves Wood: just take the A60 from Nottingham past Newstead Abbey and then follow the B6020 towards Kirkby. The second turning on the right veers to the left into the woods. The car park is up on the left and there are several clear fairy trails to lead you to your fancy. Otherwise, try the riverside down by Trent Bridge.Nottingham is approximately 1¾ hours from London St Pancras or Londn Kings Cross by East Midlands Railway. |
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Revised April 2025. |
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