Where to scatter ashes in Nottingham

For many people, scattering ashes is a deeply personal moment. It can be a really meaningful way to say goodbye, and it’s important to take time to plan ahead and ensure you choose the right location for you and your loved one.

While some people choose to keep ashes at home in an urn, many people scatter ashes around natural beauty spots, usually places that have special memories attached to them. 

Scattering ashes is a great way of honouring your loved ones and in the UK people are generally allowed to scatter ashes anywhere. This can be along a river, in the sea, under a tree, at the beach or even on private land.

To scatter ashes in the sea or in a river then you do not need to have permission, but there are some guidelines to follow, and it’s recommended you seek advice from the environmental agency. For places inland it’s generally safe, but there are guidelines in place to protect nature and permission may need to be granted from the landowner. 

As Nottingham is home to beautiful woodland and is on the route of the River Trent, there are many places for families and friends to scatter ashes, from Bunny Old Wood to Cotgrave Country Park.

Find your funeral director in Nottingham who will help you arrange a cremation and give you ideas of a meaningful place to scatter your loved one's ashes.

The River Trent is the third-longest river in the UK. The river starts in Staffordshire on the southern edge of Biddulph Moor and flows through most of the metropolitan areas of the Midlands.

It passes through Stoke-on-Trent, Stone, Rugeley, Burton-upon-Trent and Nottingham before flowing into the River Ouse at Trent Falls and forming the Humber Estuary. This estuary then flows into the North Sea between Hull in Yorkshire and Immingham in Lincolnshire. The way the river flows has often been described as a way of separating the Midlands from the north of England.

The River Trent is also a beautiful place to scatter your loved one's ashes and can be done so easily by hiring a boat through Trent River Cruises. The Trent Lady can carry 74 passengers, but for safety reasons, they recommend 40-50 passengers as the ideal number to have aboard. 

The boat has a well-stocked bar, so you can raise a toast to your loved one’s memory, and there is disabled access on the upper deck of the boat only. 

Trent River Cruises also offer a Private Charter Package for the scattering of a loved one’s ashes. These cruises are generally an hour long and take you to a beautiful, secluded section of the river, so you can scatter your loved one’s ashes in privacy, and with the space and silence to reflect. 

While not being officially designated as ancient woodland, Bunny Old Wood has a rich history indeed. It is mentioned in the Domesday Book and may have been used as a source of wood for Saxon settlers. Henry VII and his army also camped nearby on their way to the Battle of East Stoke in 1487. 

You’ll find many coppiced ash here, as well as field maple. There are around 50 species of bird recorded at Bunny Old Wood, with great and lesser spotted woodpeckers among the species. Bunny Old Wood is certainly a beautiful and enchanting place to scatter your loved one's ashes. 

The woods cover 16 hectares, and there is no fee to enter. There is also limited parking available to the right of the main gates to the woods, which need to be kept clear. Additionally, there are walking trails with numbered posts and separate trail guides are available in the car park. 

You can bring dogs with you to the woods, as long as they are kept on a lead. The woods are also open at all times, but the best times to visit include spring when the bluebells are in spring, and summer where you can spot butterflies and wood anemones in bloom. 

Cotgrave is a town located in the borough of Rushcliffe in Nottinghamshire, 5 miles southeast of the centre of Nottingham. It is on the edge of the South Nottinghamshire Wolds and covers 200 acres of landscaped grassland, woodland, wetland areas, and lakes you can explore either via foot, bike or on horseback.

Cotgrave Country Park is a beautiful, tranquil place to scatter the ashes of your loved one. You could bring your family and friends and spend time sharing stories of your loved one before finding a quiet, meaningful spot to scatter their ashes.