Daneshill Gravel Pits (North) Nature Reserve
Introduction
Daneshill Gravel Pits (North) is an area of disused and flooded gravel pits covering 16 hectares. The reserve is leased from Nottinghamshire County Council and is part of a Local Nature Reserve, which was established in 1985. The site includes important areas of marginal vegetation and willow woodland habitat.
About the reserve
The footpaths around the reserve have been recently upgraded, improving access to the reserve. A tree-planting scheme was undertaken as part of a County Council restoration project. The site has a range of habitats, including open water, damp willow woodland, drier woodland and scrub, and rabbit-grazed dry grassland. There is a wide variety of flowering plants, including wetland species such as bog stitchwort, rigid hornwort, water figwort, reed canary-grass, water plantain and the non-native New Zealand pigmyweed. Dry grassland species include sheep's sorrel, bird's-foot-trefoil, changing forget-me-not, common bent, fern-grass and agrimony. Dry woodland and scrub occurs around the periphery of the site and includes oak, birch, blackthorn, hawthorn, rowan and gorse, with wood sage and foxglove on sunny edges. Bramble and gorse attract interesting invertebrates including good numbers of butterflies such as brimstone, common blue, meadow brown, gatekeeper and ringlet. The acid nature of the soil supports an interesting moss and liverwort community.
Good numbers of willow warbler, whitethroat and blackcap are present in summer, and in winter siskin, water rail and goldcrest may be seen. A range of wildfowl occurs outside the breeding season. This is also a good site for damselflies and dragonflies, and grass snakes are present but rarely seen.
Conservation Management
Up to now, management activity has been largely restricted to upkeep of the path system. In future the intention is to clear some of the dense wooded edges of the gravel pit.
How to get there
The reserve (Grid ref. SK 666867) is on the north side of the minor road from Torworth to Lound, off the A638 north of Retford. There is limited space to park adjacent to the entrance gate but there is a car park in the council run section of Daneshill Lakes on the opposite side of the road.
Further Information
If you would like further details about the reserve, or if you are interested in getting involved in the management of the site, please call the Nottinghamshire Wildlife Trust Office on 0115 958 8242.
