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You are here: Home / Information / Nottingham for a Holiday?

Nottingham for a Holiday?

April 20, 2014 By Mike Sedgwick 5 Comments

You would not go to Nottingham for a holiday would you? It is said to be the murder capital of the UK. Cricket lovers go for test matches at Trent Bridge and there is the legend of Robin Hood.

We went to visit a friend and found a delightful haven at the Attenborough Nature Centre & Reserve. It is a mere 5 miles from the city centre.

The nature reserve was opened by Sir David Attenborough. It occupies 145 hectares beside the river Trent on the site of former gravel beds. To our advantage there are paths around smooth enough for a wheelchair; our friend is paraplegic.

Sir David Attenborough. The opening of Newton and Arkwright, Nottingham Trent University. The official opening of Newton and Arkwright building by Sir David Attenborough on Wednesday 18 May 2011.
Sir David Attenborough. Image by Nottingham Trent University via Flickr.

There is a decent café and education centre and along the paths there are bird hides where you can pause for serious bird watching.

The flooded gravel lakes are home to water fowl of many species. We saw an Egyptian duck (Alpochen aegyptica), which is said to be a pest. It is native to Egypt (you guessed that, didn’t you?) but some were brought here and now breed. It has very pink legs. The Grebe are a delight and then there are the usual mallard and swans.

Birdwatching. Attenborough Nature Centre & Reserve in  Nottingham. <a href="http://www.attenboroughnaturecentre.co.uk/">Attenborough Nature Centre & Reserve</a>.
Birdwatching

For a while we watched a large black bird perched in a tree. I was convinced we were looking at a plastic bag stuck on a branch until it flew away. We think it was a heron.

There are reed beds and reed loving birds but we did not get to see them. There is said to be Bittern but we did not hear one booming. You need patience, warm clothing and a good pair of binoculars.

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Of course we are well provided with bird watching locations around Chandler’s Ford, even our gardens are havens for woodland varieties. I did not expect to find such a good site so near to Nottingham by the Trent where even the hides are wheel chair accessible. Well done, the Nottinghamshire Wildlife Trust who own and run the site.

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Tags: education, nature, photography, recommendations, review, social, travel, walking, wildlife

About Mike Sedgwick

Retired, almost. Lived in Chandler's Ford for 20 years. Like sitting in the garden with a beer on sunny days. Also reading, writing and flying a glider. Interested in promoting science.

I work hard as a Grandfather and have a part time job in Kandy, Sri Lanka for the winter months. Married to a beautiful woman and between us we have two beautiful daughters and 3 handsome sons.

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Comments

  1. Ruby says

    April 21, 2014 at 10:09 am

    That black bird was probably a cormorant. They often stand with wings outstretched to dry their feathers, and do look like tatty bin liners from a distance.

    There is a similar location nearer to home run by the Hampshire and Isle of Wight Wildlife Trust: Blashford Lakes, a couple of miles north of Ringwood.

    Reply
  2. Hazel Bateman says

    April 21, 2014 at 11:31 am

    I will put this site on the list for our retirement travels. Can you take a dog round?

    Reply

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