Erewash Valley Living Landscape

Erewash Meadows, Kate Lemon

Urban sprawl meets wild open spaces

The Erewash Valley Living Landscape is a shared vision.

Here we work with Nottinghamshire Wildlife Trust and other partner organisations.

The River Erewash forms the boundary between Derbyshire and Nottinghamshire and partners from both counties are working towards a vision of a Living Landscape in the area.

Coal mining and mineral extraction have made their mark on the landscape, and while much industry has now gone, this is still a largely urban area.

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Many of the habitats reflect the industrial past, from wetlands created in former gravel extraction pits at Attenborough to Derbyshire Wildlife Trust's newest nature reserve, Woodside, which is on the site of the former Woodside Colliery at Shipley.

The river and canal form important wildlife corridors. The Erewash Canal supports rich plant life, as well as grass snakes and water voles. The river was recently found to support an important population of native white-clawed crayfish.

We will be encouraging and advising local businesses to manage their land for wildlife and to support local initiatives.

The Erewash Valley Trail

We are a partner in the Erewash Valley Trail project.

The trail was opened in 2010 and the partnership is now looking at developing other projects in the area.

Highland cattle at Woodside Farm, Gavin Henderson

Highland cattle by Gavin Henderson

Here we farm

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Nature reserves in this Living Landscapes

We have lots of beautiful nature reserves for you to explore in the Erewash Valley Living Landscape, take a peek at our top three...

Nature Reserve

Erewash Meadows

Part of the largest area of floodplain grasslands and wetlands in the Erewash Valley - great for bird watching and water voles.

Nature Reserve

Woodside

The Trust’s farm - on the Nutbrook Trail next to Shipley Country Park is home to many farmland birds, wild flowers including orchids,…

Nature Reserve

Mapperley Wood

The narrow belt of woodland and acid grassland glade is a glorious carpet of bluebells
in spring and as summer approaches it…

What can I see here?

You really are spoilt for choice when it comes to fauna and flora in this beautiful area of Derbyshire - get out and explore - we recommend looking out for...