Willington Wetlands Nature Reserve — Attraction in South Derbyshire

Whilst on holiday nearby, we decided to visit this reserve and see what it is like. We did have mixed opinions but mostly on the positive side. 1/ we love the fact that the first part of the reserve has lakes for any waterfowl, gravel heaps from old building work for insects, and a variety of wild plants and trees. These areas will be teaming with lift during the summer so a must place to visit then.

Once you go through the gates to the main part of the reserve which on the map is just past the fisheries entrance on the left of the track, you will find a long track with viewing platforms with one being a full bird hide overlooking the lakes. Note that this track is very wet and muddy in the winter, even at the beginning of March 2025. :-)

During the drier times of the year, you can do a five mile walk from Willington cannel, along the west toe path, working it's way through the reserve, and then back to the town via the roadside footpath.

Would we visit again? Yes, when we are back in the area and during the summertime.

Do note that on this visit there was fly tipping along the lanes and litter...

The new circular route is now open (August 2024). Although the metal gate at the end of the lane appears to be padlocked, look at the left-hand gate and you will find that it is not padlocked. It is only the right-hand, larger gate that is locked, to prevent unauthorised vehicle access. And the left gate has dropped slightly so it's a bit tricky to open - I struggled a bit but my partner managed it and closed it successfully. Hope they fix this and maybe signpost it, to help visitors. The wooden posts round the reserve help to indicate the path to take, to get you as far as the canal tow path which takes you back to Willington village, however for those who may have a slight visual impairment, they might just look like posts from a distance; it would be better to have the yellow topped posts, which are standard in many areas, to more easily highlight the correct path and prevent walkers heading the wrong way. The new tower and hides are great and I'm sure we...

I got an email from the Wildlife Trust 3 days ago saying a 5-mile circular walk has been created with a bridge made and a viewing platform, so we assumed it was ready to walk. We parked up in the free car park that they advised on their website and walked through the village, which is lovely. We walked through the gate for the wetlands and walked a straight path for about half an hour then got to padlocked gates, with signs for no public access due to conservation. We tried other public footpaths around, but they led back to the same gated entrance at the beginning. The section that we did walk is lovely for viewing part of the wetlands and various bird species, but we've still been left confused after we planned for something bigger going by the email that they sent that this is all...