A view of Attenborough Nature Centre and Coneries Pond

Photo credit: Sophie Bell

One of the Longhorn heifers at Attenborough earlier this summer - Photo © Agnes Kiemel

cr Heather Keetley

Robert Mackin

Glebe Field at Attenborough - Photo by Richard Dunn

Attenborough Nature Reserve

A beautiful complex of flooded former gravel pits and islands providing exceptional habitat for a wide range of wildlife.

Location

Barton Lane
Attenborough, Nottingham
Nottinghamshire
NG9 6DY

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Know before you go

Size

220 hectares

Entry fee

Free access

Parking information

Car Park Open 9am-8pm, £3 all day

Grazing animals

Sheep and Cattle

Walking trails

There are many nature trails around the reserve including the Tufted duck route, the Skylark trail and the Kingfisher trail. This is a wheelchair friendly site.

Access

There is disabled parking onsite and there are accessible trails around the reserve, that are suitable for pushchairs and wheelchairs. Contact the Trust for more information.

Dogs

On a lead

Dogs are allowed on the cafe balcony.

Facilities

Visitor centre

Bird hides

Toilets

Shop

Cafe/refreshments

Picnic area

Accessible toilet

Baby changing facilities

Wifi

Disabled parking

Accessible trails

When to visit

Opening times

Car park open 8am-8pm

Nature Centre and Café
During Summer (from when the clocks go forward)
Monday to Friday: 9am to 5pm, Café closes at 4.30pm. Weekend: 9am to 6pm, Café closes at 5.30pm.

During Winter (from when the clocks go back)
Every day: 9am to 4pm, Café closes at 4pm.

The centre function rooms are open from 9am to 5pm for all private bookings (with later options as per booking agreements).

Centre is closed Christmas Day

Outside Ice Cream Pod: Open Friday, Saturday & Sunday from 10:30am to 3:30pm serving ice creams and hot drinks.

Hides: 9.00am - 4.00pm daily

Best time to visit

All year round. Seasonal highlights include Butterflies (inc. brown argus) in Spring, Sand martins in Summer and Starling murmurations in Winter. Although the reserve is open on Christmas Day the centre is closed.

About the reserve

Attenborough Nature Reserve was established in 1966 and opened by Sir David Attenborough. The reserve is best known for its birds. The area is an important site for winter wildfowl and often holds a high proportion of the county's shoveler and diving ducks, with larger numbers of mallard, teal, and occasionally wigeon. Scarcer wildfowl such as sawbills and sea ducks are recorded regularly and cormorants are common. All the British grebes have been recorded. In the spring and autumn, many migrants birds pass through and the Delta area attracts a wide range of waders in small numbers including the iconic bittern.

Species found include Sand Martins, Bitterns, Kingfishers, Cormorants, Great Crested Grebes, Reed & Sedge Warblers, Shelducks, Terns, Shovelers, Widgeon, Sawbills, Sea Ducks, Otters, Bats, Butterflies, Dragonflies, Voles, Shrews and Harvest Mice.

Broxtowe Lotto is a weekly lottery that raises money for good causes in Broxtowe, including our fantastic Attenborough Nature Reserve. To find out more about the lotto please visit here