You may have already seen our latest fundraising appeal here at Nottinghamshire Wildlife Trust, which focuses on the recovery of water voles throughout the county. These charming yet endangered mammals, which were once plentiful along our waterways, are now rarely seen. 

We are working hard to reverse this trend, and our work with the species has seen us release 214 captive-bred water voles at our Idle Valley Nature Reserve in North Nottinghamshire, where we hope they will successfully breed and repopulate the reserve. If you want the chance to catch sight of this secretive species or hear the distinctive ‘plop’ sound they make as they dive into the water, then this guide details what to look out for when you visit Idle Valley. 

Arrival at the reserve 

You can choose to park at Idle Valley next to the Visitor Centre should you prefer a longer walk to the enclosure; however, parking is also available closer to the release site on Chainbridge Lane. From Mattersey Road, head east on Daneshill Road through Lound. At the crossroads, continue straight onto Chainbridge Lane. Continue straight as the road surface changes to loose stone for 200-300m. Just past a red gate on your left, you’ll see a small car park on your right (when open), and parking is also available along the lane itself. 

Location: Idle Valley Nature Reserve, Chainbridge Lane, Retford, DN22 8SB 

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The walk

Following the footpath (purple above and on this map), you’ll pass our beaver enclosure where two breeding families are successfully managing habitat within the enclosure. There have been a number of successful beaver sightings reported recently from those visiting the viewing point in the morning, so this may be the best time to plan your trip if you’d like a chance to spot one!

Continuing along the path, you’ll encounter further viewing points along the route, including those at Neatholme Scrape. Here you can see examples of our work creating habitat to encourage water vole populations, including 8 ditches that have been dug alongside the lake. These ditches are banked up on one side and have sloping edges to promote vegetation growth – perfect feeding and burrowing ground for water voles.  

Extensive scrub clearance has also taken place here to promote valuable wet grassland habitat (with help from our grazing herd, who you may also spot on your visit!). This in turn benefits a host of other species, including birds like redshank, lapwing, snipe and common sandpiper. 

To complete your walk, continue following the purple route and the loop will bring you back to where you began. Make sure to stop at all the viewpoints along the trail, where information is displayed to help you know who and what to look out for.