The disused pits have been turned into a nature reserve with 77 hectares (190 acres) of lakes, meadow, grassland, scrub and woodland. The reserve is famous for its nightingales and cormorants and is home to a wide variety of other birds, insects, mammals and flora.
There are two marked self-guided walking routes around the reserve, together with the River Trail that follows the route of the Ouse Valley Way.
The circular 2-mile (3.2km) Heron Trail (the first mile of which is a hard-surfaced track suitable for wheelchairs, pushchairs and all-season walking) goes past lakes, through woodland and along the river bank, and which has three bird hides to view the water birds.
The circular 1.5-mile (2.4km) Meadow Trail goes through meadows and around lakes and is especially good for wildflowers in spring and summer and dragonflies on sunny days, although some of the paths become quite muddy in winter and during wet weather.
The reserve has free parking at the visitor and education centre, with a café and toilets.
The Wash is a shallow natural rectangular bay and multiple estuary on the east coast of England in the United Kingdom. It is an inlet of the North Sea and is the largest multiple estuary system in the UK as well being the largest natural bay in England and is the outflow for the rivers Witham, Welland, Nene and the Great Ouse. It is also one of the most important places of conservation in Europe, with several nature reserves located within this area.
Fairburn Ings Nature Reserve is a protected area in West Yorkshire, England, noted for its avian biodiversity. The reserve has recorded around 280 bird species, remarkable for an inland site in the United Kingdom. This is explained by the site being on migration routes as well as the diversity of habitats.
Knettishall Heath is a 91.7-hectare (227-acre) biological Site of Special Scientific Interest west of Knettishall in Suffolk. A larger area of 176 hectares is the Knettishall Heath Nature Reserve, which is managed by the Suffolk Wildlife Trust.
The Cotswold Water Park is the United Kingdom's largest marl lake system, straddling the Wiltshire–Gloucestershire border, north-west of Cricklade and south of Cirencester. There are 180 lakes, spread over 42 square miles (110 km2).
Little Paxton in Cambridgeshire, England is a village and civil parish that lies 5 miles (8.0 km) south of Huntingdon and 1.7 miles (2.7 km) north of St Neots. It is in the district and historic county of Huntingdonshire. Until the 1970s it was a minor village and the church was under threat of closure. The building of a housing estate and a junior school revived its fortunes and the establishment of the Paxton Pits Nature Reserve around part of the nearby gravel pits has brought visitors to the village.
The Stour Valley Walk is a recreational walking route that follows the River Stour, through the Low Weald and Kent Downs, from its source at Lenham to its estuary at Pegwell Bay.
Nidd Gorge makes up a section of the River Nidd in North Yorkshire, England, in which the river enters a deep ravine with sheer tree-covered valley sides. The river as a whole flows from its source near Great Whernside in Nidderdale, to its confluence with the River Ouse near Nun Monkton. Nidd Gorge makes up approximately 3 miles (4.8 km) of the entire length of the river, and stretches from the now defunct Nidd viaduct at Bilton in Harrogate to Grimbald Bridge, just south of Knaresborough.
The Harrold-Odell Country Park is a 59.3 hectare Country park and Local Nature Reserve between the villages of Odell and Harrold in Bedfordshire. It is owned and managed by Bedford Borough Council, and it has a cafe, toilets and an information room.
Roswell Pits is an 8 hectare nature reserve on the eastern outskirts of Ely in Cambridgeshire. It is managed by the Environment Agency. It is part of the Ely Pits and Meadows Site of Special Scientific Interest (SSSI)) and Geological Conservation Review site. The SSSI designation for both biological and geological interest. The site was formerly managed by the Wildlife Trust for Bedfordshire, Cambridgeshire and Northamptonshire.
The Forest Way is a linear Country park providing walking, cycling, horse riding and the quiet enjoyment of the countryside. It runs for around 16 km from East Grinstead to Groombridge.
Middleton Lakes RSPB reserve is a 160 hectares nature reserve, formally opened on 19 May 2011, created and run by the Royal Society for the Protection of Birds at Middleton, Warwickshire, England, just south of Tamworth. The Northern part of the reserve lies in Staffordshire, yet the reserve is only a few minutes from the outskirts of Birmingham.
Lackford Lakes is a 105.8-hectare (261-acre) biological Site of Special Scientific Interest (SSSI) north and east of Lackford in Suffolk. The SSSI is part of the 131-hectare (320-acre) Lackford Lakes nature reserve, which is managed by the Suffolk Wildlife Trust.
Baggeridge Country Park is located within the South Staffordshire district of Staffordshire, England. Its entrance is on the A463 just west of Gospel End, a small Staffordshire village just beyond the borders of the Wolverhampton, Gornal and the surrounding Metropolitan Borough of Dudley.
National Cycle Network (NCN) Route 66 is a Sustrans National Route that runs from Kingston upon Hull to Manchester via Beverley, York and Leeds.
Severn Valley Country Park is a country park in England, located near Alveley, Shropshire, 8 miles (13 km) from Bridgnorth, 7 miles from Kidderminster, roughly central in the Severn Valley. Originally the site of a huge coal mine, it is now a 126-acre (51 ha) park consisting of woodland, meadows and riverside banks with views over the River Severn and a Green Flag Award.
Blo' Norton and Thelnetham Fens are a 21.3-hectare (53-acre) biological Site of Special Scientific Interest (SSSI) on the Norfolk/Suffolk border. Blo' Norton Fen is in the parish of Blo' Norton in Norfolk and Thelnetham Fen is in Thelnetham parish in Suffolk. It is a Nature Conservation Review site, Grade 2, and part of the Waveney and Little Ouse Valley Fens Special Area of Conservation, Thelnetham Fen is managed by the Suffolk Wildlife Trust and Blo' Norton Fen by the Little Ouse Headwaters Project (LOHP).
Poles Coppice countryside site is an area of ancient oak woodland with disused quarry workings, located around 0.5 miles (1 km) south of Pontesbury, Shropshire. It is managed by Shropshire Council as a picnic spot and area for walking and recreation activities.
Godmanchester Nature Reserve is a 59-hectare nature reserve in Godmanchester in Cambridgeshire, England. It is managed by the Wildlife Trust for Bedfordshire, Cambridgeshire and Northamptonshire.
Ely Pits and Meadows is an 85.8-hectare (212-acre) Site of Special Scientific Interest (SSSI) on the eastern outskirts of Ely in Cambridgeshire. It is the only SSSI in the county which is designated both for its biological and geological interest. It is also a Geological Conservation Review site, and an area of 8 hectares is the Roswell Pits nature reserve, which is managed by the Wildlife Trust for Bedfordshire, Cambridgeshire and Northamptonshire.
The Peak District Boundary Walk is a circular 190-mile (310 km) walking trail, starting and finishing at Buxton and broadly following the boundary of the Peak District, Britain's first national park. The route was developed by the Friends of the Peak District and was launched on 17 June 2017.
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