Going wild about Derby - Derby and South Derbyshire Ramblers

Derby Council House
Spring Beauty in grass
To Markeaton
Brook walkway
St Werburgh’s
Church
Friar Gate
P
+
P
Cathedral Road
St. Mary's Gate
Bold Lane
Museum
and Library
Sadler Gate
Strand
Wardwick
St Werburgh’s Church
Shaggy Soldier, garden birds
Key
Brimstone
Gardens, early
spring visitor
Feed the ducks
Bird watching spot
Iron Gate
Public parks of high
wildlife interest
Victoria
Plants and habitats of
high wildlife interest
Route of high
wildlife interest
Wildlife trail leaflet
Circular walk leaflet
St. Alkmund's Way
Cathedral
City centre inset
Industrial
Museum
Full
P
Street
Assembly
Rooms
Market Place
Corn Market
Street
T8
T7
Guildhall
Theatre
St. Peter's Street
River
Magistrates
Court
WC
Albert Street
Shaggy Soldier
In St Werburgh’s
Churchyard
Tourist Information Centre
Libraries
Toilets and car park
Ranger’s office
- in moderation!
Derwent
T1
Start End
W1
Street
Council
House
Start End
WC P
R
T8
East Street
To Darley Abbey Park
1 kilometre
DERBY CITY COUNCIL
Crown and
County Court
Morledge
Bus
Station
P
P
Market
Eagle
Shopping
Centre Playhouse
0
l l l
Metres
Riverside
Gardens
Darwin
Place
The Cock Pitt
Glow Worm
One city site, Mickleover
A52 to Nottingham and M1
Derwent
Bass’s
Recreation
Ground
Station
Approach
Traffic Street
200 400
Common Blue
Grassland and railway tracks.
Larvae feed on trefoil and clover
Broomrape, near Friar Gate
Only site in County. Former
railway land - private property
Derby Riverside Gardens
Lunch-hour birdwatching spot.
Ducks, gulls, swans, geese
T7
To Alvaston Park
2.5 kilometres
Railway station
750 metres
N
Kidney Vetch
Rare in Derby - old rail tracks
Common Lizard
All reptiles are
extremely rare in Derby
Badger
Shy and nocturnal,
city outskirts
Canada Goose
River corridors, lakes
A516 to
Etwall
Fly Agaric
Birch woods,
Allestree Park
A52 to
Ashbourne
Former railway line
W4
Mickleover
A38 to
Burton upon Trent
Himalayan Balsam
Invasive weed of
riverbanks
Hobby
Markeaton Park
late summer
Markeaton
Park and lake
Mackworth
Moorway
Lane
W3
Railway line
Littleover
0
Kilometres
1 2
Moonwort
Discovered in 2001
- Allestree Park
WC
P
R
P
Sunnydale
Park
P
W1
Allestree
Markeaton
Brook
Sinfin
Darley
Abbey
Park
DERBY CITY COUNCIL
Butterbur in spring
Banks of River Derwent
Key wildlife sites and species of interest in Derby
Allestree Park and lake
proposed Local Nature Reserve
R
P
A6 to
Matlock
P
T1
Darley
Abbey
WC
T5
T8
T7
City
centre
see inset
T3
R
T8
R
Arboretum
Sinfin Moor Park
Kingfisher
Rivers,
streams, lakes
River
Derwent
Railway line
Pear Tree
Station
Sinfin Moor Lane
A38 to
Mansfield
Chaddesden Wood
Local Nature Reserve
Former railway line
Derby
Station Pride
Park
A50 to
Stoke on Trent
Allenton
A514 to
Melbourne
Chaddesden
Former
Chaddesden
Sidings
T7
T2
P
R
WC
Boulton
Chellaston
W5
Allestree Park
Great for wildlife
T4 Oakwood
P W2
The
Wyvern
T6
Alvaston
Park and lake
Crown Copyright. All rights reserved.
Derby City Council. LA077755(2002)
P
T9
Alvaston
Former Derby Canal
linking areas of high
wildlife value
Trent and
Mersey canal
A608 to
Heanor
The Ordnance Survey mapping included
within this web-site is provided by
Derby City Council, under licence from
Ordnance Survey, in order to fulfil its public
function to act as a planning authority.
West Park Meadow
Local Nature Reserve
Spondon
P
Spondon
Station
T6
Former Chellaston Brickworks -
proposed Local Nature Reserve
A50 to M1
Toothwort
Darley Park.
Only two sites known in Derby
Little Ringed Plover
Breeds near River
Derwent corridor
A6 to A50
WC
A6096 to
Ilkeston
P
Elvaston Castle
Country Park
Painted Lady
A52 to
Nottingham
and M1
Garden visitor, migrant
A6005 to
Long Eaton
Darley Park
Alder trees on
river corridor
Bristly Oxtongue
Former
Chaddesden
Sidings
Dark Bush
Cricket
Former
Chaddesden
Sidings
River Derwent
Lower Derwent Trail
Banded Agrion Damselfly
Rivers and streams
Bee Orchid
Two sites
in Derby

For information on park facilities ask
for our leaflet called ‘Derby’s Parks’.
Leaflet produced by the Planning and Museums
Divisions of Development and Cultural Services
Photographs kindly provided by A Bousie,
N Brown, R Frost, W Grange, M Hamblin,
D Hastings, N Moyes, M Roome and G Toon.
DERBY CITY COUNCIL
For wheelchair access see each leaflet.
T1
T2
T3
T4
T5
T6
T7
T8
T9
W1
W2
W3
W4
W5
Allestree Circular Walk 9.0km
Gt. Northern Circular Walk 11.0km
Markeaton Circular Walk 6.0km
Radbourne Circular Walk 6.0km
Swarkestone Circular Walk 6.5km
Plain English by
01332 256057
Urdu
01332 256057
Punjabi
Allestree Park Nature Trail 2.0km
Alvaston Park Tree Trail 0.8km
Arboretum Tree Trail 1.0km
Chaddesden Wood LNR 1.0km
Darley Abbey Park Tree Trail 0.8km
Derby's Lower Derwent Trail 4.5km
Derby's Riverside Quarter Trail 3.5km
Derby's Upper Derwent Trail 4.5km
West Park Meadow, Spondon 0.7km
01332 256057
Hindi
Please tell us if you need this document in large
print, on audio tape, computer disc or in Braille.
You can contact us on 01332 255093 or on
minicom 01332 256666 or fax 01332 255989.
Or use the equipment at Central Library,
Wardwick to convert this into voice and large
print. Please contact us if you need help reading
this document or any part of it translating.
These free guides are a selection of those
available from the Tourist Information Centre in
the Market Place, Derby Museum and Art
Gallery or each ranger’s office.
Derby City Parks
01332 716272
Park Rangers - 9am to 9pm all week 01332 367800
Tourist Information Centre
01332 255802
Derby Museum and Art Gallery
01332 716659
Environment Projects Officer
01332 255021
Derby Central Library - Enquiries 01332 255398/9
www.derby.gov.uk
Derbyshire Wildlife Trust
01773 881188
www.derbyshirewildlifetrust.org.uk
Derby Natural History Society
01332 515859
Entomological Society - Derbys and Notts 01283 215188
Derbyshire Ornithological Society 01246 236090
RSPB - Derby branch
01283 734851
Greenpeace - local group
01332 552469
Friends of the Earth - Derby
01332 727237
British Trust for Conservation Volunteers 01629 825317
Derbyshire Conservation Volunteers 01332 733871
Derby Rainbow - help for teachers/groups 01332 298185
RSPCA - injured animals
08705 555999
Police - Wildlife Liaison Officer
01773 570100
Local Bat Group
01629 57845
Local Badger Group
01283 813796
English Nature
01629 815095
Traveline - all bus services
08706 082608
Adult Education classes St Helen’s House 01332 717900
Adult Education classes Derby College 08000 280289
For all local society details visit www.lidnet.org
Trails and leaflets
Many organisations care for nature in Derby.
The Council looks after parks and open spaces,
operates museums, runs a countryside
management service, and
raises environmental
awareness in schools. The
Derbyshire Wildlife Trust
provides independent
information and gives
advice on sites of wildlife
value. Conservation
volunteer groups do
practical work on wildlife
sites. Campaign groups such as Friends of the
Earth raise awareness of local environmental
issues, while local natural history societies often
hold events and activities related to Derby’s
wildlife. Many would welcome your
involvement. See 'Who can tell me more?'
A resource
guide to the
wildlife of Derby
Wildflower planting,
West Park Meadow LNR
Going
wild
about
Derby
DERBY CITY COUNCIL
Who cares for our wildlife?
Who can tell me more?
Animals and plants
Introduction
Blackbirds, Song Thrushes and Tits are still
common visitors to most parks and gardens,
but there are more unusual species in Derby,
too. Kestrels often roost on Derby Cathedral
Tower,
where a Peregrine Falcon sometimes
hunts pigeons. You may see the blue flash of a
Kingfisher flying along
Markeaton Brook or the
River Derwent,
even in
the city centre.
You may see Foxes at night across Derby, but
especially around Littleover, Chellaston and
Boulton Moor.
Swifts fly high over gardens
near Allenton,
whilst House Martins and bats
like to nest or roost on houses in Mickleover.
Welcome to Derby and to its wildlife.
This leaflet shows you where to find some of the
city’s best wildlife, and highlights a few of its
more unusual features. It shows:
Parks and open spaces
where
the best wildlife haunts are
where
to go birdwatching
how to get involved or find out more.
To the south, Sand
Martins nest along the
riverbank by Pride Park.
These riverside paths offer the best sites for
wildlife-watching. Use binoculars to see
Skylark, Whitethroat, Reed Bunting, Grey
Wagtail, Goosander and many others. Little
Ringed Plover still manage to breed on bare
gravels along the lower Derwent, while in winter
Hawfinches and Waxwings are unusual visitors
to both Allestree and Darley Parks.
Black-headed Gull -
2nd winter plumage
Of Derby’s many public open spaces, Allestree
Park offers the most to those who love wildlife.
Its mature woods, attractive lake and sweeping
views deserve a visit at any time of year.
Markeaton Park offers a chance
to get close to ducks and geese,
take the children to the play area,
or explore its quieter wooded
edges. You can enjoy wildlife in a
more remote setting at the ponds
and wild open spaces in and
around Sinfin Moor Park.
The
lakes in our parks are great
places to see or feed ducks and
gulls. Never over-feed them as
rats thrive on the leftovers. The Riverside
Gardens in the city centre are ideal for lunchhour
birdwatching. Darley Park and the whole
River Derwent corridor offer you a great
opportunity to enjoy wildlife all year round.
Wildlife is all around you - in
towns and cities as well as
the wider countryside. Some
of Derby’s best wildlife sites
are home to a wide range of
common species. The most
accessible are shown on the
map inside. You can reach
many on foot, bicycle or bus.
Oxeye Daisies
near Sinfin
Moor Park
Allestree Park
Mammals aren’t often easy to spot, though you
may see Squirrels or Hedgehogs anywhere in
the city. Badgers are increasingly being seen
on the outskirts, and even
Otters have been reported
along the River Derwent.
Sadly, Water Vole numbers
have seriously declined as
predatory Mink have spread.
Derby is also home to a few
rarities found nowhere else in Derbyshire, such
as Dark Bush Cricket and Broomrape. Other
unusual species living here include Crayfish,
Otter, Toothwort, Moonwort, Glow Worm,
Hawfinch and over-wintering Chiffchaffs.
Derby Museum
Gardens
Reptiles are extremely rare
in the city, so please report any sightings to
Derby Museum. Good grassland is also very
rare here, though churchyards and former
railway lines can be surprisingly rich in wild
flowers, butterflies and other insects. Visit old
woods in springtime for their flowers and birds,
or watch the smallest patch of unused land
develop a wealth of wildlife in just a few years,
adding greatly to the ‘biodiversity’ of our city.
Badger
You’ll learn lots about wildlife in
Derby Museum. The Derbyshire
Nature Gallery has great
displays on local wildlife and
geology, plus family discovery
areas. Follow a ‘nature trail’ of
Discovery Zone
Watching wildlife in your own
garden is easy and very
rewarding. Hedgehogs, bats,
frogs, many species of birds,
butterflies and other insects
will visit most gardens.
The best advice to make your
garden nature-friendly is in
habitat reconstructions from the source of the
River Derwent down to the heart of Derby.
There are also enquiry services, school
activities, a biological records centre,
volunteering opportunities, occasional walks
and special events. Entry to the Museum on
The Strand is free. It is open: Mon 11am-5pm;
Tue to Sat 10am-5pm; Sun 2pm-5pm.
Wildlife garden,
Chaddesden
‘Wildlife Gardening’ by Fran Hill. You can buy it
from Derbyshire Wildlife Trust, or borrow a copy
from your local library. Derby Museum also
has displays and free information leaflets on
wildlife gardening.