< Back to: Find walks and rides

Delightful Daneshill

Route type	walk (circular)
Distance	2 miles
Surface and gradients	surfaced path only and no steep gradients
Parking nearby	yes
On bus routes	yes - plan a journey
On-road sections	yes
Starting point  Daneshill Lakes are located north of Retford off the A638 Great North Road, follow the signs from Torworth. Both routes start from the Daneshill Lakes Car Park, where you can park your vehicle adjacent to the lake and observe various wildfowl such as Tufted Ducks which over-winter on this site, as well as Swans, Mallards and Great Crested Grebes.
OS map number	Explorer 279

Information

This will lead you on a two-mile route around the Daneshill lakes Nature Reserve. The paths are surfaced, there are no steep gradients or stiles to allow for access for the mobillity imparied. The path leads through grassland, woodland and along lakesides. You are bound to see an abundance of wildlife so take your binoculars.

The Daneshill Local Nature Reserve Lakes have been designed to accommodate a variety of different uses. The lake is leased by an angling club and a sailing club and has a long established perimeter footway. In addition to wildfowl, the site also supports a great variety of butterflies, including the Common Blue, Meadow Brown and Gatekeeper together with damselflies and dragonflies.

Daneshill North was once a commercial gravel pit and is now part of the local nature reserve, managed by Nottinghamshire Wildlife Trust and leased from Nottinghamshire County Council. It is run as a quiet nature reserve specifically for wildlife conservation. Nottinghamshire County Council and the local Parish Councils of Scrooby, Torworth and Ranskill (STAR) have worked together to surface a path around the north lake and provide a new link to the south lake. These works were funded by Nottinghamshire County Council's Environment Department and Waste Recycling Environmental Ltd (WREN).

Habitats

This site is particularly valuable for wildlife due to the wide range of habitats, including open water, wet grassland, and drier areas of gorse and willow/birch scrub. Many flowering plants grow here including Common Spotted and Southern Marsh Orchids, Celery Leafed Buttercup, Weld and Goat's Rue. Brambles and gorse attract many types of butterfly such as Brimstone, Common Blue and Meadow Brown.

There is a good chance of seeing any one of our three native woodpeckers and kingfishers, which frequent the reserve, as do a number of Waders like Redshank, Greenshank, Ringed Plover and Little Ringed Plover. This is also a good site for damselflies and dragonflies, and both adder and grass snakes are present but are rarely seen.

The local parish councils of Scrooby, Torworth and Ranskill (STAR) have been working in partnership with Nottinghamshire County Council's Wayfinder Project to open up and establish the paths and bridges on the North Lake and adjacent woodland, with funding gained from Nottinghamshire County Council, Heritage lottery fund and Waste Recycling Environment Ltd (WREN). The Parish Councils have now signed into the Nottinghamshire County Council's Parish Paths Partnership Scheme.