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Small Pond, clear water, we spotted some beautiful roach with silver body & red fins, mother moorhen & chicks hiding in the flora

Portland Park has woodland, grassland, and a number of wetland areas found in the valley of a tributary of the River Erewash, bounded by used and disused railway lines. The meadow area was once a limestone quarry, which was infilled during the 1950s and the park is known locally as ‘The Quarries’. The site is based on a band of magnesium limestone that enables many rare plant species to grow, making it a Site of Special Scientific Interest (SSSI).

It straddles the Derbyshire and Nottinghamshire county boundaries and is jointly owned by the two county Wildlife Trusts. In spring and summer the reserve's ponds and the wet sections of the canal are a refuge for grass snakes, amphibians and dragonflies. Butterflies and many other insects breed and feed on the wild flowers growing in the grassland. The meadows are best known for their birds. In spring lapwings can be seen performing their impressive aerial displays, while early mornings may offer the best chance of hearing the strange 'drumming' call of breeding snipe. More common breeding birds include the reed buntings with their distinctive black and white heads, and sedge warblers, more camouflaged but twice as noisy in declaring their presence. In spring and autumn the breeding birds are joined by waders, wildfowl and even birds of prey like the hen harrier. Many wildfowl stay for the winter, including a small flock of wigeon, numerous teal and a range of other species.

Erewash Nature Reserve is the largest area of floodplain and grassland in the Erewash Valley. It's managed by the Derbyshire Wildlife Trust. Look out for water voles and water birds.

Really needed a better camera for the resident kingfisher but it's there if you look hard enough.

This small nature reserve used to be part of Hermitage House gardens and is so called because it is believed in Tudor times the Bishop of St David’s used the location as a religious retreat. The site was given to the council in 1986 by a Mrs Valance as an open space for the benefit of the people of Mansfield and was given the status of Local Nature Reserve in 2004. The reserve is dominated by the disused millpond of Hermitage Mill, which is surrounded by mature deciduous woodland of Ash, Oak with the occasional Holly and Yew and with ancient woodland indicators such as Wood Anemone, Bluebell, Lesser Celandine and Dogs Mercury.

Kings Mill Reservoir is a Local Nature Reserve offering a number activities. Visitors can walk the perimeter of the lake. The one mile walks takes in the views across the lake, with plenty of waterfowl and birds to spot on the way round. The visitor centre is home to the The Mill Adventure Base where you can try various land and water activities such as mountain biking, climbing and kayaking.

CLAIMED TO BE THE LEGENDARY location where Robin Hood met the feisty Friar Tuck in the famous folktale, the overgrown remains of a 12th-century moat, lodge, and holy well complex persist in this soggy corner of Sherwood Forest. Fountain Dale’s ancient moat is an impressive waterlogged ditch, 40 feet wide, enclosing what was once a large rectangular artificial island. The feature dates to at least 1251, when the moated island was the site of a hunting lodge, the vestiges of which remain hidden beneath centuries of mud and undergrowth. To date, little archaeological investigation at the site has been carried out. This said, the remains of the medieval manse are likely to be well preserved, having remained unusually undisturbed. The moat and its structures are listed as a Scheduled Monument of National Importance by the public heritage organization Historic England.