Over the years, the pressures from agriculture and development have meant that the rich wildflower meadows of previous generations have become a rarer sight. Ironically, one site where a lot of this floral heritage is protected is an abandoned railway cutting just outside Ruddington. So important is this site that over 35 years ago, it was stopped from becoming a landfill site, declared a Site of Special Scientific Interest (SSSI) and bought by Rushcliffe Borough Council with help from the World Wildlife Fund.
Wilwell Farm Cutting is now a nature reserve that’s leased to and managed by Nottinghamshire Wildlife Trust, as part of its network of sites across the whole of Nottinghamshire.
There will be an Open Day at Wilwell Farm Cutting on Saturday 3 June, when you can come along and see some of Rushcliffe’s fabulous wildlife heritage. A programme of guided walks with Gordon the Warden will look at the site’s varied display of summer wildflowers around the site, starting at 10am, 11:30am, 1:30pm, and 3pm. This is part of a wider programme of wildlife walks and visits being run in the Rushcliffe area by volunteers, on behalf of Nottinghamshire Wildlife Trust. For more details, including a downloadable fact sheet about Wilwell Farm Cutting, please visit www.southnottswildlife.org.uk and look under recent posts
The nature reserve is located on the B680 road between Ruddington and Wilford (NG2 7UT), with the entrance track and signpost on the left as you approach the ring road bridge from Ruddington. Parking is available or you can take the NCT 3 bus to the Wilford Industrial Estate stop just past the bridge.
Gordon Dyne