Short birdwatching visit · Derbyshire Wildlife Trust
Hilton Willow Pit
- Tier
- Local green space
- Best season
- February for grebe courtship; other species seasons are unstated
- Headline birds
- Kingfisher · Great Crested Grebe · Tufted Duck
- Parking
- The Trust directs visitors to park on Willowpit Lane.
- Hides
- A bird-viewing screen is reached from the entrance track.
- Step-free
- The main entrance track provides access to the screen; other muddy paths are unsuitable for wheelchairs.
Hilton
Hilton Willow Pit, also known as Hilton Gravel Pits, combines lakes and ponds with sheltered woodland. The Trust names Great Crested Grebe, Tufted Duck and Kingfisher here, highlighting grebe courtship in February. A track from the field-gate entrance reaches a bird-viewing screen, while other paths explore the former quarry landscape. Water, woodland and sunny sheltered areas also support dragonflies and bats. Dog access is limited to the main perimeter track: the wider reserve is no longer open to dogs, despite an older general lead symbol remaining on the operator page.
Birds and seasons
- Kingfisher · Headline bird — Season not stated by source Source for Kingfisher
- Great Crested Grebe · Headline bird — February Source for Great Crested Grebe
- Tufted Duck · Headline bird — Season not stated by source Source for Tufted Duck
Plan your visit
- Hides and viewpoints
- A bird-viewing screen is reached from the entrance track.
- Paths
- Keep to paths beside deep ponds. The entrance track is largely in good condition; other flat paths are often muddy.
- Toilets
- Not stated by the operator – check before travelling
- Parking
- The Trust directs visitors to park on Willowpit Lane.
- Dogs
- Dogs are permitted only on the main perimeter track from Willowpit Lane to Sutton Lane; they are excluded from the main reserve.
- Access notes
- The main entrance track provides access to the screen; other muddy paths are unsuitable for wheelchairs.
- Step-free access
- The main entrance track provides access to the screen; other muddy paths are unsuitable for wheelchairs.
Getting there: Use the Willowpit Lane approach and the entrance track described by the Trust. The pin uses its precise published reserve grid reference; it does not identify a marked roadside parking bay.
Sources
Social preview: original typographic artwork by Does Your Duck Quack.
Nearby special trips
- Eastern Moors · 26.9 straight-line miles
- Aqualate Mere National Nature Reserve · 29.7 straight-line miles
- Budby South Forest · 32.8 straight-line miles
Continue birding nearby
Nearest full guide: Attenborough Nature Reserve, 16.1 miles away in a straight line.
- Willington Wetlands · 3.3 miles in a straight line
- Drakelow Nature Reserve · 7.1 miles in a straight line
- Tucklesholme · 8.4 miles in a straight line