Owner:     Derbyshire County Council Countryside Service

Habitat:      Pleasley is a new exciting developing 80 hectare site. It is based on a reclaimed colliery spoil heap which since 1998 has seen a great deal of wetland habitat creation established through the work of the Derbyshire County Council's Countryside Service, Derbyshire Consulting Engineers and volunteers from Pleasley Nature Study Group. The site has had areas of magnesian limestone grassland created, new woodlands planted, wildlife pools and flashes designed primarily for Ordonata with a 3.5hectare (7 acres) lagoon as a finishing touch. With 13 species of Dragonfly recorded in its first three years, this site can only improve for the better. 

Access: Free access by foot, bike and horse from the Pleasley Trails Network. For the moment car parking is best on Pit Lane SK502644. Please avoid blocking the gate and private driveways. Walk through the gap at the main gate and follow the surfaced track up through the site. The main pool has a refuge area with no public access. However members of the Pleasley Nature Study Group can gain access to the Wildlife Watch Point to look over the refuge. For seeing Dragons the smaller pools can be watched with ease from paths and well placed seats to spend many a happy hour enjoying the antics of your favourite insects. Please keep out of the fenced areas. This is a young site and as at anywhere else it is asked that all visiting naturalists act as 'green ambassadors' and follow the 'birders code of conduct' which can be easily applied to Dragonfly watchers too.

Specialities: Emerald Damselfly Lestes sponsa, Black-tailed Skimmer Orthetrum cancellatum, Emperor Dragonfly Anax imperator and good numbers of most of the common species seen at close quarters. 

Other Natural History interest in the Summer. The western boundary track of Longedge Lane has a good colony of White-letter Hairstreak butterflies. Keep an ear open for Quail in the arable fields. The meadow areas north of the Pit buildings are superb for Bee, Common Spotted and hybrid Marsh Orchids and the chance of Green Woodpecker. The wetlands often attract migrant waders, Wheatear, Whinchat and keep an eye out for Hobby and Buzzards drifting over the site.

Pleasley Colliery was certainly put on the local birding map with Derbyshire's 7th record and longest staying Shorelark in January to March 2002.

Grub Stops: 'Darter Class' In the Village there is a good ''chippy'' on the A617 and the Plough Inn (SK 505645) sells a good pint and bar meals ranking as Hawker Class. The Swan is also worth popping in for a jar though it can be full of tobacco smoke at times.

Associated sites:Hardwick Estate, Rowthorne and Pleasley Trails