About the reserve

Rothwell Country Park is an ideal spot for a peaceful weekend walk close to urban West Yorkshire, and for families to discover a variety of wildlife. It’s part of a corridor of green spaces in the Lower Aire Valley – a very different picture to its medieval days as a royal hunting ground and later as a busy colliery, which closed in 1983. It lay derelict until it was brought back to life in the mid-1990s by a partnership between local people, Leeds City Council and Groundwork Leeds, opening in 2000. The park is managed by the Friends of Rothwell Country Park and Yorkshire Wildlife Trust.

There’s an extensive network of paths including a sculpture trail and pond trail. Come along to one of our pond-dipping events to discover creatures including common frogs and toads, smooth newts, and lots of dragonfly nymphs. The sculpture trail features a special work called ‘Breaking the Mould’ by Andrew McKeown - giant seed emerging from an industrial mould - installed to celebrate the changing places programme, which transformed post-industrial land into parks and open spaces. Walk to the summit of the old spoil heap for one of the best views in Leeds!

You’ll be surprised at how much wildlife you can find here. In the wildflower meadows, ox-eye daisy, bird’s-foot trefoil, common spotted orchid and bee orchid attract butterflies including tortoiseshell, skippers and peacock. The woodlands are home to hedgehogs, rabbits, bats and roe deer. Look for the classic ‘fairy toadstool’, fly agaric, amongst the variety of fungi in autumn. Many birds have been recorded, including tree sparrow, skylark, linnet, cuckoo, yellowhammer, reed bunting and willow tit.