The former colliery site is now a nature reserve bustling with woodlands, grassland and wildlife
Accessible paths
Car parking
Dogs welcome
Free car parking
Facilities
- Picnic area
Find us
Access to the park can be gained off Melbourne Road, Newbold Coleorton, LE67 8JH.
Pedestrian access can also be gained via the public footpath adjoining the north-east corner of the site.
Opening times
Our parks are open all year. You can find a free car park at the site open daily from 9am-4pm.
What to see and do at New Lount Nature Reserve
Nature and Wildlife
New Lount Nature Reserve is a 19.5-hectare mixed reserve of species-rich grassland, ponds, plantation woodland and scrub within the National Forest.
Three wetland pools were created in 1986 to safeguard plants threatened by nearby opencasting (an old mining technique). Marshland, grassland and waterside plants have now established themselves in the area. Grassland is left as open ground and is a haven for grass snakes and bee orchids. The reserve is also home to bats that sweep over the water areas and the open grassland.
History
The site was originally known as New Lount Colliery, the shortest-lived colliery in the area, which operated from 1924-1968. It then became a Local Nature Reserve in 1995.
The old tarmac areas of the sidings remain intact as a reminder of the site’s past – the last deep mine in Coleorton parish which, when closed, ended 500 years of deep mining in the parish.