Nature reserve
Dog walks in Idle Valley Nature Reserve
Idle Valley Nature Reserve is a nature reserve in Bassetlaw, 4.2 km from the middle of Retford. 37 walks in the app lie mostly in it. 27% are under 3 km and under 1% are loops.
See every dog walk near Retford, or across Nottinghamshire.
Two walks in Idle Valley Nature Reserve
From the 37 walks that lie mostly in Idle Valley Nature Reserve, those that start nearest its middle: a 7.5 km there and back and a 6.1 km one-way walk.
Where these go is in the app
Create an account- Near Idle Valley Nature Reserve7.5 km · 129 min · There and back
- Lound to Clayworth6.1 km · 104 min · One way
The land and what it asks of a dog
- Site of Special Scientific InterestSutton and Lound Gravel Pits SSSINatural England designations
- Open by right2 hectares of the woodlandWoods For All (Forestry Commission)
Bassetlaw council has a dog control order we cannot yet place on the map, so it may apply here. Signs on the ground may say more.
What the walks in Idle Valley Nature Reserve are like
Every share is of the 37 walks that lie mostly in Idle Valley Nature Reserve, with Retford as a whole marked on each bar.
How far they go
3 to 5 km: 8% of the walks in Idle Valley Nature Reserve, against 23% near Retford.
Where the walks fall by length. The five bars add up to the whole, give or take the rounding.
| Walks that | Share of walks measured | Retford |
|---|---|---|
| Under 3 km | 27% | 41% |
| 3 to 5 km | 8% | 23% |
| 5 to 8 km | 32% | 19% |
| 8 to 12 km | 18% | 8% |
| Over 12 km | 13% | 6% |
What shape they are
A loop: under 1% of the walks in Idle Valley Nature Reserve, against 15% near Retford.
A loop brings you back without repeating a step. There and back retraces the way out.
| Walks that | Share of walks measured | Retford |
|---|---|---|
| A loop | <1% | 15% |
| There and back the same way | 59% | 57% |
| One way, ending somewhere else | 40% | 26% |
What is beside the path
Through a park or green space for a third or more: 94% of the walks in Idle Valley Nature Reserve, against 34% near Retford.
Shares of walks where the ground beside the path is a given kind for the stated part of the way.
| Walks that | Share of walks measured | Retford |
|---|---|---|
| Under trees for a third or more of the way | 83% | 40% |
| Beside water for a tenth or more | 100% | 61% |
| On open access land for a third or more | <1% | <1% |
| Through a park or green space for a third or more | 94% | 34% |
| Off road for four fifths or more | 10% | 21% |
| On roads or lanes for half or more | 54% | 50% |
| Through built-up streets for half or more | <1% | <1% |
What might stop you
No busy road to cross: 48% of the walks in Idle Valley Nature Reserve, against 64% near Retford.
Shares of walks with none of each thing on the way. A road counts when it runs within about fifteen metres of the path.
| Walks that | Share of walks measured | Retford |
|---|---|---|
| Never beside a fast road | 81% | 93% |
| Never beside a busy road | 51% | 64% |
| No busy road to cross | 48% | 64% |
| No stile, gate or cattle grid | 75% | 84% |
| No steps | 100% | 84% |
What is on the way
Pass a pub: under 1% of the walks in Idle Valley Nature Reserve, against 30% near Retford.
Shares of walks that start by, or pass, each of these.
| Walks that | Share of walks measured | Retford |
|---|---|---|
| Start where you can park, at a car park or on a minor road | 75% | 73% |
| Pass a pub | <1% | 30% |
| Pass a dog-waste bin | 2% | 16% |
| Pass a public toilet | <1% | 16% |
| Pass a drinking-water tap | <1% | 1% |
| Pass a busy beauty spot | <1% | 3% |
Measured on 20 October 2026 from the map. How these figures are made
Walks in Idle Valley Nature Reserve, for your dog
If you live in Nottinghamshire, it is your home county, and every walk in it is free, for good. Tell the app what your dog finds hard and it shows you walks that suit, with anything that might stop you shown first.
Anywhere in Great Britain, even with no signal.
Further is the Trekosa subscription. 83% of the walks here run under trees for a third of the way or more. It brings the Further map, 1:25,000, with contours, field walls and every right of way, while you have signal. Press Offline on a walk in Idle Valley Nature Reserve before you set off and its map stays on your phone until you remove it, for when the signal drops among the trees. Drift off the path and the phone buzzes. It also opens walks beyond your home county, if Nottinghamshire is not yours.
The first 250 households have it for good. After that, £4.99 a month or £34.99 a year.
Questions people ask
- Do dogs need a lead in Idle Valley Nature Reserve?
- Bassetlaw has a dog order we cannot yet place, so it may apply here, read on 1 October 2026.
- How many dog walks are there in Idle Valley Nature Reserve?
- 37 walks in the Trekosa app lie mostly in Idle Valley Nature Reserve.
Getting there
2 car parks within Idle Valley Nature Reserve or at its edge, from OpenStreetMap.