Rodley Nature Reserve

Here's a place I've been meaning to visit for ages - Rodley Nature Reserve. Halfway between Saltaire and Leeds city centre, it is a managed wetland reserve in the middle of an essentially urban area. I'm not too sure how long it has been there (possibly about 15 years?) but it was developed to capitalise on a natural 'flyway' for wildfowl and waders, where the River Aire and the Leeds-Liverpool Canal wind their way through a floodplain in the Kirkstall Valley. Pools, marshes, reedbeds and willow coppice provide a rich habitat for birdlife, amphibians and dragonflies. In the summer months, hay meadows full of wildflowers attract butterflies.

It's a delightful place to wander. You can almost - but not quite - forget that you are so close to houses and factories. I like the juxtaposition, in the photo above, of the insect 'hotel' with the houses and church in the background (Horsforth, I think). Even at this time of year there is lots to enjoy - and a small café/visitor centre, run by volunteers, affords a warming cup of tea and cake if you get chilled.