Dearne Valley Old Moor

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Address
RSPB Dearne Valley - Old Moor, Old Moor Lane, Wombwell, Bolton upon Dearne, Barnsley S73 0YF
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SE422022
What3Words
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In the heart of Yorkshire’s Dearne Valley lies Old Moor, a family friendly nature reserve just waiting to welcome you. Blessed with a wide range of facilities and teeming with wildlife there is something for everyone to enjoy, from idyllic walks or wildlife watching to pond dipping and our adventure playground. In the summer our meadows are full of orchids, wildflowers and butterflies. In winter, we are home to hundreds of ducks, swans and geese.

Plan your visit

Opening times

  • Nature reserve: open daily, 9.30am-5pm.
    Closed and locked outside these hours.  
  • Car park: open daily, 9.30am-5pm.
    Closed and locked outside these hours.  
  • Visitor Centre: open daily, 10am-4pm.
  • Shop: open daily, 10am-4pm.
  • Café: open daily, 10am-3.30pm. 
  • Toilets: open daily
    9.30am-5pm, 1 April-31 October.
    9.30am-4pm, 1 November-31 March.

Festive opening times 

  • Christmas Eve: Nature reserve, car park, visitor centre, shop, café and toilets open, 10am-3pm.
  • Christmas Day: Nature reserve, car park, visitor centre, shop, café and toilets closed.
  • Boxing Day: Nature reserve, car park, visitor centre, shop, café and toilets closed.
  • New Year’s Eve: Nature reserve, car park and toilets open, 9.30am-4pm. Café open, 9.30-3.30pm. Shop and visitor centre open, 10.30am-3.30pm. 
  • New Year’s Day: Nature reserve, car park and toilets open, 9.30am-4pm. Café open, 9.30-3.30pm. Shop and visitor centre open, 10.30am-3.30pm. 
  • All other days in the festive period are open our usual winter opening hours as above.

Entrance charges

Free entrance to RSPB members
Yes
Adults
£5
Children
£2.50
Free entrance for first child
Free entrance for under 5s
Student
£3.75
Free entrance for carers
Yes
Other discounts
  • Free entry for Barnsley card and Rothercard holders

Facilities

  • Visitor centre
  • Car park
  • Toilets
  • Accessible toilets
  • Baby changing
  • Café
  • Picnic area
  • Binocular hire
  • Guided walks
  • Viewing point
  • Nature trails
  • Shop
  • Educational facilities
  • Play area

Accessibility

How to get here

By train

Wombwell (3 miles/5 km). Swinton (3 miles/5 km). Wombwell station can be accessed from the Trans Pennine Trail.

By bus

Buses are infrequent, so please check with local providers before you visit.

By bike

The Trans Pennine Trail runs along the Southern edge of the reserve. Access to the reserve is via a bridge into the car park. There are a good number of cycle racks in the courtyard.

By road

Enter S73 0YF into your sat nav for direction. 

From the M1: Leave at junction 36 and take the A61 (Barnsley). At the next roundabout, follow the brown RSPB Old Moor signs on the A6195 (Doncaster) for approximately four miles.

From the A1: Leave at junction 37 (Doncaster), follow the A635 towards Barnsley, then follow the brown RSPB Old Moor signs.

Sat nav POI file: If you have a satellite navigation system that can accept POI files, please see our POI page for a download link and instructions.

Other ways to get there

We have four satellite sites you may also like to visit.

  • Adwick Washlands is approximately two miles to the east of RSPB Old Moor and a map with directions can be obtained from the visitor centre at Old Moor. There is a car park on Furlong Road, postcode DN5 7FR, half way between the villages of Adwick Upon Dearne and Harlington.. (Please do not park on Lowfield Road outside residential houses.) 

  • Bolton Ings is a short walk along the Trans Pennine Trail from Old Moor. There is no public access onto the reserve but you can view the reserve from the old railway line (locally named 'warbler way') and there is a public hide offering views of the main pool and reedbeds.  

  • Gypsy Marsh is a five minute walk from Old Moor and easily accessible by bicycle along the Trans Pennine Trail (you can obtain a map of our sites from the visitor centre). A public footpath runs through the middle of the site.

  • Wombwell Ings is around a mile from RSPB Old Moor. A map and directions are available at the Old Moor Visitor Centre. Parking is available on the old Pontefract Road or the site can be easily reached on foot from Old Moor or by bike from the nearby Trans Pennine Trail.
Get directions from Google Maps
View on What3Words
RSPB reserves on Google Earth

Information for dog owners

Sorry, dogs are not permitted at Old Moor, except assistance dogs, due to the sensitive wildlife and habitats here.

We know that the countryside is a dog walking paradise. It’s important to remember the special surroundings here are wonderful havens for rare wildlife. Even if dogs are very well behaved, wildlife can easily become startled by a dog they perceive as a predator.

Disturbing wildlife does more than simply causing it to move away; it uses up their energy, decreasing their chance of survival regardless of season. Thank you for protecting the special wildlife by not exercising your dog here.

Other exciting dog walking routes are available to enjoy in the local area; try our satellite sites at Adwick Washlands, Gypsy Marsh or Eddethorpe where dogs are welcome on a lead or under close control.

Group booking information

Old Moor can easily accommodate group visits and has dedicated coach parking facilities. There is plenty of space to enjoy the reserve and cafe facilities are available along with a 'grab and go' picnic offer. We are happy to arrange guided tours/talks for an additional charge. 

Visits to our satellite sites, Adwick Washland, Bolton Ings, Gypsy Marsh and Wombwell Ings can be included in a group visit to RSPB Old Moor.  (Please note that there is no coach parking at Adwick. If you are coming by coach and want to visit this site, please ring Old Moor in advance).

In order to help us plan ahead, we ask that groups of ten or more book in advance. Email old.moor@rspb.org.uk or call 01226 751593.

Schools booking information

For details on our exciting programme of curriculum-linked outdoor education sessions, visit our school trips information.

We can provide your students with unique and memorable learning experiences. Led by our professional learning staff, programmes are linked to curriculum topics and are carefully crafted so that you and your classes get the most out of their time outdoors.
You can choose from a selection of half or full-day programmes that will get your group exploring the natural world with exciting hands-on activities. 

School groups have access to a dedicated private area, separate from other reserve visitors. Our facilities include a dedicated activity centre, pond dipping platforms, bug hunting meadow, education woodland and dedicated bird hide.

To book, simply contact schoolbookings@rspb.org.uk.

Also, check out our fantastic range of resources for teachers, or take on the Schools’ Wild Challenge.

Downloads

Helping you find your way around. PDF, 131Kb

Dearne Valley - Old Moor trail guide

Contact Dearne Valley Old Moor

Save nature with a staycation in the UK

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Saving the nature that you love for future generations to enjoy. Make the most of your visit by staying in one of thousands of handpicked cottages across the UK. Simply book your stay here to support our partnership. Throughout 2021 holidaycottages.co.uk are supporting our conservation work – saving species and restoring habitats right across the UK at a time when the future of our planet has never been more important and protecting nature for future generations.

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Want to restore precious habitats?

An avocet dips its beak into a pool of water to feed amongst a reed bed. The birds reflection is perfectly mirrored in the water.

Habitats such as peatland and saltmarsh are vital. They act as carbon sinks, taking it out of the atmosphere, and are very important in the fight against the nature and climate emergency. They're also great for wildlife. If you donate today, you’ll help these valuable habitats thrive.

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What will you see?

Our star species

Recent sightings

Adult Lapwing feeding in wet meadow at Elmley Marsh RSPB reserve.

Find out about recent wildlife sightings at Dearne Valley.

Read more

Seasonal highlights

Look out for great crested grebes performing their courtship dance, brown hares boxing in the meadows and sand martins returning to their nest bank. The far carrying boom of the bittern can be heard from deep in the reeds.

Avocets sweep their bills through the water on Wader Scrape and female bittern will be flying back and forth over the reedbeds on feeding flights for their young. Dragonflies such as migrant hawkers will be hunting over the wildlife pools, lapwing chicks explore pool edges and grebes will be carrying their stripy chicks on their backs. Marsh orchids flower in the meadow.

This is the best time of year to see kingfishers, with several usually present across the reserve. Water levels are low to allow wading birds to stop and feed, fueling their autumn migration south. Basking common darter dragonflies catch the last of the warm sun and red admiral butterflies feed on ivy flowers. Barn owls quarter the reedbeds and meadows as the days draw to a close.

Our bird garden is at its best, giving excellent close views of a range of birds including bullfinches and bramblings. Winter wildfowl comes here in their thousands, with whistling wigeons joining us from as far away as Greenland. Catch a glimpse of our raptors, such as resident marsh harriers and peregrines patrolling the reserve looking for a meal, or even spot owls in the morning or early evening before closing time. 

About Dearne Valley Old Moor

Habitat

Old Moor’s swaying reedbeds and muddy waderscrapes are home to some of the UK’s rarest birds such as avocets, bitterns and marsh harriers. Elsewhere you can explore lakes, ponds, wildflower meadows and wet grasslands divided by hedgerows brimming with life.

Conservation

Old Moor’s rich habitats are managed to keep them in the perfect condition for wildlife.

The reedbeds are cut back to maintain a good mix of open water, wet reed and dry fen edges. This is perfect for bitterns, bearded tits and Cetti’s warblers.

The grasslands are grazed to create different heights of grass to support the different needs of lapwing, redshank and snipe. The grazing also provides the right conditions for wintering wildfowl, such as wigeon and different types of geese.

The water levels are monitored to keep them at the right levels at different times of year. In spring we gradually lower the level to create exposed mud for wader chicks, whilst in autumn we do the same at Wath Ings to attract passage waders such as little stint and ruff. During the winter months the water levels are raised again to create shallow flooded areas for winter wildfowl.

The reserve works closely with the Environment Agency to manage several of the Dearne reserves as flood washlands. This reduces the risks of flooding on nearby homes and communities.

Partners

We are currently working on a project 'Giving Nature a Home in the Dearne' to improve many aspects of the Reserve, supported by the National Lottery through the Heritage Lottery Fund.

Site information

More than 100,000 people come to Old Moor each year to explore this wildlife rich corner of the Dearne Valley. A series of trails take you off exploring the land, skies and open water teeming with life. There are several hides and viewing screens to get fantastic views, as well as a dedicated family hide and feeding areas.


Old Moor is one of a number of RSPB reserves in the Dearne Valley. Others include Adwick Washland, Bolton Ings, Gypsy Marsh and Wombwell Ings.

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Activities and events

Activities for children and families

At Old Moor, we're passionate about connecting children with nature and the outdoors. That is why we have everything you need to help your family get hands on with nature.

There's an adventure playground, discovery zone with heritage games, family hide and events and activities at weekends and school holidays.

Discovery backpacks and activity sheets are available to hire every day and pond dipping kits are available from April to the end of October. Our Activity Zone is open during the holidays with a range of free craft activities.

For more information on events and to book tickets, please visit events.rspb.org.uk/oldmoor

Leisure activities

There are a number of reserves in the valley managed by the RSPB, Garganey Trust and Yorkshire Wildlife Trust. We encourage visitors to explore the wider valley and cycling is one of the best ways of viewing all the sites on gentle gradients with generally good-quality paths.

On some days, up to 10 percent of our visitors travel to the reserve along the Trans-Pennine Trail. Unfortunately, we don't allow cycling on Old Moor itself, but the reserve is a great opportunity to stop off and refresh yourself with a cup of tea and a bacon butty. Alternatively, you can park up at one of our bike racks and head off on to the reserve for a spot of wildlife watching.


Old Moor is one of the best places to buy binoculars and telescopes in Yorkshire. A pair of binoculars or a telescope is one of the most personal bits of kit available to buy for wildlife watching. Whether looking for a new pair for yourself or the kids, or just starting out, we have a wide range of products and information to make choosing your perfect optic easy. Visit the binocular area in our visitor centre for a friendly chat 7 days a week, or why not book a session with one of our dedicated binocular event team members?

For more information on events and to book tickets, please visit events.rspb.org.uk/oldmoor