Dearne Valley Old Moor

Welcome! We’re continuing to follow government guidance to make your visit safe and enjoyable. See our Covid-19 updates page for the latest information (link below). In line with government recommendations, we ask that all visitors, unless exempt, continue to wear a face covering in our indoor spaces including hides. This is currently a legal requirement in our shop and visitor centre. Please also #RespectProtectEnjoy the special wildlife here and each other, by keeping to the paths, being mindful of other people’s space, following signage on-site and directions from our friendly team. Thank you.
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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
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Covid-19 updates for RSPB nature reserves

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 outside of these hours.  
  • Car park: open daily, 9.30am-5pm. Closed outside of these hours.  
  • Visitor Centre: open daily, 9.30am-3.30pm.
  • Shop: open daily, 10am-4pm
  • Café: open daily, 10am-4pm (refreshments available from the Tuck Shop from 9.30am)
  • Toilets: open daily, 9.30am-5pm.

Festive opening times 

  • Christmas Eve: Nature reserve, visitor centre, toilets, shop and café are closed.
  • Christmas Day: Nature reserve, visitor centre, toilets, shop and café are closed.
  • Boxing Day: Nature reserve, visitor centre, toilets, shop and café are closed.
  • New Year’s Eve: Nature reserve and toilets open, 9.30am-4pm. Café open, 9.30-3.30pm. Shop open, 10.30am-3.30pm. 
  • New Year’s Day: Reserve and toilets open, 9.30am-4pm. Café open, 9.30am-3.30pm. Shop open, 10.30am-3.30pm. 
  • All other days in the festive period are open our usual 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
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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 and the distinctive 'plop' of a water vole disappearing into the water as you walk round the Discovery Zone.

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. Thousands of waders including lapwing, golden plover, spotted redshank, curlew sandpiper, little stint and wood sandpiper are a daily treat down on Wath Ings. 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.

The Tree Sparrow Farm is at its best, giving excellent close views of a range of birds including tree sparrow and willow tit. Winter wildfowl are here in their thousands, with the whistle of wigeon filling the air. Watching the nightly murmuration of thousands of starlings is an ever popular way to end a visit, especially when a marauding sparrowhawk or peregrine dashes through, looking for a late meal.

About Dearne Valley Old Moor

Habitat

This site was designed with the aim of providing a year round accessible wildlife spectacle. This has resulted in a wide range of habitats including reedbeds, lakes, wader scrapes, ponds, hedgerow, meadows and wet grassland. There is always something to see. 

Conservation

The Dearne is an important site for wintering wildfowl, passage and breeding wading birds and rare reedbed species like bitterns and bearded tits. Important habitats include lowland wet grassland, reedbeds, meadows and fen.

RSPB Old Moor contains 2-3 bittern nests every year and has recently been colonised by cetti’s warblers and bearded tits. We manage the reedbeds to ensure a good mix of open water, wet reed and drier fen edges

The wet grassland is home to more than 100 pairs of waders with lapwing, snipe and redshank the most frequent. By grazing the grassland we ensure a good mix of species and grassland heights to suit the needs of all three species. The grazing also provides the right conditions for wintering wildfowl such as wigeon and various species of geese.

We closely monitor the water levels and regulate them to create the best conditions. In the spring we gradually draw down certain areas to expose mud for wader chicks and in the Autumn, do the same at places such as Wath Ings to attract passage waders such as little stint and ruff. In the winter, levels are raised again to create shallow flooded areas for winter wildfowl.

We manage the site to accommodate around 100,000 visits per year and are aiming to increase the number of school children who access our environmental education programme. We also work closely with the Environment Agency to manage several of the Dearne Reserves as flood washlands – protecting homes and people from the risk of flooding.

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

Situated right at the heart of the Dearne Valley, Old Moor is a wonderful place to come and watch wildlife. The skies, fields and open water are teeming with birds throughout the year.

Trails lead visitors to a number of hides and viewing screens with special provision for photographers, a family hide and dedicated feeding areas.

Old Moor is just one of several RSPB reserves in the Dearne Valley. There are lots of other wildlife spectacles to enjoy and sites include Adwick Washland, Bolton Ings, Gypsy Marsh and Wombwell Ings. Visit the pages on this website or ask at the Centre for more details.

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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