It is hard to believe that this peaceful place was once a coal mine, but following the demise of industry in the South Yorkshire area, and of coal mining in particular, what is now Old Moor in the Dearne Valley was post-industrial and derelict. Previously run by Barnsley Metropolitan Borough Council, Old Moor was taken on by the RSPB, who began managing it in 2003.
They have successfully created an incredible wildlife habitat replete with birds, plants, butterflies and bees.
This is a charming site to visit, and it felt especially meaningful to visit Old Moor knowing that it was covering a coal mining area that had once been bustling with activity. While such industry was associated with dangerous, hard labour, its demise under Thatcher is also a painful part of the north of England’s history, so seeing Old Moor as a beautiful spot, rather than an abandoned former coal mine, is significant for the area.
This nature reserve has playgrounds, a picnic area, and a range of ponds and wetlands, along with a number of hides where you can get an especially nice view of the wetlands and the birds that frequent them.
I had never been to Old Moor before, despite it being relatively local, and was pleased to find a place that was varied and fascinating.
Some areas were clearly geared towards families, with playgrounds and ponds where pond dipping was especially encouraged. I watched a child and his grandmother excitedly identifying species from a fishing net and other young children enjoying their surroundings and learning about nature.
Other parts of Old Moor felt more like they were home to expert bird watchers. Men With Gear wandered around with an authority that could make a new visitor feel ever so slightly unwelcome, and entering some of the hides made me feel somewhat self-conscious in these circumstances.
However, the views and peacefulness I gained from watching my surroundings from within these wooden hides more than made up for a slight sense of intruding on somebody else’s turf.
As somebody who is not especially skilled at identifying birds, it was fascinating to witness the regular visitors so fluently and impressively knowing their wigeons from their white egrets; seeing a list in one of the hides of recent bird sightings was thrilling for somebody who trusts the Merlin app and otherwise just makes a stab-in-the-dark guess at what she is seeing.
The reed beds were by far my favourite part of the Old Moor site. They felt immensely peaceful and that little bit further away from most of the visitors to Old Moor.
Their proximity to a busy road was not ideal, but is reflective of this being a nature reserve in urban surroundings. The facts that the nearby traffic felt so incongruent is, in fact, reflective of the RSPB’s success at creating a reserve that does feel like an oasis from the busy world that surrounds it.
Disabled access at Old Moor was relatively good, with most paths being flat with few impediments. The cafe is upstairs but there is a lift.
There are information boards scattered around the site that are beautiful but the choice of font, and their creation from rusted metal, mean that they are virtually impossible to read, even for somebody without a visual impairment. Somebody with impaired vision would particularly struggle to access these pieces of information.
Old Moor is well worth a visit for anybody interested in nature and looking for an escape from their usual activities or trying to get their children interested in what crawls in and around a pond.
The RSPB host regular activities there, the staff are helpful, and the periodic reminders to be mindful and even to do a momentary meditation – with a QR code to listen to one – were thoughtful and welcome.
Images: Philippa Willitts