About the reserve

Barnsley Main is more than just one nature reserve in isolation - it's part of an important network of wildlife sites in the area, connected by the Trans-Pennine Trail. Dearne Valley Country Park is only a short walk away, with Littleworth Park just a mile away.

These links allow both people and wildlife to move more freely around the area and between habitats.

The green, green grass of Barnsley

A walk along Barnsley Main will put you on top of the world – or at least on top of the Dearne Valley. The hilltop offers the best panoramic view of Barnsley and the river Dearne corridor than anywhere else in the valley. For somewhere so close to the centre of a large town, you’ll be amazed at how green this landscape is.

The reserve’s rolling grassland is surrounded by a fringe of broadleaved woodland and scrub, which hasn’t always looked this green and pleasant. It was once the black spoil heap of the Oaks Colliery pit head that still stands on Oaks Lane. We manage the restored grassland with seasonal cutting for a hay crop. In spring and summer, it’s a good place to watch butterflies on the wing, including some rarer populations of small heath.

We are also encouraging more amphibians, insects and birds to the surrounding ditches with better habitat.