About the reserve

Something for everyone

Whether you’re looking for a leisurely stroll, somewhere to entertain the kids or walk the dog, or to spend some down-time enjoying a variety of wildlife, Dearne Valley Country Park offers something for everyone all year round.

It hasn’t always been this way though - the site of the park was once dominated by mining infrastructure; the roads and spoil heaps, canals and bridges that served the coal industry.

Cliffe Wood, inside the park, pre-dates all of that. Gnarly and otherworldly, it’s an ancient woodland of oak and silver birch, filled with bluebells in spring and fungi in autumn, with roaming flocks of siskins and other woodland birds in winter. Keep your eyes peeled for some more unusual varieties of mushrooms as you walk through - amethyst deceivers have been spotted here. As you might expect from the name, they’re violet in colour, like amethyst crystals.

The park’s a great place for a family outing, with picnic benches, a skatepark and play area, as well as space to explore.

Wildlife on – and in – the water

The river Dearne, full of life and with grey wagtails flitting from bank to bank, flows through the park, supplying the large fishing lake that’s the focal point of the reserve. The water attracts ducks aplenty, and kingfishers are a regular sight on the river and on Barnsley Canal at the west end of the park. Upstream of the fishing lake, a wildlife lake emerges from the wet woodland.

There are frogs and toads galore, and you might even see the odd pike basking in the summer. These large fish can grow to more than a metre long!

Yorkshire wildlife Trust manage the park in partnership with Barnsley council for the benefit of local people and wildlife.