Discover a Yorkshire rich in wildlife…
1 Potteric Carr
This is a wild oasis just waiting to be explored. Step beyond our visitor centre to discover a true mosaic of habitats, from reedbeds swaying gently under big open skies to winding woodland trails and networks of ponds teeming with life. During summer, the meadows are abuzz with insects, while winter brings the magic of thousands of starlings creating incredible aerial displays. Listen carefully and you might even hear the booming of the elusive bittern!
2 Barnsley Main
Make the short but steep climb up Barnsley Main on a summer’s day and you’ll be rewarded with stunning views across the Dearne Valley whilst swifts and swallows swoop overhead. The hilltop is also a great place to see butterflies on the wing, including the rare small heath.
3 Carlton Marsh
4 Sprotbrough Flash
The picturesque riverside walk at Sprotbrough Flash along the river Don is a fantastic way to enjoy some wetland wildlife up close, including grebes, kingfishers and dragonflies. Explore the extensive ancient woodland and its beautiful canopies, listen out for all three species of woodpecker, and climb to the grassland top to enjoy common spotted orchids, pyramidal orchids, and autumn gentian.
6 Maltby Low Common
Early summer at Maltby Low Common is a paradise for insects and botanists alike as brimstone and orange-tip butterflies flutter among the purple bobbles of field scabious and stunning anenome-like grass-of-Parnassus. Maltby is also a haven for birds, with cuckoos and whitethroats joining the resident buzzards, kestrels and barn owls.
A magnificent mixture of open wetland, woodland, grassland and scrub, Carlton Marsh is best enjoyed from the old railway line that runs down the centre of the reserve. Listen out for nationally endangered willow tits, grasshopper warblers and lapwings, and spend a while enjoying the wonderful wildflowers and butterflies of the meadow grassland.
5 Fen Carr
With over 70 species of plant, many of which are locally rare and nationally declining, this floodplain hay meadow is a hidden gem and botanist’s dream. Spot the daisy heads of sneezewort and the yellow starburst of pepper saxifrage, and watch flitting moths and butterflies including hairstreaks, coppers and skippers.
Sprotbrough Flash
7 Thorpe Marsh
The best views of Thorpe Marsh are from the disused railway embankments, but there is plenty here to discover close-up. Enjoy the grassy field wildflower displays, peer into the hedgerows for mammals and grass snakes, look out over the mere to spot waders and ducks, and listen out for owls and treecreepers in the woods.
8 Dearne Valley Country Park
Right in the heart of Barnsley, Dearne Valley Country Park is criss-crossed by inviting paths, taking you through gnarly ancient woodland and gorgeous grassland. The river and lakes are teaming with wildlife; you’ll see toads and frogs galore, pike a-plenty and perhaps even some kingfishers zipping by.
Potteric Carr
Yorkshire. Home to some of the most magical wildlife and wild places you’ll ever see.
Whether it’s a close encounter with puffins on spectacular white cliffs, multicolour meadows buzzing with bees and brim-full of butterflies, or wondrous wetlands welcoming wintering wildfowl and waders in their thousands, our grand and glorious part of the world is a cracking place to experience nature at its best.
There’s an astonishing wealth of wildlife to discover in the south of our region, especially on the urban fringes of Doncaster and Barnsley. Here nature is returning in abundance to wetlands, grassland and woodland - a legacy of the coal mining industry.
Find out more about the 100+ reserves in our care and be inspired to go wild at ywt.org.uk/nature-reserves
Potteric Carr
Join us at one of our great wild events! From family fun to expert encounters, there’s something for everyone in our year-round programme! Get planning how you’ll next experience Yorkshire’s incredible wildlife at ywt.org.uk/our-events
Our members make a real and lasting difference for Yorkshire’s wildlife and wild places. Please join us today!
When you join us, you’ll enjoy:
n Unlimited free admission and parking at our visitor centres
n A subscription to our quarterly Wildlife Yorkshire magazine
n Discounts on some of our unforgettable wild events
n Invitations to exclusive experiences and more!
Plus when you pay by monthly Direct Debit, we’ll also send you a FREE copy of Discover Yorkshire’s Wildlife worth £14.99 - the most comprehensive guide to where, when and how to see wildlife in Yorkshire!
