Walk · South Yorkshire

Bolton Ings and the Trans Pennine Trail

Wath upon Dearne · S63 7FY
N 440 YD
2.4MILES
1h 10mON FOOT
15mCLIMB
Out & backSHAPE
Off-road 95% 5% shares tarmac with cars
Field & moor path 10%Lane & track 85%Road with traffic 5%

Our drawing of the route — the shape of the walk, not a navigation aid. Carry OS Explorer on the hill. Off-lead information here is what walkers reported or what signage allows — never our advice. Whether and when a dog is off the lead is the owner’s decision and legal responsibility; keep dogs under control near livestock and follow signs on the day.

Starts at
RSPB Old Moor car park, Old Moor Lane, Broomhill, Barnsley S73 0YF S63 7FY
Parking
Free car park at RSPB Old Moor, open with the reserve from 09:30; it fills on fine weekend mornings and at half term, and there is overflow on the grass
Directions to the start →

A flat run east along the Trans Pennine Trail on the old Dearne Valley railway embankment, with the flooded subsidence flashes of Bolton Ings opening out to the south. The RSPB states "Under control dogs welcome" here, which makes it the natural dog walk of the Dearne Valley given that the main Old Moor reserve a few hundred yards west takes assistance dogs only. The trail surface is hard and level the whole way, so it works in winter and with a barrow, and the public hides on the embankment let you stop without stepping off the path. Park at Old Moor and walk out; there is no car park at Bolton Ings itself.

THE SMALL PRINTRSPB Bolton Ings: "Under control dogs welcome" on the trail and rights of way. The adjoining Old Moor reserve itself allows no dogs except assistance dogs — dogs may use the Old Moor courtyard and car park only. Barnsley's borough-wide dog control PSPO applies: faeces must be removed immediately, you must carry a means of picking up, and a dog must go on a lead when an authorised officer asks.

House rules, decoded

Off-lead allowed
REGION · SOUTH YORKSHIRE
GRID · 53.5177, -1.3448
SOURCE · HTTPS://WWW.RSPB.ORG.UK/DAYS-OUT/RESERVES/DEARNE-VALLEY-BOLTON-INGS
Also in Wath upon Dearne
WAGFINDER No photo yet
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Coffee Street

S63 7FN
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An independent coffee shop in Unit 8 of the Onyx Retail Park on Harris Hawk Way, on the Manvers side of Wath upon Dearne, so it is the nearest proper coffee to the Manvers Lake circuit and the Trans Pennine Trail as it runs round the water. It is a modern unit with hard floors and plenty of room between tables rather than a cramped high street shop, and the parking outside is free and level. Their own website says it is great if you are passing while out walking the dog and that the dog can take on some fresh water while you have your own drink, so a bowl is offered without asking.

Water bowls
VERIFIED 30 JUL 2026 VIEW ›
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N 440 YD 1.2 MI · OUT & BACK
SOME LIMITS

Gypsy Marsh

Wath upon Dearne · S73 0UP
No reviews yet
1.2MILES
40mTIME
8mCLIMB
95%OFF-ROAD
Livestock — leads on

A five minute walk west of Old Moor and the short option in the Dearne Valley, Gypsy Marsh is a strip of wet grassland and reedbed with a surfaced right of way through it that is flat enough for a pushchair or a wheelchair. The RSPB is unambiguous: "Dogs are welcome on the designated rights of way. Please keep your dog on a lead at all times", because of the sensitive habitat and the cattle that graze it. It is open at all times, unlike the Old Moor reserve, so it is the site to know if you arrive early or late. Park at Old Moor and walk out; there is no car park at the marsh.

VERIFIED 30 JUL 2026 VIEW WALK ›
WAGFINDER No photo yet
N 176 YD 1.3 MI · LOOP
SOME LIMITS

Manvers Lake

Wath upon Dearne · S63 7DG
No reviews yet
1.3MILES
45mTIME
15mCLIMB
95%OFF-ROAD
Off-lead allowed

A flooded former colliery and coal preparation site at Manvers, now a lake with a made circuit of about a mile and a quarter run by the Manvers Lake and Dearne Valley Trust from the Boathouse on Station Road. The path is flat enough for a wheelchair or a buggy, though the surface turns to dirt track in places and there are one or two slight inclines. Two longer circular routes of three and five kilometres link the lake to the Trans Pennine Trail, and the Dearne Way runs along the northern side towards Old Moor. The site itself is open on foot at all times, with most of the footpaths permissive rather than public rights of way.

VERIFIED 30 JUL 2026 VIEW WALK ›

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