WAGFINDER
Walk · South Yorkshire

Gypsy Marsh

Wath upon Dearne · S73 0UP
N 440 YD
1.2MILES
40mON FOOT
8mCLIMB
Out & backSHAPE
Off-road 95% 5% shares tarmac with cars
Field & moor path 40%Lane & track 55%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 S73 0UP
Parking
Free car park at RSPB Old Moor, open from 09:30; Gypsy Marsh itself is open at all times but has no parking of its own
Directions to the start →

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.

THE SMALL PRINTRSPB Gypsy Marsh: "Dogs are welcome on the designated rights of way. Please keep your dog on a lead at all times" — the reserve cites sensitive wildlife, habitats and grazing cattle. Barnsley's borough-wide dog control PSPO also applies, requiring faeces to be removed immediately and a means of picking up to be carried.

House rules, decoded

Livestock — leads on
REGION · SOUTH YORKSHIRE
GRID · 53.5168, -1.3717
SOURCE · HTTPS://WWW.RSPB.ORG.UK/DAYS-OUT/RESERVES/DEARNE-VALLEY-GYPSY-MARSH/
Also in Wath upon Dearne
WAGFINDER No photo yet
N 440 YD 2.4 MI · OUT & BACK
SOME LIMITS

Bolton Ings and the Trans Pennine Trail

Wath upon Dearne · S63 7FY
No reviews yet
2.4MILES
1:10TIME
15mCLIMB
95%OFF-ROAD
Off-lead allowed

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.

VERIFIED 30 JUL 2026 VIEW WALK ›
WAGFINDER No photo yet
Restaurant DOGS WELCOME

Coffee Street

S63 7FN
No reviews yet

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 ›
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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