Welcome
Set in the heart of the Dearne Valley, RSPB Old Moor is a fantastic 250 acre wetland reserve with a range of habitats. The site provides year round wildlife that is easily observed. it is a great place to unwind, take a simple stroll and enjoy close contact with nature. The visitor centre has a shop and cafe; there is an education centre and meeting room facilities. It is open every day apart from Christmas Day and Boxing Day from 9.30am and closes at 5pm, with the cafe opening at 10am and closing at 3pm.
This access statement deals only with RSPB Old Moor. There is limited public access and visitor facilities at the other RSPB nature reserves in the Valley.
Level access
There is level access from the main entrance to:
Welcome areaRetail desk Public toilets Farmhouse cafe RSPB Old Moor shop Activity ZoneHearing
Visual
General
Getting here
Travel by public transport
Taxis are not readily available at the station. If you require an accessible taxi you can book this in advance from local taxi companies.
Travel by taxi
To plan your journey via public transport or car using transportdirect.info; simply enter your postcode and ours which is S73 0YF.
Parking
We do have mobility scooters available to loan which can be broght to the car park by request. Booking is advised
Arrival
Path to main entrance
Main entrance
There is ample car parking on site for around 150 cars including 6 dedicated spaces for blue badge holders.
There is a short walk from the car park to the visitor centre although we do have a drop off point closer to the contre if you need it.
If you have pre-booked a scooter these can be used to collect people from the car park.
The car park is hard standing and the path to the visitor centre is either paved or hard standing.
Getting around inside
Lift
Lift to cafe
Ticket/ information desk
Welcome area
The Visitor Centre is located on the ground floor with step free, level entry.
Friendly staff are always on hand to help and provide up to date information on where to go and what to see. They are happy to give assistance, including with any literature.
Entrance to the reserve is free for RSPB members. For non members, the charges are as follows - Adult £5, Family £11, children £2.50, concessions £2.50.
There are three robust mobility scooters available to hire from the Visitor Centre at a cost of £3. Please ring in advance if you would like to reserve one.
There is a full events programme throughout the year and a range of family friendly activities, including spotting sheets and quizee available. We also have activities/ equipment such as pond dipping, disocvery backpacks, binoculars and mobiltiy scooters available for hire. Please ask staff for details - including accessibility.
Ticket/ information desk
Retail desk
The shop is located in the visitor centre, accessed directly from the main entrance.
Specialist optical equipment, books and DVDs are available along with a comprehensive bird care and wildlife gardening range.
In addition, a wide selection of gifts, souvenirs and greetings cards are available.
Our products are ethically sourced where possible - and our bird food is sourced to reduce the carbon footprint through miles travelled.
There is step free, level access throughout and ample room within the shop for a large wheelchair/pushchair to manoeuvre and turn.
There are some tall book/gift racks and low display units accessible from a seated position.
Our staff are always happy to provide assistance
Things to See and Do
Public toilet
Public toilets
There are toilets located on the ground floor of the Visitor Centre, in the Farmhouse Meeting Rooms and upstairs in the Cafe.
There are two accessible toilets located on the ground floor of the Visitor Centre and one in the Farmhouse Meeting Rooms.
All of these toilets are well lit, have easy access and vertical and horizontal rails.
One of the Visitor Centre accessible toilets has changing facilities (table and hoist) and the other has baby changing facilities.
Shop
RSPB Old Moor shop
The shop is located in the visitor centre, accessed directly from the main entrance.
Specialist optical equipment, books and DVDs are available along with a comprehensive bird care and wildlife gardening range.
In addition, a wide selection of gifts, souvenirs and greetings cards are available.
Our products are ethically sourced where possible - and our bird food is sourced to reduce the carbon footprint through miles travelled.
There is step free, level access throughout and ample room within the shop for a large wheelchair/pushchair to manoeuvre and turn.
There are some tall book/gift racks and low display units accessible from a seated position.
Our staff are always happy to provide assistance.
Place to eat and drink
Farmhouse cafe
The Cafe is located on the first floor.
There is seating for up to 90 people, including on the balcony which gives panoramic views of the reserve with an
additional 40 seats in the courtyard area.
The cafe can be accessed via a lift from the ground floor in the Visitor Centre.
There is also a flight of stairs with handrails.
Tables and chairs are well spaced apart and the chairs have no arms.
There are toilets in the cafe, but no accessible toilets in this location.
Where possible, all our food produce is locally sourced. Smaller portions are available and we do our best to cater for any dietary requirements; please contact us in advance to check any specific requests you may have.
Activity Zone
The Activity Zone is located in the courtyard to the left of the Visitor Centre.
It is accessible, as are the education facilities - including raised ponds for pond dipping.
The visitor centre toilet facilities are next door - including the changing table and hoist.
The classroom is interactive with Smart Board technology.
Old Moor is the ideal place to bring your class for an unforgettable first-hand experience of nature, and is a great place to help them understand the value of wildlife and natural places.
Visits are limited to a maximum of three classes (or 90 students).
Our teaching has been externally verified to ensure that we are providing high quality learning experiences and managing safety effectively via the Learning Outside the Classroom Quality Badge scheme.
Getting around outside
Reedbed trail
The reedbed trail is about 500 metres long and takes about 10 minutes to complete on foot.
The trail to the Bittern hide does have a steep gradient with refuge points and a hand rail however wheelchair users may find this route particularly demanding. The Bittern hide is suitable for mobility scooters and pushchairs.
All paths are flat and have hard surfaces, there is enough space along the trails for two wheelchairs to pass
Designated Walking Trail
Green lane trail
The green lane trail is around 700m long and takes about 15 mintues to complete on foot.
A map of the trails is available from the visitor centre or available to download in advance from the website.
All the paths are flat and have hard surfaces, althgouh there are some inclines with refuge points. There is enough space along the trails for 2 wheel chairs to pass.
Seating and refuge points are situated approixmately every 100m. Most of the benches are made from wood or recycled plastic, with and without backs.
Reedbed hide
Family hide
Bittern hide
Wader scrape hide
Wath Ings
Field pools east
Field pools west
Tree sparrow farm
Picnic Area
The courtyard
The courtyard at Old Moor has 10 tables with 40 chairs, each with wheelchair access. It is a great place to sit and have a picnic lunch or enjoy a cup of tea and cake from the cafe - sat in the shade of the parasol awning.
Picnic Area
The lawn
The lawn is a grassed area just beyong the visitor centre, it has areas of picnic blankets and 3 picnic tables available for use.
The lawn has 3 entrance points the smallest of which is a meter wide, the largest of which is around 3m wide from a 5 bar gate.
Picnic Area
The playground
The adventure playground is an area for children to play, it has one wheelchair accessible picnic table within the play area.
Customer care support
We provide 3 mobilty scooters which are availble on site to hire at £4 each, these can be booked in advance from the visitor centre by calling 01226 751593.
We also have magifying sheets availble in the visitor centre available for anyone to use.
Our staff and volunteers are friendly and knowledgeable, please do not hesiatte to ask for assistance.
We charge our mobilty scooters in the visitor centre, but they can also be charge in the farmhouse or in the activity zone.
Emergency evacuation procedures
We have an evac chair for safe evalucation of wheelchair users in the cafe in the case of an emergnecy.
Customer care support