Rivelin Rough & Wyming Brook Walk

A walk with two options heading past Rivelin Dams and giving the choice of an easier going trail up the wide and fairly even bridleway of Wyming Brook Drive, or for the more adventurous, leaving the main popular path to climb the steep side of Reddicar Clough and the higher path of Mare Folds above the Wyming Brook valley

This walk begins approximately 3 miles (about a 7 minute drive) from the Basecamp Cafe, at the Rails Road car park at the outermost end of Rivelin Valley Road. (S6 6GF).  There are two options available after passing the Rivelin Reservoir with a wide gradual ascent up the main bridleway or branching off for a longer, steeper route up the side of Reddicar Clough.

If choosing the Reddicar Clough option please be aware that although the walk fallows a public footpath marked on OS maps, this is a lesser trodden route and is overgrown in places, with high fern and bracken. On this part of the route, long trousers are recommended as you will be brushing against overgrown bracken for a good section of the climb.  The shorter Wyming Brook Drive climb avoids this and takes an easier going and clear, wide bridleway.  For both routes, stout footwear is essential as sections are uneven or rocky.

Leave the Rails Road car park heading west, taking the path to the left of the millpond.  Follow the footpath with the River Rivelin to your left until you reach stone steps leading up to the A57.  Cross the A57 with care then head right, along the pavement beside the main road, passing the end of Rivelin Valley Road.  After passing Rivelin Valley Road and just before a row of private houses on your left, look for a Public Footpath sign on your right.  Cross back over the A57 and take the footpath up the wide farm track heading to The Lawns farm.  Follow the track as it turns right, then just before it turns left heading to farm buildings, look for a gate and stile on your left.  Cross this stile and walk up the rough field.

Cross two more stiles and keep ascending, hugging the right hand side of the field to arrive at a wooden stile before a stone wall. Cross the stile and pass through the gap in the wall then head left along a clear path.

Stay on this clear path ignoring a wooden footbridge and stile that branches off to your left.  On reaching a fork in the path with a marker post, bear right along the lesser trodden of the two paths, maintaining height at first as the path weaves through woods and bracken.  Although the sounds of the busy A57 below to your left can be heard, the woods of Rivelin Rough do a good job of filtering the traffic noise, allowing you to enjoy the chatter of the birds inhabiting the woods.

As another unmarked path joins from the right, keep heading straight ahead, passing through a rocky section then over a wooden footbridge before the path then turns left at a stone wall, becoming wider as it drops down to join the A57 again.

Cross the A57 and walk down the road directly opposite which heads across the dam at the end of the reservoir.  Keep following this road as it turns right after the small car park, past Fox Holes Lodge and then becomes a bridleway into Fox Holes Plantation.  Continue along the wide bridleway which winds its way moderately uphill.  After a short distance, reach a T-junction at a tall wall.  At this point you may choose the version of the walk to take.

Easier Going Route up Wyming Brook Drive

For the easier-going route, head left and follow the clear, wide bridleway of Wyming Brook Drive all the way up to a gate into a car park at the top and rejoin the route there.  For the full route, follow the Reddicar Clough directions

Reddicar Clough (Full) Route

For the full route to Reddicar Clough, turn right and follow the wide track which eventually begins to descend slightly and reaches a sharp right hand bend. Immediately before the track bends right, take the Public Footpath on your left (Signposted New Hagg) which climbs up an uneven path of tree roots then rocks.  As the clearer path turns to climb steeply slightly left, instead keep straight ahead on a fainter path, climbing through a narrower and overgrown section of path with a brook below to your right – this section may be overgrown enough to doubt the route, but after a short distance meets a fence and turns left alongside the fence.  Keep following this narrow path that continues to climb beside the wire fence to your right, and stay along the line of the fence as it turns right, emerging from the woods and heads steeply uphill on a narrow path through bracken.

At the top of this strenuous climb the fence and path turns 90 degrees to the left. Now is a good opportunity to stop for a short breather and reward yourself by taking in the views behind you, with the Rivelin Dams visible over to your right

Turn left and keep following the line of the fence as it later turns slightly right, passing to the right of woodland. Continue alongside the fence as you pass by a hand gate to your right onto the access land of New Hagg and eventually reach a second similar gate on your right just after stepping over a narrow stream.

Take care at this point when following the directions as some of the paths are harder to spot.

Just after passing the gate, fork left on a narrow pathway that drops into the trees and to a wide path in the woods.  Join this path and turn right but then almost immediately look for a path heading right up rock ‘steps’ and take that path on your right, up those steps.

(do not start to descend into the woods, if you pass a marker post with a carved acorn at this point you have gone too far).

The path runs alongside the edge with views through the trees of Rivelin Reservoir to your left.  After a rock outcrop with clearer views over Rivelin Reservoir, you will start to see below you, climbing to your left the wider path of Wyming Brook Drive (the easier going route).

Shortly after a wooden parker post with a carved pumpkin, reach a 4-way path junction.  Head half-left and descend to the main, wide, Wyming Brook Drive at the gate and into the car park.

At this point the two route options converge

Full & Easy Going Routes Converge Here

Whichever option you took, you will now have passed through a gate into a car park at the top of Wyming Brook. At this point the two versions of this route rejoin.

Immediately after entering the car park turn left down the footpath signposted “Fox Hagg” and descend to the stepping stones across Wyming Brook.  You can cross the stepping stones or look to your left to see a handy footbridge just downstream that you can use as an alternative.

At the path junction just over the stepping stones, follow the sign to Fox Hagg. THere are two paths in this direction, one with clear steps and the other heading up slightly to the left. Take the left of the two and follow this path which runs along the top of the valley with Wyming Brook dropping away to your left.  THe path widens as it curves to the right, away from the line of Wyming Brook. A stone wall joins from the right at a corner, the path continues beside the wall with a meadow to your right.  After passing the meadow the path drops down slightly then climbs again as it skirts the edge of Fox Holes Plantation with views of the reservoir behind you to the left.

After passing a viewpoint with a wooden bench and reaching the end of a stone wall, at the path junction keep straight ahead, descending slightly at first, levelling off and then continuing to slowly descend, eventually dropping down a flight of rock steps to a path junction signposted #342 by the Peak and Northern Footpaths Society.

Turn right, following the arrow pointing to Redmires Road.

At the next path junction, bear half left down stone steps, step over a rocky stream crossing then as the main path turns sharp left, instead head straight up the side of the hill on a narrow path which is lined with stones at first.  You do not need to worry about the warning sign just before the junction alerting you to a narrow path with no passing or turning spaces, which advises horse riders of the hazard on the main path and to keep to the bridleway.

Climb up this path to arrive at another clearly signposted path junction. Turn left here onto the Public Bridleway, pass behind houses to your right. If you look to your left you can see the A57 heading out towards the Peak District, the Rivelin Waterworks below and a little to the right of the waterworks, you can spot the farm track that you headed up near the beginning of the walk.

When the bridlepath bears left downhill with a wooden barrier rail to the left, heep straight ahead on the narrower path, maintaining height. Follow this path passing two gaps in wooden fences to your right, which eventually drops down to reach the steep winding road of Lodge Lane.

Cross over the road to take the Public Footpath directly opposite into the top of Blackbrook Wood.

Pass a viewpoint with two wooden benches and continue along the path with the golf course on your right, staying along this path with the stone wall to your right.  Where the wall turns off to the right, keep straight ahead or the rocky path that descends steeply to meet another, wider path above Black Brook.  Turn left on this path and head downhill with Black Brook on your right, which descends down steep steps at first before the slope eases slightly.  Continue downhill as another path joins from the left.

Beside the farm as the path forks, take the right fork (Permissive Bridleway) and follow this to the main road.  Cross the A57 and head left along the road for a few metres, then take the Public Bridleway (not the Public Footpath) which heads half-right (NW) gently downhill.  Bear left as you enter Rivelin Glen and continue to a stone footbridge. Cross the bridge and turn left to Rails Road and back to the start.

To visit the Basecamp Cafe for post-walk refreshment and refuelling, turn left out of the car park then immediately right onto Rivelin Valley Road.  Follow Rivelin Valley Road for approximately 3 miles to the end. Follow the one-way system around, following the signs (M1, M18) City Centre, Barnsley, then see Towsure on your right hand side as you pass the tram stop. Basecamp Cafe is situated inside Towsure.