red-walk

THE RED WALK

Huxter Well, Piper Marsh and Black Carr (anti-clockwise). Length 2½ miles.

The Red Walk commences from the Blue Walk just beyond the Balby Carr pumping station. Please note that the whole of the walk can be followed on paths which are suitable for wheelchairs most of the year. However, the middle section between the viewing screen and Roger Mitchell Hide may not be suitable from December – March. The hides on this walk all have a ramped access.

Mother Drain from the wooden bridge at the start of the Red Walk © Allan Parker ARPS

Cross the wooden bridge over the Mother Drain and under the railway. In summer, look down into Mother Drain from the bridge when Banded Demoiselles may be present, the males with the flashing blue wings and the females in more sombre iridescent green. Mother Drain is also a flight line for Kingfishers which sometimes perch under the second railway bridge to fish in the drain, particularly in late winter / early spring.

You now enter Loversall Triangle, a depression formed in the former railway embankment in 1976 by the removal of limestone to build the new railway embankment. It was planted largely with Alder, Ash and Field Maple and there has also been some birch regeneration but some of it was cleared when the new path was laid. The ground is almost bare limestone and is particularly attractive to lime loving plants. In spring there are violets (a mixture of Hairy and Dog Violets) along with a few Lesser Celandines and later Perforate St. John’s Wort.

The path passes under the gantry bridge of the South Yorkshire Joint Railway. Beyond the bridge, after a short distance, there is a diversion right down some steps into Hawthorn Field which is a sheltered area favoured by butterflies ( this can be used as a shortcut to Hawthorn Bank ). The vegetation is mainly Meadowsweet and various willow herbs surrounded mainly by hawthorn bushes. The concrete structure on the right at the bottom of the steps is a penstock which controls the flow of water in Childers Drain which flows in under the bank – the drain is connected to Low Ellers. There are two outlets, one straight on into Mother Drain and the other which leads to Piper Marsh. The penstock enables the water levels in Low Ellers Marsh and Piper Marsh to be manipulated. The drain here tends to be choked with Great Reed Mace and the leaf fall over the years has led to the water being rich in nutrients, hence the presence of duckweed.

Hawthorn Field © John Hancox

Returning to the main path: on the left there are a number of plants of Old Man’s Beard also known as Travellers Joy, this plant being Britain’s only wild clematis. It is fairly uncommon being closely allied to the presence of magnesian limestone from which the railway embankments were constructed. It is probably at its best in autumn and into winter when its seeds create the ‘bearded’ effect in its name. There is other interest for the botanist in this short stretch with Comfrey (an old herbal remedy), Lesser Burdock, Figwort and Lesser Celandine though the development of the trees is tending to shade out the area reducing the ability of some of these plants to grow.

After about 200 m the path splits ( the path straight ahead down the ramp leads directly to Black Carr and Piper Marsh ). Turn right to follow the path along a former railway embankment (Hawthorn Bank) to cross the bridge over the Mother Drain ( This embankment was closed to railway traffic in the mid-1920s and was a link between the Dearne Valley Railway and the South Yorkshire Joint Railway which leads south to the collieries at Haworth and Maltby and eventually joins the Sheffield to Worksop line ).

On the left, through the trees, the vista opens up with views over the newly established Huxter Well Marsh ( This area was redeveloped from poor quality farmland in the period 2004-08 with funds from a variety of sources, the main aim being to provide large areas of reed fen to attract breeding Bitterns. The reed is still developing but will eventually cover most of the water bodies ) . The walk along this embankment ( alongside an active railway from which it is fenced ) continues to offer views across the marshes and three hides have been constructed to facilitate comfortable viewing.

Hawthorn Bank path © Allan Parker ARPS

The wildlife in the water bodies on Huxter Well continue to evolve as the marsh itself evolves so it is difficult to indicate precisely what one might see. However, there will be a wealth of wildfowl along with often large flocks of Lapwings and Golden Plover in winter, and a very active Black-headed Gull breeding colony in spring and summer. To appreciate the wildlife, a telescope is a definite advantage since some of the water birds can be some considerable way away. It is worth spending some time in each of the hides to appreciate the wildlife.

St Catherine's Hide, Hawthorn Bank © Ken Woolley

Huxter Well Marsh from St Catherine's Hide © John Hancox

As the last of the three hides is left, the path continues down a ramp through some fields which are fenced off to allow grazing Hebridean sheep (owned by Doncaster College) at certain times of year. The two drains in this field are very good for dragonflies at certain times but are not accessible to the general visitor. The fields themselves are attractive to many species of butterflies.

St Catherine's Field and path towards M 1 8 Motorway © John Hancox

The path turns to follow the base of the embankment to the M18 motorway. The trees here can hold a variety of songbirds. Eventually it turns left and then right to a viewing screen permitting further views across the marshes. What one sees here will be mainly water birds but the numbers will depend very much on the season. Continuing along the path, this is screened from the marsh by an embankment on the left to avoid disturbance to the waterbirds on the marsh. It runs parallel to a bridleway on the right which connects Loversall and Bessacarr. The drain here, as well as being an integral part of the hydrology of the marsh, acts as a physical barrier to the bridleway which is open to the general public.

Common Fleabane growing next to the 'Ring Drain' © David Carroll

In about 250 m, the path turns left and on the right is a large area of grassland with some small pools. The grassland attracts which attract birds such as Skylarks and is being developed as a breeding wader habitat. On the left is an old drain with an interesting population of invertebrates, and in about 150 m on the left is the access to Roger Mitchell Hide ( named after Roger Mitchell MBE who was instrumental in establishing the Reserve in 1968 and developing it for the next 36 years during which time he was Chairman of the volunteer Reserve Management Committee which ran the Reserve during that time. He was then also closely involved with the development of the Huxter Well Marsh complex of habitats ). This hexagon-shaped hide gives an all-round view of the marshes and their wildlife.

Roger Mitchell Hide © Allan Parker ARPS

View from the Roger Mitchell Hide in winter © Allan Parker ARPS

Returning to the path, in a further 200 m on the left, there is another hide which overlooks an area which is designed as a wader scrape (West Scrape), the water levels generally being kept low to attract waders. Depending on the time of year, this area can hold some interesting waders including larger ones such as Oystercatchers and Avocets which have bred on the marsh, and also Grey Herons and Little Egret. There is another wader scrape (East Scrape) over to the right, but at present this doesn’t have the advantage of a viewing hide and consequently may be difficult to view without disturbing any birds present!

In a further 200 m, the path crosses over a bridge over the Mother Drain. The view along the drain (which is cleared of vegetation annually to maintain the hydraulic efficiency) may, in summer, include patrolling dragonflies. Just beyond the bridge the path divides – the Red Walk continues via the left turn, whilst straight ahead is the Yellow Walk which leads to Childers and Low Ellers and back to the Green Walk and the Reserve entrance.

Mother Drain in winter looking west from Rossington Bank Bridge ('Iron Bridge') © Ken Woolley

The path turns left into the Piper Marsh area. The first 100 m is an area of scrub and in a further 200 m on the right is a hide overlooking Piper Marsh itself. ( Piper Marsh is a man-made lake – this area was, in the early 1970s, a rough, overgrown pasture with thistles and Juncus and crossed by an old shallow drain dating from the 1600s. It was scraped between 1976 and 1990 to produce low islands and open water fringed with reeds. The water in the marsh is largely maintained by its making water from rain mostly during the autumn/winter periods. The margins of this water body are constantly encroaching with the growth of Common Reed and work has to be carried out to control this. Also, the islands continue to develop vegetation and they too have to be cleared on an annual basis ).

In the last few years, this area has become the place to see Bitterns which tend to prefer this marsh to others on the Reserve. They can often be seen at close quarters in front of the hide. In spring and summer, Kingfishers breed in the bankside of the tall island to the right and can often be seen entering and leaving the nest site. Also, in this bank, Sand Martins breed in some years.

To the left of the hide is a small island on the left hand side of which is a patch of Lesser Reed Mace which is an uncommon relative of the well-known Bulrush or Great Reed Mace. The pink flowered water plant that appears in summer is Amphibious Bistort. The fish population in Piper Marsh has not been surveyed but it is known that there were some Pike and these can be responsible for the loss of young water birds every year.

Returning to the path, after a short distance, on the left are some steps which lead to a viewing point over Huxter Well Marsh. The path continues to Black Carr Wood. (Here you have a choice of walking through the wood (1st alternative below) or continuing along the drain embankment to follow the made path through Black Carr Field, or straight ahead alongside the drain. All alternatives eventually meet the outward route near Hawthorn Field).

Black Carr Wood was planted with oak in the 1830s. ( Such plantations were common at the time and were intended to provide timber in the future to support, amongst other things, the building of wooden ships ). The wood now comprises Oak and some Alder and a large area of Silver Birch. It is noted for woodpeckers, all three species being recorded there in most years, and in recent years there has been a tendency for Nuthatches to appear in late summer, through they have not yet bred there. Treecreeper is also a regular breeder as are five of the tit species. The margins of the wood are attractive to Wrens, Robins, Dunnocks and warblers. Any fallen trees are left to rot as they provide an ideal habitat for insects. In autumn, the wood often has a number of interesting fungi including Dead Man’s Fingers and Jew’s Ear.

Black Carr Field was grazed until 1970 but when grazing ceased the grass became tussocky. Following accidental burning in the 1970s, and thanks to rabbits, the grass is now generally very short. In the early 1970s, pine trees were planted but these are gradually being thinned to create open grassland. Considerable management work is required as all over the field there is a constant emergence of tree saplings, mainly birch and oak, the latter probably “planted” by Jays burying acorns, and these have to be removed systematically to retain the area as grassland and prevent woodland taking over! Within the field, a number of wire-netting enclosures have been created to exclude rabbits and encourage the emergence of taller grasses such as Yorkshire Fog and Cock’s-Foot which attract key butterfly species. The oak trees in the field and in Black Carr Wood hold a population of Purple Hairstreaks. Near the bottom of the ramp which leads out of the field, there is a large area of Devil’s-bit Scabious whose violet/blue flowers can attract large numbers of nectaring butterflies in August/September. The grassland area itself is a good place for fungi, a number of unusual species being recorded there. ( We would ask visitors not to damage any of the emergent fungi heads as they may be uncommon species which may need identification by specialists ).

Leaving Black Carr Field, the ramp ascends onto Loversall Bank next to the Lincoln railway line to join the outward route. The alternative path takes us past the wood and onto what is known as “butterfly alley” alongside Piper Marsh Drain. Just past the wood, the made path turns right across Black Carr Field, described above.

The path straight ahead is sheltered and south facing and is sometimes favoured by butterflies from May to October hence its name of 'butterfly alley' though the shading out of this area has reduced its attractiveness to them in recent years. At the end, the path climbs up steps onto Hawthorn Bank. If you approach these steps quietly, particularly on a warm day in spring, Grass Snakes often bask here but any noise particularly from heavy footsteps will cause them to quickly slip away!

At this point the path joins the outward route.