yellow-walk

THE YELLOW WALK

Low Ellers and Corbett (clockwise from the lighted crossing). Length ½ mile.

The walk starts at an approved railway crossing controlled by lights. Cross only when the lights are on and proceed with purpose – don’t loiter on the lines. If a train approaches whilst you are waiting to cross and sounds a warning, wave to the driver to signal your recognition of his approach.

'Lighted' Crossing at start of Yellow Walk © Allan Parker ARPS

Just beyond the lighted crossing is Childers Wood. This is an area of ground which was formed partly by the tipping of many tons of ash which was taken from the fireboxes and smoke boxes of countless steam railway engines throughout nearly 100 years of steam operation on the railways. Silver Birch has developed naturally on it since it ceased to be used after the Second World War. Shortly you come to a junction – there are two paths through the wood, both eventually arriving at the same point.

The left turn takes one to Childers Hide overlooking Low Ellers Marsh. The railway line immediately in front of the hide is the East Coast Main Line from London to Edinburgh with a regular passage of high speed trains which at this point often approach 100 mph . Low Ellers Marsh was the small area of marsh which comprised the original Reserve in 1968. From being a damp pasture in the 1950s, subsidence due to mining had caused it to sink about a metre and the area became flooded. This marsh is home to hundreds of ducks in winter, mainly Mallard, Teal, Gadwall and Shoveler but also Wigeon, Tufted Duck and Pochard, though its attractiveness has been usurped somewhat by the new marshes at Huxter Well. Also in winter, there is always a chance of seeing Bittern and other water birds including herons and geese. In summer it is quieter but retains numbers of breeding ducks, Moorhens, Coot and maybe Great Crested Grebe. Black-headed Gulls had a breeding colony here and some still remain, though the main breeding colony is now on the Huxter Well Marsh.

Low Ellers Marsh and the East Coast Main Line from Childers Hide © Allan Parker ARPS

In the lower part of the wood near the hide there are many fungi in autumn including Earth Stars which are well worth looking out for. The path rises up steps into the main part of the wood. The wood is mainly closed canopy which means there is little ground flora except brambles but in spring there will be warblers and woodpeckers and the usual mix of resident birds. A view opens out on the left over Childers Marsh with the usual possibility of typical marsh warblers and, as the path descends, on the left can be seen the remains of an old railway wagon which fell down the bank around 1940. Underneath is another wagon of even older vintage, a permanent reminder of the historic connection with the railway system. In front is the railway embankment of the South Yorkshire Joint Railway. At the bottom of the steps, the path joins the alternative path described below.

Returning to the junction in the path : The right turn through the wood (described above) and takes one along a winding path which skirts an area of Phragmites in an old pond of indeterminate quality ( it was almost certainly used as a dumping area for all sorts of rubbish, probably toxic, during the railway days ). It certainly appears to be unattractive to wildlife! There are open views across part of the Reserve to the right but these are limited by the railway embankment. The path eventually joins the one described above.

After the junction of the two paths, they follow a boardwalk over Childers Drain, under the railway viaduct and into Corbett Wood. This is an even-aged birch wood and on the left is willow carr which gives a good idea of what parts of the area may have looked like over 250 years ago. The path continues into Corbett Field, an open area which historically had been subject to repeated firing by sparks from steam railway engines. Consequently, the main vegetation is Rosebay Willowherb and Meadowsweet although there is a patch of Devil’s-bit Scabious.

The path continues into Triangle Plantation (an extension to Black Carr Wood, though different in character). The path passes under the Bessacarr railway gantry which is well-known in railway circles. Eventually it leads to steps which climb an embankment to a railway line which is a link line from the East Coast Main Line. Here there is a permitted crossing and, again, one needs to be aware of trains which may be approaching – it is not controlled by lighting.

One now arrives at Rossington Bank, the last railway to be constructed in the area in 1931. It crossed what is now Huxter Well and the M18 motorway to former Rossington Colliery. The bank surface is different to the others in that sand has been used to put out fires within it allowing the habitat to take on the character of sandy heath. There is plenty of Gorse, which is a favoured nesting site for Long-tailed Tits, and grasses which are typical of heathland.

There are glimpses of Piper Marsh to the west whilst to the east is an area of the Reserve to which official access is not currently available. Interestingly, during the construction of the marshes at Huxter Well, the thriving area of Common Reed in this area was used to 'seed' the new marshes by removing it, roots and all, at the same time creating shallow lagoons. It considerably reduced the cost of the Huxter Well construction and greatly increased the speed of development of the reeds.

Shortly you arrive at the Red Walk with a choice of continuing ahead into Huxter Well or turning right to Piper Marsh and Black Carr Wood.