Afternoon walk: Thorne Moors

Many people haven't heard of Doncaster's famous raised peat bog or mire system that combines with others spanning the borders of South Yorkshire, East Yorkshire and North Lincolnshire forming the Humberhead Peatlands, part of the Humberhead Levels landscape.

Humberhead levels

But they should, as the reserves' importance is underlined by Thorne & Hatfield Moors Conservation Forum, who explain "the acidic peat of the Moors creates an environment in which few bacteria survive and where there is minimal free oxygen. This inhibits the process of decay and has allowed a veritable Domesday archive of four millennia to be preserved."

The wider area is mostly flat, arable farmland, but remnants of wetland such as Thorne Moors are a Natural England National Nature Reserve (NNR) whose management's main aim is "to create an internationally renowned, unique wetland landscape, supporting thriving communities, economy, ecosystem services and wildlife".

Along with other remnants, these moors make up one of England's twelve Nature Improvement Areas (NIAs), this one a partnership of 15 organisations listed by Yorkshire Wildlife Trust as:

Doncaster Metropolitan Borough Council
North Lincolnshire Council
East Riding of Yorkshire Council
Environment Agency
Natural England
The University of Sheffield
The University of York
Ouse and Humber Drainage Board
Isle of Axholme and North Nottinghamshire Water Level Management Board
Shire Groups of Internal Drainage Boards
English Heritage
RSPB
Lincolnshire Wildlife Trust
Nottinghamshire Wildlife Trust
Yorkshire Wildlife Trust (has a very informative website about management of the levels)

In times past it was called Thorne Waste, suggesting the area was disregarded by previous people, however a trackway was discovered in 1972, built in the Bronze Age

Peat was extracted commercially here from the late 19th century, with increasing mechanisation in the 20th - a visit to an abandoned peat factory not far from here was reported here in April.

Environmentalist action in the last half of the 20th century led to the land becoming common and a nature reserve, significantly thanks to campaigning by self confessed "bad-tempered old sod" William Bunting, an early eco-warrior who would patrol the moors with "revolver, swordstick, machete, wire-clippers and business cards". Geoffrey Lean's full 1997 article is published on the Independent's website and there's more information on this remarkable character on another blog.

Angered by no footpaths appearing on a 1952 map, Bunting set upon a lifetime campaign for access across the moors, studying legal speak in order to challenge what he saw as their illegal enclosure. His work helped stop waste dumping from Drax power station and his group, Bunting's Beavers would build dams to counteract their destruction by Fisons in their endeavour to extract the peat.

This 1953 OS map does show some footpaths. Thorne Colliery is shown on the left

Thorne Colliery, 1953

As open access land, under the Countryside & Rights of Way Act (2000), the public can "walk, ramble, run, explore, climb and watch wildlife as they are given the freedom to access land, without having to stay on paths". Doncaster Council has a useful walking map of Doncaster which shows public access routes and this area is shaded red to denote all of it accessible.

Some paths are grassy, some boggy, some overgrown, some with planks laid down to help passage in places. There's woodland, open bush and plenty of bog. The area is popular with birdwatchers - this is one of the few British hideouts of the reticent nightjar. The adder - Britain's only native venemous snake lives here, and there's diverse plant life. Various insects were seen including dragonflies, butterflies and various coloured "fly" flies.

Near the outskirts, the shaft wheel from Thorne Colliery at Moorends recreation ground

This seems to be some remains of the colliery 

En route

Temperate woodland near the start of the reserve

Couldn't work out the exact function of this water receptacle.

This is a view from the raised platform in the middle

A thoroughly recommended place to explore - the visit took in just part of an area which includes Goole, Crowle, Rawcliffe and Snaith & Cowick Moors, the latter detached from its parish several miles away. The size of the place means there's only so much you can see in one visit!