Walks Through Wyming Brook Nature Reserve – Hidden Wilderness

Wyming Brook Nature Reserve near Sheffield, South Yorkshire is a site of special scientific interest close to Rivlin Dam reservoir just off the A57. This is such a scenic area and popular with walkers and photographers for obvious reasons. We usually park at Rivlin Dam car park from the A57 but there’s a dedicated car park higher up and close to Redmires Reservoirs off Redmires Road.

We discovered Wyming Brook nature reserve completely accidentally after visiting the area for the 3rd time and It felt like we had discovered a hidden beauty spot with cascading water and little wooden bridges crossing the babbling brook, a rocky, rugged, yet beautiful place within a winding valley, I feel that this reserve is quite special, and we were lucky to discover it on our walking detour one day.  

After parking at Rivlin dam, boots on and ready to go, we headed along a foot path out of the car park and toward a plantation called Fox Hagg, with plenty of lovely meadow patches in-between the woodland. My family and I like to vary our route and again this was new to us and were enjoying the new views, there are plenty of routes to take here and we decided to turn off to the right and up a winding pathway through trees and bracken, heading higher and to views over the Rivlin Dam reservoir, there are other pathways toward Redmires Reservoirs or an easy access route along Wyming Brook Drive, a wide good surfaced bridleway, apart from maybe a couple of mud patches, and Wyming Brook Nature reserve can be accessed from here on the left hand side but do take note that through the rocky areas as you see in the photos with cascading water the ground isn’t as easy going as you’ll find it along the drive, though it is still a beautiful walk nonetheless if you continue along the bridleway, it is so peaceful.  

Eventually we reached the higher path through the trees and brought the pace down a little and every now and then we had a glimpse through the tree line of views over Rivlin Dam reservoir and on a clear day also Sheffield city can be seen from up high, here on top of the rocky cliff. A little caution need here of course too. This a relaxing little trail, a little muddy at times I must admit, but still a very satisfying stroll. Look out too for ancient trees as there are many of them here listed in the ancient tree inventory on a data base by The Woodland Trust, these ancient trees are a very important part of the ecosystem and encourage a more diverse wildlife network.   

As always, we had fun along the way and as we continued following over the top and eventually a gradual decent downwards, the sound of rushing water can be heard in the distance. As the trail reached a crossroad, to Hag Fox, Redmires Reservoirs or to Wyming Brook Nature reserve, we stopped at the stepping stones ahead of us for the dogs to get a drink before turning right and over a quaint little wooden bridge, from here on the path began to become rocky in parts, muddy in others but all worth the effort for the shear natural beauty of it. This stunning nature reserve is managed by Sheffield and Rotherham wildlife trust and is home to a plethora of wildlife species, with diverse habitats such as woodland, (cared for by the Woodland Trust for Sheffield and Rotherham,) as well as heathland and wetlands making this an absolute haven.   

Wyming Brook was once a hunting and hawking ground set aside strictly for the use of nobles and gentry and was known as Rivlin Chase, those ancient trees would have been around in those times and surely could tell a tale or two. No hunting here now, just conservation and a love for nature and no restrictions to class or creed. 😊 

The sound of the rushing water as it tumbles over rocks and splashes over the mossy tufts along the way is just so tranquil here, as we meander down and along. Every now and then there’s a wooden bridge to cross over the brook which adds to the romance of this valley, it’s a perfect spot to stop and just take in the atmosphere, to listen to the trickling, babbling and sometimes gushing water as it hurries along finding its way between and over rocks, weaving through and down the valley. But though the water hurries on we stand and take in the naturally calm atmosphere, the smell of pine, moss and earthy fungi, and relax for a minute, just taking time out.  

Soon we had reached the lower part of the valley and were joining Wyming Brook Drive and heading right and back to the car park where we began, a full circle and a very satisfying one at that. The Rivlin Dam reservoir was once more beside us and after a lovely walk across meadow, heath, woodland, up and then down beside streams, more fun and enjoyable memories were made. A hidden wilderness with lots to explore, a special place indeed, somewhere I’ll return to.