The
Unofficial WebsiteKilnhurst Ings
In 2006 I have just found out that Kilnhurst Ings is a Local Nature Reserve. It has obviously been one for a long time judging by the age of the notice board, however it is not mentioned on any of my maps, including the up-to-date Ordnance Survey Explorer.
However I can assure you that it is there. An ing is a pond in Yorkshire and those at Kilnhurst are part of the wetlands lying in the floodplain of the Don, between the river and the Kilnhurst Cut of the Sheffield and South Yorkshire Navigation Canal. Now the Ings don't look much and I couldn't get anything like a decent shot with my camera, but they are maintained as a wetland habitat. The area is enclosed by levees with a flood control gate to the north. The ings are obviously used as part of the flood control system when the Don is in spate and it looks as if they were pretty well overwhelmed in June 2007 during the Big Flood. I was more than a bit disappointed by the lack of wildlife; the most interesting being a well-named 'charm' of goldfinches.
The totem pole (I am presuming it is a totem pole) is a tribute to Kilnhurst dated 1999 and designed by J. Thompson.
The Ings can be accessed off Hooton Road but the car park here is for the use of anglers only. The public car park is back in Kilnhurst next to the Working Men's Club.