AT A GLANCE
Why go?
Broomhill Flash is a shallow lake on the edge of Wombwell in South Yorkshire, one of the most rewarding bird-watching spots in the former coal-mining country between Barnsley and Doncaster. The word "flash" is the local name for a lake that formed when land collapsed over old underground workings—a gift of the region's mining heritage that has, around a century on, become a haven for wildlife.↗↗
Set within a "string of pearls" of lakes, ponds and marshes along the valley of the River Dearne, the reserve is of significant regional importance for birds. It is run by the Garganey Trust, which uses careful water management and traditional cattle grazing to keep the flooded grasslands alive with insects and nesting species. It's an easy, atmospheric place to visit any time of year, and it is wheelchair-accessible and good for a family walk.↗↗
Born from coal: what a "flash" is
A "flash" is a shallow lake created when ground above abandoned coal workings subsides and water floods in. Broomhill Flash took its present shape roughly a hundred years ago, making it a fine example of how the Yorkshire coalfield's industrial past has quietly handed back a natural landscape. Where collieries and pit villages once dominated, open water and wet pasture now stretch toward the horizon.
