Rabbit Ings Country Park
Owned by The Land Trust
Managed by Groundworks trust
Site details:
Recorders: restart in 2024 Distance: 1776m Walk Time: 1hour
Rabbit Ings is a country park located on the former colliery yard and spoil heap of the Monkton Colliery and then the Royston Drift Mine, which closed in 1989. A striking image of a rabbit is carved on the hillside which can be seen from miles around. The rabbit, similar to the black rabbit on Watership Down, is a Norse image which ties in with the name of the site – ‘ings’ being a Norse word or description of low lying wetland. The 64-hectare site, situated near Royston in South Yorkshire, is home to an array of wildlife
Sections
S1 starts near the car park and track junction before the beck and proceeds along the mown main track SW S2 takes a track over grass south in a gulley and brings Orange Tip before joining a track.
S3 track and rough grassland favours Small Heath and Small Copper. S4 follows the edge of the mown grass and rejoins the main track and has little to offer except Common Blue.
S5 heads uphill joining the zigzag track. S6 is a zig zag and sees more Small Heath Meadow Brown, Common Blue and Gatekeeper and has the highest count
S7 is another zig zag joining the top road. S8 goes SW but branchs north on a path and has moderate numbers of Small Heath
S9 goes through a small copse and scrub and has little. S10 proceeds along the path before joining the top level circular track with similar numbers of Smal Heath and Meadow Brown but also Gatekeeper.
S11+ S12 follows the circular track west. S13 leaves the top circle heading east down the bank and has little.
S14 follows the bottom road heading north and is wooded and has Dingy Skipper. S15 leaves the main track heading up the slope between the two woodlands back to a radial track from the top circle and has a mix of species with Orange Tip but also Dingy Skipker.