In January 2018 the Don Catchment Rivers Trust (DCRT) visited the Moss Valley after receiving reports that a section of public right of way footpath located from the Bridge Inn pub at Ridgeway to an area past Never Fear Dam was near impossible to walk along during winter conditions due to the amount of water and churned up mud along this section. Soon after we embarked on our Hidden Heritage Secret Streams project which encompassed the Moss catchment (a tributary of the Rother).

It was thought sections such as this are a major source of sedimentation within the Moss Brook – something that negatively effects fish, wildlife, and flooding within the stream habitat. Furthermore, as people tried to find a passable route the footpath became wider and wider, trampling sensitive adjacent flora.

Having worked in the Moss for a few years, we were able to keep an eye on the footpath and saw that it didn’t show signs of improving and felt this was a problem that needed to be fixed. Having received an extension to our HHSS project we were able to use some of this money, along with contributions from the Peak and Northern Footpath Society (£14,000) and Sheffield City Council (£5,000), to put towards establishing a more formal footpath through this section.

Locally endorsed contractors Bike Track were used to deliver this project in July 2022. We now have nearly 500m of crushed rock footpath guiding the public through here. Along with this, we created two ‘scrapes’ – shallow ponds which temporary store excessive storm water, slowly releasing it into the river which provides habitat for wildlife and benefits to flooding further downstream.

Before/After

Before/After