Natural England

This summer visitors and volunteers at the Humberhead Peatlands National Nature Reserve (NNR) are being given a helping hand with travel to and from the site.

Natural England, Humberhead Levels Green Tourism Forum (HLGTF) and South Yorkshire Travel (SYT) have joined forces to set up a weekend bus service. It links all the major communities around the Humberhead Levels and Isle of Axholme and allows people to travel around and get to the different access points of the NNR, therefore, increasing its visitor numbers by a green method of transport. It also allows easy access from Thorne North railway station.

The first bus is due to set off on Sunday 27th April, with buses running every Sunday until the end of September. This includes additional services on the Bank Holiday’s at May Day, Spring Bank and August.

The service will do a round trip of roughly 41.5 miles starting at Thorne North railway station and run a route to Moorends, Crowle, Belton, Sandtoft, Epworth, Haxey, Wroot, Lindholme, Hatfield Woodhouse and Stainforth. It will run four times each day of the project at 8.30am, 10.30am, 1.30pm, and 3.30pm.

Janet Canning, Natural England Community Support Officer said, ‘we are delighted to be a part of this innovative project and hope that local people will use the bus service when travelling to Humberhead Peatlands National Nature Reserve. The reserve is a fantastic place to visit, with a whole host of wildlife and habitats to see and experience. We have a wide range of activities planned for this summer, so I would encourage anyone who is interested to give it a go, you wont be disappointed’.

Ian Harrison of the Humberhead Levels Green Tourism Forum said, ‘This is just a great opportunity for local people to see the attractions there are in the local area and get from one to another without having to drive their own car’.

Note for Editors:
For further information, contact Howard Botting on 01609 767439 howard.botting@naturalengland.org.uk or Emma MacDonald on 0113 2303533 emma.macdonald@naturalengland.org.uk

Natural England works for people, places and nature to conserve and enhance biodiversity, landscapes and wildlife in rural, urban, coastal and marine areas. We conserve and enhance the natural environment for its intrinsic value, the wellbeing and enjoyment of people, and the economic prosperity it brings. We increase opportunities to make the natural environment an enriching part of people’s everyday lives, and improve its long term security by contributing to the sustainable management of our natural resources. www.naturalengland.org.uk

National Nature Reserves:
National Nature Reserves (NNRs) are some of the very finest sites in England for wildlife and geology, and provide great opportunities for people to experience nature. They have been established to protect and manage the special wildlife habitats, species and geological features that occur there. These features are of national and often international importance, and many NNRs are important for study and research. Almost all NNRs have some form of access provision – many are fully open throughout the year. There are 222 throughout England. For more information about NNRs please visit our web site.