Askham bog
Accessibility at Askham Bog
Despite its small size, Askham Bog is the richest place in Yorkshire for wildlife.
A remnant of Yorkshire's ancient fenlands, it's extraordinary how many plants and animals thrive here. Explore all that Askham Bog has to offer, including the ancient royal ferns, on a short circuit around the reserve.
Accessing Askham Bog
There is a 750m circuit on a boardwalk around the central part of Askham Bog, with a short there-and-back to the pond. The boardwalk is 1.4m wide, with 50mm high and 50mm deep edging.
The boardwalk has a chicken wire anti-slip netting, but it can still be slippery in wet weather. There may be leaves, twigs or other debris on the boardwalk after wet or windy weather. Due to the soft, boggy ground underneath, the boardwalk has a slight camber in places and may be uneven.
Step-by-step
You enter the reserve via a wheelchair accessible gate (1.6m wide) in the car park. The gate is reasonably heavy with a spring latch (1).
A path runs for approximately 200 metres from the car park to the start of the boardwalk, which is on a decline of approximately 1/25 gradient for 100m (2).
The steepest section of this path is a 1/10 gradient for approximately 10 metres (3). The path has a grass verge and is slightly uneven in places – it may have some fallen twigs or other debris after wet or windy weather. At its narrowest point (as the path bends just before the boardwalk), the path is 1m wide with a grass verge
2) Path from gate to boardwalk
3) Steeper, narrower section of path to boardwalk at Askham Bog
The boardwalk runs in a circuit around Askham Bog, with a short there-and-back section to the pond.
At the first crossroads, there is a stile at the end of the boardwalk to the right (4).
The boardwalk narrows to 1.2m in one section on the there-and-back to the pond (5). At the pond, the boardwalk widens with plenty of space to turn around (6).
5) Turn off to pond
(6) Wider section of boardwalk at pond
There are three benches and five passing places along the boardwalk, as marked on the map. Please note that some of the passing places (7) are on a slight lip up from the boardwalk due to the uneven and wet ground beneath.
Passing place on boardwalk at Askham Bog
Transport
There is a car park at the entrance to the reserve. There are no designated disabled parking spaces, but the car park is spacious. The surface of the car park is compacted gravel and can be uneven in places.
Buses run from the city centre to Askham Bar Park and Ride which is a 15 minute walk away, on a designated pedestrian/cycle track.
There are cycle racks available in the car park.
Facilities
There are no facilities at the reserve. However, there are accessible toilets at Askham Bar Park and Ride, a five minute drive or 15 minute walk on a designated pedestrian/cycle track.
There is good phone coverage on the site.
The What3Words code for the car park is Short grabs rally.