The Moss

Moss Valley, due to its location next to a river near several coal seams and rock outcrops, has seen lots of industry over its history.

Moss Valley has a long history of quarrying and mining. Most of the quarries and mines are now closed, but several are still open. The coal mine near to where The Moss flows into the River Rother, Eckington Coal Mine (a drift mine operated by Moorside Mining Co. Ltd.), is still open; as is Sicklebrook Quarry in Sicklebrook (near Troway).

There are also several mills in the valley. In several locations, The Moss has been dammed to create reservoirs and mill ponds.

Moss Valley used to be renowned for its excellent sickle and scythe production.

Moss Valley is popular among walkers, ramblers and cyclists. On a bank holiday the woods can be very busy with people, families and groups exploring the woods or linking the woods into a wider walk. Mountain bikers are a common sight in the area, and several trails are popular amongst local cyclists on both the Mosborough and the Eckington sides of the valley. The two ponds on the Ridgeway side are used for private fishing, and there is a car park at this end, as well as the Bridge Inn public house.

Multiple locations in the Moss Valley have been designated as Sites of Special Scientific Interest by English Nature.

The main Moss Valley SSSI consists of a 25.9 hectare strip of land along both banks of the Moss, starting at Bromehead Wood (just east of Ford) and ending at the Gashouse Lane road bridge just outside Eckington. It has been designated as an SSSI due to its value as a high quality habitat for invertebrates.[3] This site also includes about 5 hectares of the increasingly rare floodplain grazing marsh habitat.

Three distinct locations in the valley have been designated as part of the Moss Valley Meadows SSSI, mainly along the side valley of the Robin Brook, one of the Moss' main tributaries. The northern section of the SSSI is the largest and consists of a large area of forest clearings in the Near Hill Clough Wood and the Far Hill Clough Wood immediately to the south of Charnock, a southern suburb of Sheffield; the site is located mainly on the southern bank of the Robin Brook, with the clearings in the trees supporting a meadow habitat. The central section of the SSSI is located further south along the Robin Brook, close to Hazlehurst Farm, in forest clearings in Parson's Wood and the neighborouring Joshua Holt woodland on the southern bank of the Robin Brook. The southern section of the SSSI is located in an area of open land just outside Geerlane, on the southern bank of the Moss where it is joined by the Robin Brook.[5]

Another two distinct locations in the valley have been designated as part of the Moss Valley Woods SSSI. Both are located on the southern slopes of the valley, high above the Moss. The western section is the larger of the two, located in a section of Whinacre Wood, Cook Spring Wood and Owler Car Wood to the north-east of Coal Aston. The eastern section is located in an area of Moor Mires Wood, Mires Spring Wood and Brownstorth Wood, between Sicklebrook to the west and Troway to the east.[5] There is a variety of common English woodland wildlife in the woods. Species often seen include; badgers, hares, roe deer,[6] foxes, rabbits and owls. The 85 species of moths and butterflies includes the white-letter hairstreak.[6]