Hawks Nest, Scrooby, and Blyth

I travelled to Hawks Nest, the first location in north Nottinghamshire, and needed to get off at a different stop because the Worksop bus goes a different route. This worked out for the best though because I was able to visit a small area of Access Land next to the River Ryton called Gibbet Hill. It was a lovely spot to sit in the sun and eat my sandwiches.

 

The area of Access Land continues at the other side of the Great North Road with better access to the river. There's a bug hotel and some other stuff in this area.

 

As I approached Scrooby there were some free apples for the taking and so I took one, I have to say it was one of the sweetest apples I've ever tasted.

I walked through the village and then headed south along the Great North Road until I reached a track that goes towards Serlby Golf Course. I then turned left at one of the entrances and continued to the road which goes to Blyth. Along this stretch I met a woman whose two dogs ran into a field to dig up some sugarbeet to eat - I've never seen that before.

Blyth is a pretty village; I would have liked to stay longer to take more photographs but the bus back to Doncaster was due in a few minutes, and then it would be two hours for the next one.

Barnby Moor, Bilsby, and Worksop

There are still problems on the trains, either there's a strike or  disruptions caused by trains being in the wrong place at the start of the day.  So...I caught the Retford bus and got off at Barnby Moor. I walked down a track to the A1 road and crossed it without too much difficult; I only had to wait for a few seconds as I walked across each carriageway.

I continued using estate roads as I passed through the hamlet of Bilsby and headed towards Worksop . There's a bridge over the River Ryton at Bilsby, but there's also a ford which I've used on previous visits to walk through and wash my boots - I obviously didn't want to do that today; the water was deep and fast flowing.

I needed to walk through the housing estates to the Doncaster road at the railway station to catch a bus back home. A walk of about nine miles; mainly very easy going. 

Torworth, Bilby, Hodsock, and Carlton-in-Lindrick.

I started today's walk from Torworth in North Nottinghamshire and went down the country lane heading southwest towards the main road that leads into Blyth. I crossed this road and continued along a wide bridleway over to the A1. This is a very busy road and a dual carriageway but fortunately I didn't have to cross all four lanes in one go and I got across quite quickly.

I progressed along the edge of a field where pigs were kept and then an estate road going to the hamlet of Bilby. Just beyond Bilby I turned to the right, still using an estate road until it petered out into just a footpath. I'd not previously walked along these last two miles to the road near Hodsock.

Hodsock, like Bilby is an estate village.

[This was the third time I'd crossed over the River Ryton.]

Hodsock Priory isn't a priory, it's a private house.

The final mile and a half into Carlton-in-Lindrick wasvery familiar though...but it was good to be still finding stretches of footpath in this area that I'd not used before.

When I reached Carlton I visited the duckpond for the first time - there's a nice grassy area with several benches and picnic tables there.

Langold, Hodsock, Scofton, and Worksop

I thought it might be a bit cold and windy for going walking in the Peak District this morning; I don't like cold winds, they give me earache. I also got up a bit late and so it would be a rush to get to the station to catch the early train to Sheffield. So...I chose a local walk, just over the boundary in Nottinghamshire.

I got off the bus at Langold just before it goes round the housing estate, walked past the shops, and found my footpath just south of the village. It was sunny, but spitting with rain a bit; the only rain of the day though.

I walked along broad, well-maintained tracks for a couple of miles until I reached Hodstock. My view from the public footpath of the priory wasn't very good, I was too far away. Some estate workers were repairing some fencing, otherwise I would have ventured closer to take some photographs. This is the best I could manage from where I was.

About a mile later I reached a stretch of busy road, dead straight as it happens. I rushed along this section, always wary of traffic. I easily found the bridleway which goes down into Thievesdale and then along estate roads to Scofton. I stopped soon after leaving the road to eat my sandwiches. A woman with two dogs was walking towards me, all of a sudden both dogs sniffed something in the air and came running over to me, licking my fingers and trying to get to the food in my rucksack. Both dogs were friendly and passive and I didn't feel threatened at all by them, and their owner was very pleasant and apologetic - but I would have preferred that it didn't have happened.

Scofton is quite picturesque.

Just beyond the village I crossed over the River Ryton; I could have chosen to use a ford if I preferred. A few yards further I arrived at the canal, the Chesterfield Canal, at Osberton Lock.

I would be following the towpath back to Worksop. There are some pretty stone bridges, several of which I had to stoop to walk under. 

Not too far from Worksop there's a point where three bridges cross the canal very close together; I thought it made an interesting photograph.

A few minutes later I noticed some teenagers larking about as they walked along a sliproad leading to an industrial estate. I sensed troubled...and I was correct. As soon as they saw me they started yelling abuse about me being a weirdo and then started to throw stones, maybe aiming them at me, or maybe just throwing them in the canal so that they might splash me. Welcome to Worksop: this has never happened to me on a walk before, but I am abused, bullied, or ridiculed about once a month - I'm sure this is because of my Asperger's syndrome and how I walk, caused by my unusually long limbs and them being out of proportion...I describe my gait as a combination of an over-excited orang-utan and a Thunderbirds puppet.

I continued without incident all the way to Worksop town centre. At one point I passed what I can only describe as an old Italianate-style pumping house - I was able to take photographs from several angles as the canal loops round at this location.

As I neared the town centre I could see the towers of Worksop Priory; I wanted to incorporate a visit into the walk, but the timing wasn't right - it would have meant me waiting a long time for a later bus back to Doncaster. As it was, I only had a few minutes to wait.