Gringley on the Hill, Drakeholes, Mattersey, Everton, Harwell, Scaftworth, and Bawtry

The weather forecast was predicting brighter conditions out to the east today and so that's the direction I travelled: I caught the Gainsborough bus and got off at Gringley on the Hill.

Gringley is a pretty village but it was cloudy when I arrived, and the best views were ruined by roadworks and scaffolding and so I only took the one photograph.

I soon found the footpath across the fields and then walked down the road to Gringley Lock - by this time the sun was shining.

I ate my food in a sheltered spot at the side of the towpath about thirty minutes later - I had some sandwiches made from a Kentish apple and sultana loaf. This was very nice; I haven't had it before, I had it with just butter...nothing else.

I left the canal at Drakeholes and walked along the road towards Mattersey.

I reached a path going up Pusto Hill and then took another coming back down again...but a few hundred yards nearer to Mattersey.

The approach to the village along a footpath which runs parallel to the road is delightful.

After lingering in the churchyard for a few minutes I left Mattersey by taking the road that leads northwards to Everton.

Unfortunately there's a lot of scaffolding up at the church at Everton and so this shot was just about the only angle I could get.

I walked across the fields to Harwell and then took the lane which leads up on to Barrow Hills, an area of woodland where at the moment there are a lot of chestnuts just ready for gathering.

I came down to the main Bawtry to Gainsborough road and immediately saw the turn-off for Scaftworth. After sitting down for a few minutes on a bench on the village green, across from the pub, I continued walking along the road until I reached Bawtry and caught the next bus going back to Doncaster.

Leeds: The First Time I've Taken Photographs For The Blog

A few hours at Leeds today. I went with my brother and my friend and we met up with another friend for a meal in one of the pubs. My friend Justin from Doncaster is slightly disabled and can't walk very far and so whilst I had a quick walk around the city centre taking photographs he stayed in one of his favourite shops looking at the secondhand DVDs.

Today has been the first time I've specifically taken photographs in Leeds to upload to the blog, I've previously taken my camera to the city - but have only uploaded images of myself and family or friends to various social media websites.

Tideswell And Wheston With Maureen And Chris From Leeds

As I was waiting for the bus at Sheffield Interchange a man came over and asked me what time the bus to Hathersage departs. I told him it would be 09:20 and mentioned that was the bus I was also waiting for. He then sat down on one of the seats near to me, but soon got up again as the 273 service arrived at the stand. Although I told him several times that this bus wasn't going to Hathersage he completely ignored what I was saying and proceeded to get on the bus. When the driver explained, and told him which bus he needed, he calmly got off, sat down right next to me and never said a word. I don't know why I bother with people sometimes; what was the point of him asking me for information if he then didn't believe a word I was telling him?

Maureen and Chris arrived at Fox House pretty much on time and we drove over to Tideswell, briefly stopping at Bradwell to use the toilets. There wasn't an empty car parking space near to Fountain Square in the centre of Tideswell so we had to turn round and drive up to the Market Square where there was plenty of room.

We walked up the road towards Wheston and took a bridleway off to the north west to reach Water Lane, a well maintained track.

We were only at Wheston for a few seconds, just crossing over the road and walking a few yards before reaching the next section of the walk, part of the Pennine Bridleway.

After a while all three of us commented that we were surprised at how muddy it was because there hadn't been a lot of rain in Leeds and Doncaster where we live.

Just before the path descended into Miller's Dale we turned left and walked across the fields and then a short section of road until we reached some rather photogenic ruins of a farm.

A short walk down a pleasant dale led us to the road in Tideswell Dale; we were able to use a footpath that runs alongside the road for a few hundred yards before needing to transfer to the pavement for the approach to Tideswell for tea and a scone in one of the cafes..

I asked to be dropped off at Brough on the way back; unfortunately I had to wait for fifty minutes for the next bus to Sheffield but used the time to check my photos and write notes for the blog.

Totley, Dore, Hathersage, Bamford, and Shatton

I woke up early this morning and so was able to catch the 07:34 Manchester Airport train to Dore and Totley station, only a couple of miles from the Peak District; most trains from Doncaster don't stop at this station though.

The coverage of my map doesn't quite reach this far towards Sheffield and so I wasn't sure which would be my best route to the moors without too much walking along the road. I saw a footpath immediately opposite the station entrance, it looked interesting and was heading in generally the right direction and so I took it. I was immediately walking along a wooded lane, then next to some playing fields...but after about a mile I was in an expensive housing estate at Dore and needed to ask for directions. About a mile further on and I was somewhere that I recognised, Dore Moor Inn - right on the edge of the moors. 

I still had to walk along the road for a few minutes, but the views were nice.

I arrived at the first footpath leading on to the moors a bit earlier than I had been expecting; it's not marked on the map. I'm glad I decided to take it though, it was a useful short-cut which cut out a bit of roadwalking...and I got some close-up photographs of some alpacas in a field. [I've used the word 'some' because I don't know what the collective noun for alpacas is.]

Another short section of walking along the road was required until I reached Houndkirk Moor. For the next couple of hours I just wandered wherever the mood took me, just aiming in a generally westerly direction with the intention of reaching Hathersage: it's all access land, both Houndkirk Moor and Burbage Moor, so there's no problem with me doing this. There are plenty of footpaths, and anyhow the terrain isn't too difficult anywhere.

[I didn't pop in to the Scotsman Pack pub today, instead I went to one of my favourite establishments in the Peak District - Cintra's Tearooms.]

After enjoying tea and cake I left Hathersage and headed to the north, and then the south west. After I'd just walked down the footpath which runs right next to Hurstclough Lane [the views are far better - Hurstclough Lane is a sunken lane and all you can see are the trees at either side of you] when a couple of women walking in front of me stopped me to ask for directions. Unfortunately I had to tell them that needed to turn round and go back where they came, back up Hurstclough Lane...back uphill.

When I reached the bus turnaround at Bamford Station it wasn't being used because of building improvement works. The two different buses which were scheduled to depart from here towards Sheffield, only two minutes apart, were using different temporary bus stops on different roads quite a distance apart. This was a tricky situation for me to manage and so I walked to the nearest stop which both services would be using, at Shatton, not very away. I had plenty of time, I had about twenty minutes to wait. 

Unfortunately neither of the buses turned up, something very unusual - it's probably the first time it's happened to me. About half an hour later a bus did indeed turn up, but it was one of the services timed and routed mainly for the pupils at Hope Valley College and so wasn't going all the way to Sheffield city centre, just one of the estates at Dore I think.

I still got on board though and travelled to Whirlow, somewhere on the main trunk road into Sheffield. From here there's a frequent bus service and I only had to wait ten minutes. Nonetheless a good day's walking was still ruined for me by public transport letting me down; two buses not showing up and having to stand on the train travelling in both directions...having to stand on the trains isn't particularly unusual though. 

Markham Grange Garden Centre and Brodsworth Community Woodland

When he arrived this morning, Marshall, my support worker, told me that they were giving away geraniums at Markham Grange Garden Centre. So, that's where we went first; I picked up a tray of eight plants, obviously all well past their best by now but with a bit of care they should be flowering until well into the new year sitting outside on my windowsills.

The weather was lovely so we then drove down the lane to Brodsworth Community Woodland, ate our sandwiches in the car and then went for a walk of about two miles.