Newton, Sprotbrough, and Cusworth Hall Country Park

I've just got back from doing my favourite local walk, which I do at least once a year - walking alongside the river to Sprotbrough and then across the fields to Cusworth Hall Country Park and returning to the town centre.

The paths starting just beyond the town centre were both blocked; going alongside the river and the canal - fortunately there's a well used path that goes around the back of the prison that's not signed or on any maps.

There was an organised event taking place at the rowing club; there were certainly plenty of people on the water, not just rowers, but barges and pleasure cruisers. 

I bought an ice cream at Sprotbrough and a pot of tea at the tearooms at Cusworth Hall.

I didn't put on my proper walking boots, but a more comfortable pair...but weren't very comfortable though after a couple of hours - the last mile or so my feet were on fire.

An Hour In Barnsley

I had an hour to spare this morning in Barnsley as I waited for my dad to arrive so we both could go and visit my brother who's currently in hospital, and so I took a few photos. 

Yorkshire Bridge, Thornhill, Hope, and Castleton

The train journey to Sheffield was fine, but the bus journey out to the Peak District certainly wasn't. It began with an argument with the bus driver who claimed that my disabled person's travel pass wasn't valid for travel until 09:30. I've been using it for sixteen years, so I know it is; passes for disabled people are enhanced in South Yorkshire. I was going to read to him the exact eligibilty criteria from a leaflet that I always keep in my wallet but he wasn't interested. I told I'm going to get on the bus and if he thinks I'm commiting a crime to go ahead and call the police. He didn't though of course. Interestingly as the journey progressed he refused to let on several children using passes...he obvious didn't know what he was doing.

The journey got worse though; I'd forgotten that the A57 road at Rivelin is closed and traffic going towards Manchester has to go on a diversion partially along the Hope Valley. This caused long traffic delays, and the two sets of roadworks made them even longer. 

I got off the bus at Yorkshirte Bridge and walked down to the River Derwent and then join the Thornhill Trail. The light was good for photographing the carved wooden animals along the Trail.

I reached Thornhill and then headed west across the fields to Hope.

I took the easy path from Hope to Castleton, walking alongside the River Noe. The bus station at Castleton has been recently modernised, but there aren't any timetables yet so I didn't know when the next bus was due (I can't get the internet on my mobile phone) and so I had to just sit and wait...for 45 minutes.

Hooton Roberts, Ravenfield Park, Ravenfield, and Thrybergh Country Park

I needed to be back home by mid-afternoon today and so I stayed fairly local for my walk, catching the Sheffield bus to Hooton Roberts and heading south to Ravenfield Park, which many local people call Ravenfield Ponds. I then continued on to Ravenfield using the narrow country lane.

There are no passing places on this road and so the half way line shows at what point which vehicle needs to reverse; it's not very busy here and so this won't happen often.

There's some really quite nice countryside to the south of Ravenfield but not very many paths...and the roads don't have any verges. I consider this to be dangerous so I had to turn to the west and continue to Thrybergh Country Park and did an anti-clockwise half circle to reach the public toilets and cafe. The bus stop for services back to Doncaster is just at the bottom of a short drive.

A shorter walk than I would have liked, but I certainly got back in time for my visitor and with the early start I got to enjoy the best part of the day before it started to cloud over.