A Walk Along The River

I did a local walk today, from Doncaster town centre and along the river to Sprotbrough, returning via Cusworth Hall.

I led a small group consisting of staff and members of the Autism Plus group recently established here in Doncaster.

We walked through the town centre and then took the steps down to the town lock; taking the footpath which leads past the prison and along the riverbank to the hamlet of Newton. We then continued, briefly walking through woodland and then on the top of the levee as the river curves past Hexthorpe. I pointed out the impressive facilities of Doncaster Rowing Club on the other bank, and then found myself identifying other points of interest along the way: I enjoy walking alone, but being part of a group, and having the pleasure and responsibility of being walk leader is equally interesting and challenging.

We stopped about a mile short of Sprotbrough for a rest and to eat our sandwiches and have something to drink, but we still landed up at the Boat Inn in Sprotbrough: it's a lovely country pub, but I think the food is rather expensive.

Needing to get back into town for four o'clock we couldn't linger for long; we had a quick detour to view the weir and then climbed up some steep steps to reach the main part of the village. The route to Cusworth Hall took us across fields, and as we approached the building, a quite strenuous climb up the hill for another refreshment stop at the tearooms. Yet again, we needed to be mindful of the time, but we even had a few minutes to spare to watch a barge passing through the town lock as we passed over the bridge.

Certainly a different experience for me when compared to walking in the Peak District on my own...but very pleasant - I really enjoyed sharing my enthusiasm for a couple of local beauty spots which were pretty much unknown to the other walkers: one of the staff members was so impressed with Sprotbrough that she is planning a family outing there.