Friday, April 27, 2018

Whitley, High Eggborough, Hensall, and Eggborough Power Station

Today I got off to a false start; I had planned to do a local walk from Whitley to Snaith, crossing over into East Yorkshire for the first time on a walk, but the footpath from Whitley to Great Heck at the start of my route has been closed for major construction work. Despite one of the contractors explaining where the footpath diversion was I still got lost - my way was constantly blocked by ten foot deep and ten foot wide drainage ditches. After walking for probably over two miles I returned to Whitley, walked through the village and took another path down to the canal at Whitley Lock.

Navigating is so much easier in the Peak District...and on the canal as well of course.






It was a nice walk over the fields to High Eggborough but then I had to use the road to reach Hensall, and then continued along the road again to Eggborough Power station where I belatedly ate my sandwiches in the bus shelter on the main road.


















I had forty minutes to wait for the bus back to Doncaster; I'd had enough, although the rain was light, it never stopped.

More was to come though; the bus that I caught was the service that picks up the children at Campsmount School...it was only a single-decker and so was packed to the rafters with noisy brats of various sizes shouting, arguing, throwing things at each other and constantly ringing the bell. How on Earth I didn't violently murder one of them has yet to be explained by the laws of physics.

Wednesday, April 25, 2018

Newark-on-Trent, Southwell, and Upton

Another trip in the car today with my support worker, visiting two of our favourite places.
















The highlight of our visit to Newark was the comprehensive personal tour of the museum and the parts of the Town Hall not usually open to the public. It did mean however that we didn't have time to go to the castle...but it was raining anyhow whilst we were inside the building.



We popped into the antiques centre on the way back to the car - getting out of the car park was a bit complicated though because the pay booths would only accept cards.





We then drove the eight miles to Southwell. We couldn't go inside the Minster because a commemorative service was being held.














On the way home, just about three miles to the east of Southwell we called at the Clockhouse Cafe at the British Horological Institute at Upton for cream teas. We then popped down the lane to visit the church; the door was unlocked.





Sunday, April 22, 2018

Fox House, and then Rowsley, Calton Lees, Edensor, Chatsworth House, and Beeley

The first walk of the summer season with Maureen and Chris from Leeds. It's going to be increasingly difficult this year to find walks in the Peak District that Maureen will be able to do and enjoy; that aren't too hilly, not too near to any deep water, don't have too many stiles, aren't too long, and have good conditions underfoot...and we need to park somewhere near public toilets and ideally be able to visit some more on the route.

I managed to find a suitable walk for today - visiting Chatsworth Park. I'd arranged to meet Maureen and Chris at Fox House at eleven o'clock this morning but got there over an hour early and so went for a wander on the moors.







We drove down to Rowsley, briefly stopping for an emergency toilet call at Baslow first though. Chris spent nearly half an hour getting ready in the car park at Rowsley, spending most of that time attempting to attach a pair of integral leggings onto the shorts that he was already wearing - finally he gave up after things were getting a bit fraught.

We set off and headed north towards Calton Lees, popping into the garden centre to use the toilets.




About a mile further on, walking in Chatsworth Park by now, we observed a white van being driven backwards at quite high speed for several hundred yards along the road. The reason, possibly, for this behaviour became evident as we crested the hill - there'd just been a serious road accident involving a group of cyclists.







We went inside the church at Edensor before continuing on to Chatsworth House.















The next stretch of today's walk was along the River Derwent to Beeley














We finished the walk by taking a footpath that comes out onto the road just north of Rowsley  and then used the path that goes through the woods to the Peak Shopping Village, from where it was  only a short walk back to the car.

I was dropped off at Baslow and only had to wait few minutes  for the bus.