Ranskill, Serlby, and Harworth

2020 hasn't got off to a good start for me, I had to abandon my first walk today of the new year today, a local walk in North Nottinghamshire, because of forestry works. The footpath that I took leading out to the east was blocked by deep squelchy churned up mud, and then further on, heavy equipment being used.

So I had to turn back after about two miles and return to Ranskill. I tried to get around the obstruction by going a couple of different ways but kept coming up against deep and wide drainage ditches that I couldn't get across, or even more piles of logs stacked dangerously high...and always in my way.

I had a look at the map and decided to head out to the west from Ranskill this time and visit Serlby, a small estate village where I've not been previously. I had to walk along the road and then a track for about a mile and a half until I picked up the footpath that goes along the perimeter fence of the golf club.

Although it's not an attractive village there are several nice houses on Blyth Road at Ranskill.

There's an attractive sign though on the approach to Ranskill: I didn't know that 'Ranskill' means ravens' ridge. Today's walk was going to be the first of my themed walks which I mentioned in my post about my walking plans for 2020 and the subject of the walk would have been animal names used in the placenames of places I'd be visiting, or pass near. I'd already found ant, goose, otter, and cuckoo on the map and then planned my route, but of course I wouldn't have been aware of the ravens.   

The walk down the road to Harworth was dreary, passing through an industrial estate. I arrived at the bus stop and only had four minutes to wait for a bus to take me home to Doncaster.