Sprotbrough, Barnburgh, and Goldthorpe

After a night out in Leeds with friends it was only ever going to be a local walk today.

I caught the earliest available bus to Sprotbrough and took some photographs in the village; needing to be at the bus station for 9:30 really wasn't that early though.

I've never seen it flooded near the church before.

There were some nice views as I took the footpath that continues from the end of Boat Lane going up through the woods - obviously nowhere looks its best at this time of year when the weather's a bit miserable.

The constant noise made by some people most likely shooting in Steetley Quarry over to my left was echoing up and down the Don Gorge and really spoiled my enjoyment of the walk along this section.

I spent quite a while exploring areas of the woods and the old railway cutting that I hadn't been to previously before getting back down to the river; unsurprisingly the water level of the Don was very high today.

I walked along the TransPennine Trail alongside the River Don for just over half a mile before I climbed up the path at the base of the supporting pillars of Conisbrough Viaduct up to the disused railway at the top. I didn't go over the viaduct, instead I walked in the opposite direction, heading west.

After about a mile I branched off and was then on the Dearne Way, another long-distance footpath, which I stayed with until I reached just south of Harlington. The River Dearne was also very high; it was very windy walking along the top of the levee.

Without planning to I ended up going to the memorial placed at the site of Barnburgh Main Colliery; it just looked like an interesting way to go - my map is over thirty years old and so none of the landscaped former colliery sites existed then.

I ended the day by walking down the Green Lane area of Barnburgh and then continued along the road to the bus stop at Goldthorpe.