Conisbrough, Mexborough, Adwick-upon-Dearne, Barnburgh, and Sprotbrough

I caught the bus to Conisbrough and spent a bit of time photographing the castle before heading off down the hill to the River Don.

The route I chose today uses the permissive path that crosses over the railway line by the footbridge at the railway station.

I followed a path going uphill and through some woods and managed to find my way onto the Cadeby Road. After only a couple of minutes I then arrived at a parking area and I noticed a man walking towards me. I asked him if there was any way I could get to Denaby Ings Nature Reserve from there. He confirmed that I could and also told me where all the other paths lead to, none of them being official footpaths and therefore not being depicted on the map.

[I've been seeing a lot of painted stones on my walks recently, lockdown projects for schoolchildren I think.]

I walked along the right bank of the River Dearne and then a footpath across the floodplain and some fields to a housing estate at Mexborough.  I then trudged along the road to Adwick-upon-Dearne - I think this would have been the first time I've visited the village since I was a child. 

Although it doesn't look like it does, the church actually dates from the Norman period.

I headed northeast along the road and then used a path going through Adwick Washland Nature Reserve to reach Barnburgh.

Although it looks like a door and actually has a letterbox, this is a gate.

I found a path that took me to the foot of the crags and then over to Hangmanstone Lane, from where I walked over to Melton Wood.

This large circular water storage tank wasn't here last time.

I needed to walk along the road for half a mile before cutting across the fields to end the walk at Sprotbrough; it was only at this late stage that the weather showed signs of finally brightening up.