I was all set to go walking in Nottinghamshire tomorrow but I've had to cancel because I've got a head cold that's just come on from nowhere. After having my tea I felt fine and got everything ready, my sandwiches, my drink bottles and my map...but a couple of hours later and my eyes are stinging and I'm sniffling and sneezing.
I hope it's only going to last 24 or 48 hours, they usually do, and I'll be fine for the weekend - I haven't checked the weather forecast yet though.
Today's walk started by going downhill and then uphill to Hathersage Church and then taking the back way to the centre of the village. I was interrupted though by two cows which were blocking the path at a narrow chokepoint. I couldn't go around them so I had to wait for one to move, and then the other one followed it. Another man was already waiting to come in the other direction and as we waited we had a rather pleasant conversation for a few minutes.
I then left Hathersage, going to Leadmill and briefly along the riverside path before climbing up to Offerton.
Like Leadmill, Offerton is just a collection of a few buildings. I continued walking down the lane into Shatton, a decent-sized village, and then along the road to the bus stop at Bamford Station.
A short local walk today to take advantage of the nice weather; well the weather was okay, but not as pleasant I was expecting after reading the forecast last night. I caught the Maltby bus to Braithwell and took a couple of footpaths to get over to Micklebring; the road is more direct but I remembered from my previous visit that it's a bit dangerous. Even by taking this route there are still a couple of short sections of roadwalking where there isn't a causeway or a verge, just high hedges which come right up to the tarmac of the road surface.
I then took a path heading north to Clifton, passing under the M18 motorway and then the bridleway that ends at the church at Old Edlington. I finished the walk by heading down the hill to the first stop in New Edlington which all of the buses going back to Doncaster use.
I caught the Bakewell bus to the Cross Scythes pub at Totley and headed southeast along the Sheffield Country Walk. After a mile the route turns to the left towards Mickley, however the path wasn't there and it looks like it hasn't been there for a long time. On both my paper Ordnance Survey map, and online, it shows the route going along the edge of Holmesfield Park Wood to the south of Woodthorpe Hall. At the time I thought the Sheffield Country Walk had been re-routed along this section or had been replaced by the Sheffield Round Walk, but I've just checked online and it still exists...but there was no signage at Totley or at the location I'm referring to.
So, I had to continue heading south through the wood to Holmesfield, walk through the village and up the road to Mickley, skirting the edge of Dronfield Woodhouse.
I was hoping to resume my original route at Mickley, now no longer along the route of the Sheffielld Country Walk though but I was feeling a bit tired and so chose to keep heading towards Bradway and the shortest route to Beauchief Abbey and the bus stop at Abbeydale. After passing a parade of shops at Bradway the route was rather pleasant going through a wood and the parkland which is used as a golf course.
I've been to Leeds today to meet up with friends and have a meal together. I decided to arrive in Leeds early and visit a part of the city I'd recently read about, the Monk Bridge Viaduct Garden. It's only about a five minute walk from the railway station. Before reaching the viaduct there's small museum, the Lift Hoist Museum, which didn't open until ten o'clock and so I had to go exploring first and then return a bit later.
Access up onto the viaduct is via a lift or a spiral staircase. I chose the lift.
I found the modern highrise buildings to be more interesting than the garden. There was a variety of outdoor puzzles and games though to make it more interesting during the nice weather.
On my way back to the city centre I popped into the museum to shelter from the rain for a few minutes.
