Nearest To Me

ACCESS LAND - I frequently mention this when I'm describing my walks in the Peak District; these are areas of land, often quite extensive in area, where hikers are free to roam wherever they want. Sometimes they are subject to seasonal closures though due to birds nesting, grouse shooting, or regular burning of the old heather in order to encourage new growth. I spent quite a while looking at the online Ordnance Survey map and it seems that my nearest piece of Access Land is a small narrow strip next to the municipal cemetery at Cantley, approximately two miles away. I've never actually set foot there, but I've walked by it on the pavement a few times, and even more frequently have travelled by it on the bus or in the car with my support worker.

TRIG POINT - My nearest one is situated Just north of Pickburn, about four miles away out to the west, it's not in its original location though. It was moved by a local farmer a few years ago, probably from the site of the wind farm at Hampole. I've walked by this spot a few times; it's on the route I take to walk back from Hooton Pagnell, my favourite local village, which I visit quite regularly.

COUNTRY PARK - There are locations which I tend to call country parks which are actually the landscaped spoilheaps of former collieries, but the nearest location which is marked on the map as a country park is Cusworth Park, the site of the local history museum. I've been there, to the park, dozens of times; I usually include it on one of my favourite local walks walking along the riverbank to Sprotbrough and then continuing across the fields to Cusworth. I was there recently, only a few weeks ago, when I got the opportunity to help myself to some apples from the orchard.

RIVER - Obviously the River Don, located on the edge of the town centre; also within walking distance though, because I've walked there, are the the River Torne at Rossington, the River Skell at Skelbrooke, and the River Dearne with its nearest point being its confluence with the Don near Consborough.

MOOR - This is Town Moor, where the racecourse is located; I spent a lot of time walking in this area during lockdown.

CARR - A carr is an area of flooded woodland and there are many such areas in Doncaster, usually to the south and east of the town. Technically the nearest one to me is Doncaster Carr which now though is an industrial area.

FEN - In their natural state fens aren't like the areas of East Anglia which are intensively farmed. We've got a small area of natural fenland in Doncaster near to Rossington - I only found out about this a few years ago.