Barnby Dun and Kirk Bramwith...and then Sprotbrough

A short walk today with my support worker, meaning I could get a bit further afield than I've been managing since the start of the second lockdown. We parked the car at Barnby Dun next to the lift bridge over the canal and walked along the towpath to Kirk Bramwith.

I managed to get all the passing train in this photograph; it's quite unusual to see one on the avoiding line.

We've not had any frost so fat this winter and so a lot of plants are still in bloom.

We were going towards Bramwith Lock and then the village of Kirk Bramwith.

We continued for a short distance down the road to the lift bridge over the other canal, the New Junction Canal,  and then headed south until we reached the Don Viaduct.

 

We stayed on the western bank of the canal for a few hundred yards; I had planned to do this all the way back to the carpark but we reached a location which would have meant either going through an area of brambles and then along a narrow walkway under a bridge or taking a path up onto the bridge and then back down to the canal...and this descent was quite steep. Siobhan didn't fancy either of those and so we opted for the much shallower descent on the other side.

After doing some shopping we went to Sprotbrough, just about the only place where we could get some takeaway tea and cakes from the refreshments van there.

Dunsville, Barnby Dun, Kirk Bramwith, Stainforth, and Hatfield

I travelled northeast out of town today, to Dunsville. I walked down St Mary's Road to Quarry Park and followed a bridleway across the fields to Barnby Dun. The footpath only skirted the edge of Quarry Park, but from what I could see of it, the park looked quite attractive, plenty of wooded areas, grasslands and possibly some wildflower meadows. 

I then set off along the canal towpath to Kirk Bramwith Lock.

Before reaching the village of Kirk Bramwith I did a short detour to visit the Don Aqueduct which takes the canal across the river...and there's a metal walkway to walk across.

It was getting quite cloudy by the time I was photographing the church in the village.

I chose to use the footpath that goes along the slither of land between the river and the canal; it goes along the top of the flood defences and I was exposed to the cold wind. I walked down the road at Stainforth until I reached the bridleway which goes to Hatfield; I stuck to the official route but I think there's a short-cut which goes over the highest part of the spoilheap. At least by going that way though I got a better view of the railway line.

When I reached Hatfield it was drizzling, a bus was due and so I caught it back to town - I'd already had the best of the weather for the day.

Hatfield, Stainforth, Kirk Sandall, and Long Sandall

I wanted to stay well away from Sheffield today because of a major commemorative event being held in the Endcliffe Park area and so I went on another local walk, starting at Hatfield and making my way over to the canal at Stainforth and then walking along the towpath, going as close to Doncaster town centre as I could reach.

My route out of Hatfield took me close to Hatfield Waterpark and Doncaster North Services on the motorway. The route of the path wasn't clear at all in the area of the old colliery spoilheap - but I did enjoy climbing to the top to be able to see where I would be going next.

I made a short detour to walk over the Don Aqueduct and my timing was perfect to actually catch a barge using it.

The aqueduct takes the New Junction Canal over the River Don, and here also is where the Stainforth and Keadby Canal ends - I would now be walking along the towpath of the Sheffield and South Yorkshire Navigation...or the River Don Navigation if you prefer.

Another short detour to photograph Kirk Sandall church; a pretty church unfortunately surrounded by a large building site at the moment.

As I approached the railway bridge south of Kirk Sandall I witnessed something new - a family group fishing in the canal with magnets, all of them wearing only white clothing.

I got as far as Long Sandall Lock using the towpath; I cut through the industrial estate and walked down the road to Thorne Road, from where there are plenty of buses back to town.




Today's route - I've finally fathomed out how to use the mapping tool in Windows 10, but I'm still needing to use the old 'snipping tool' to save my images though: