Brough, Aston, and Bamford

My train was late this morning but so was the bus at Sheffield and so I was able to catch it. I travelled to Brough in the Hope Valley and walked to Hope Station and then uphill across the fields to Aston.

I continued climbing, using the Aston Bridleway to reach Hope Cross.

I descended through the woods to the shore of Ladybower Reservoir. It had been a mostly misty and cloudy day so far but for an hour or so as I was walking down by the water's edge it was quite bright, and even sunny at times.

'Dogs must be held on lead' seems to be an unusual choice of wording on this Peak and Northern sign; does it mean that dogs must be put on their leads and then carried?

The majority of today's photos feature the reservoir.

When I reached the dam wall I headed south along the Thornhill Trail to finish the walk at the bus stop at Bamford Station.

A Walk to Cadeby Church

It started off by being not ideal for walking today, misty and cloudy, but it brightened up after lunch and ended up quite pleasant in the afternoon - I needed to get out of the house and do something positive for a few hours, so as long as it wasn't raining, it was fine. The lockdown has been getting me down again, especially some of the current developments.

I decided to visit Cadeby today and the small decommissioned church there, designed by George Gilbert Scott, the same Victorian architect who designed Doncaster Minster - I think he worked on both buildings at the same time. 

I walked to Conisbrough Viaduct, going via Hexthorpe Flatts park and the right bank of the Don. I found quite an attractive path that I'd not used before, going just to the north of Hexthorpe Flatts. It's not very far from the houses or the railway line but it's like being out in the countryside - it finished with a steep slippery descent to the riverside path.

This path goes under the motorway bridge and beyond Sprotbrough passes the location of the small lime-making community of Levitt Hagg.

I turned back a couple of times as I was exploring the network of footpaths and quarry roads in this area. I'd planned to go down into Steetley Quarry, but all of the paths were very steep - I wasn't wearing my hiking boots, only a pair of sturdy trainers which didn't have much grip on the soles though.

I crossed over Conisbrough Viaduct and then walked down the road to Cadeby; it's quite a pretty  village, but it's small and there's nothing else to photograph there apart from the church.

I continued to Sprotbrough along the road and then the footpath that goes right alongside the road. The next photograph features the furthest east to date of the signs erected by the Peak and Northern Footpaths Society.

A few hundred yards beyond this point I lost the track of the official footpath and ended up down in an old abandoned railway cutting. There was still a well-defined path - but there was this obstacle in the way. I had to decide whether to go under or over, and I chose the latter.

I entered Sprotbrough from an unexpected direction; it was quite busy at Lower Sprotbrough down by the river. There was an ice cream van and a concession selling hot drinks and snacks since the pub is still closed and boarded up like everywhere else.

When I reached the motorway bridge I took the steps going up the hillside out of the gorge and then the path that goes near to the housing estate and then across the fields eventually to Sprotbrough Lane, from where I walked along the road to the town centre and then home.

Fairholmes To Hallam Head

I travelled to Fairholmes this morning and headed up onto Derwent Edge and Hallam Moors.

An inspirational message was pinned to a fence post about a mile after I'd set off, just before my climb up onto the moors.

I took this photograph a few minutes later, still down in the valley at the side of the reservoir.

There were several of these Peak and Northern Footpaths Society signs on my walk today.

It was quite misty and so I didn't take many photographs today - I really liked the meticulous balancing of the stones on the top of this cairn though and thought it made an interesting subject.

I continued eastward going towards Hollow Meadows; when I reached the Moscar area, still high on the moors, I noticed this object in the distance.

I know there aren't any aircraft wrecks in this area but it looked like an aircraft undercarriage to me. On closer inspection I saw that it was two large lorry or tractor tyres bolted or welded to a tubular steel frame, maybe something that a helicopter grapple or harness could be attached to....I really don't know, I've never seen anything like it before and would appreciate any comments from people as to what you think it might be. I was just relieved that I didn't have to call 999 and go looking for casualties or fatalities.

I guessed that the object might be used to feed sheep somehow, but the places where I thought the feed could possibly go are too far off the ground.

I reached a road, named as Long Lane on the map, and continued heading eastwards, briefly leaving it and joining a footpath running parallel for a short distance. Just before reaching the path I was overtaken by a procession of vintage 1960s and 1970s cars.

At this stage I had left the Peak District and the suburbs of Sheffield were only a few miles away. I'm not exactly sure of the specific route I took to get into the Rivelin Valley, but I didn't get lost. There was a footbridge to cross over the river and then a quite strenuous climb up to the bus stop at Hallam Head, near to the golf club clubhouse.

There were a couple of minor annoyances today; firstly, it really was quite cold and I was glad that I was wearing two thick fleeces...and secondly, a constant clicking noise coming from my rucksack with every step I took - the only times I didn't hear it was when the noise of the wind was too loud.

UPDATE: The object on the moors is a disassembled harrow that can be used on boggy and steep ground. It can easily be attached to a tractor when required. 

Moscar, Low Bradfield, Holdworth, and Hillsborough

Despite still having a few problems with my knee today, not as many problems as yesterday though, I still managed another ten mile walk.

I'd only been walking for a few yards when I realised there'd been a hard frost overnight so the ground was frozen meaning that there'd be less mud for me to contend with. I'd got off the bus and headed to the north, passing by Moscar Lodge; this area marks the boundary between Yorkshire and Derbyshire and over to west there were some lovely views looking deep into Derbyshire.

It wasn't long until I got my first view of Boot's Folly in the distance, a tower built in 1927 to provide work for local unemployed men.

After a short stretch of walking along the road the next footpath goes right up the drive to Sugworth Hall and skirts the grounds; unfortunately you don't get a good view of the hall - it's well screened by a high, thick rhododendron hedge.

Leaving the hall behind me I began the approach to the tower; it's possible to get up right close...and even go inside - it's only a shell though.

Although it was frosty it was still very boggy in a couple of places as I descended to Dale Dike Reservoir. The reservoir in the following photograph is Strines though.

I planned to walk along the southern bank of Dale Dike Reservoir, there's a path, but I couldn't find it...so I took the higher path - a route I've taken before. This path eventually cuts up through the woods to the road. After a few hundred yards on this road I took the footpath alongside the stream which leads to Low Bradfield.

Next I walked along the northern bank of Damflask Reservoir, The path is wide, level, and well maintained and the walk around the circumference of the reservoir is very popular with families, joggers, and dog-walkers - at least a hundred people must have passed me here. The water level was low, the lowest I've ever seen it - but there was still enough water for the sailing boats belonging to the members of Sheffield Viking Sailing Club. 

The last couple of hundred yards of the reservoir walk is along the road; I was expected to have to continue about another half of a mile further until I reached my next footpath, but unexpectedly I noticed a footpath that wasn't marked on my map. The signs were obvious and very clear; there were two of them, both indicating that this was the way to Holdworth - where I needed to go next. One sign had been put there by Bradfield Parish Council and the other had been erected by the  Peak and Northern Footpaths Association. The route up the fields to the top road looked interesting and so I decided to take a chance, knowing that I couldn't refer to the map.

Maybe I regretted this...or maybe not, because I do like a bit of confrontation at times though. There were no line-of-sight markings on gateposts or trees, but the route looked clear and obvious and I soon spotted a gate that opened onto the road. I noticed that it hadn't been very securely fastened and so took a bit of time and care in doing a better job - there was no housing for the bolt to go into and so it was just catching on a flimsy piece of wire...anyhow, I bent a bit of stronger wire from the adjacent fence and made it  much more secure.

The next thing I knew the farmer, who had been driving his tractor in the next field, came running over to me and in a very abusive manner told me that I'd been trespassing and I'd damaged his gate, and a wall that I'd supposedly clambered over. He was a chancer and a liar; I hadn't been near any of his walls because there weren't any where I went, and I'd probably done him a favour by securing his bloody gate. After a lot of shouting and finger pointing, he attempted to show that the gate wasn't secure by attacking it with a kung-fu kick. The gate held firm and didn't open; I think he pulled a groin muscle. I kept a straight face and waited for his next move; another kick using a different type of martial art - this time the gate did indeed open; unfortunately for the farmer in the process he'd completely demolished the makeshift latch and loosened the gate post. 

There was an awkward silence for a few seconds which I eventually broke by reminding him that it's his responsibility to make sure that all footpaths going across his land are clearly marked and kept free from obstacles at all times.   

I don't know what he expected me to do, or what he thought my reasons were for ending up at that gate. I used that footpath in good faith and everything else that transpired was his own fault.

It didn't take me long to reach Holdworth, just a small cluster of houses and farms, and then take the footpath all the way to Loxley Common and Wadsley Common, and then walk through the housing estates to Hillsborough.

As I was passing the golf course on Loxley Common my friend Justin called me in a panic explaining that the pub was closed and shuttered. He phoned me up again a few minutes later to explain the reason - the water had been turned off in Doncaster town centre for a few hours.

Both the tram at Hillsborough and my train at Sheffield were late today...but this all worked in my favour when travelling home.