Highgate, Goldthorpe, Hooton Pagnell, Pickburn, and Highfields

Today didn't go at all according to plan, but at least I had some quite good weather for a few hours.

There were no trains going to Sheffield this morning because of the flooding so I ran over to the bus station hoping to catch the bus to Barnsley and go walking out that way instead. Service X19 departs from Doncaster at fifteen and forty five minutes past the hour...with the one exception of 07:15 when there's no bus, just when I was expecting one. 

So...I was stuck sitting on a bench at the bus station for half an hour. To pass the time I studied my map planning somewhere to go walking to the west of Barnsley...and then I just looked for some unusual placenames on the map. The best I could find were Cold Bath Farm and California Quarry.

The 07:45 pass arrived on time but we were delayed for a few minutes leaving town as we crossed over the river at Marshgate; the road was flooded and cars couldn't pass, but our large bus could. About twenty minutes later we got stuck in traffic again, this time just after leaving Goldthorpe. We only moved about a hundred yards in fifteen minutes and so I got off the bus at Highgate and started walking from there. There were very few vehicles coming in the other direction so I assumed that the road must have been blocked at Darfield because of the River Dearne overflowing its banks.

I walked down the road back into Goldthorpe; there's an unusual concrete church there.

I then walked down the lane and climbed up to the summit of Phoenix Park.

I always enjoy visiting Hooton Pagnell; today I only walked through half of the village though before I turned down the footpath and continued across the fields to Pickburn.

There's a footbridge over the motorway so that you can reach Brodsworth Community Woodland from Pickburn.

It was quite difficult making my way around this flooded area.

There was more flooding further on, I was able to just walk through this water though - it was about eight inches deep...and very cold when it came over the top of my boots.

The walk finished at the bus stop on the Great North Road at Highfields. The bus went a different route to get to the bus station because of the flooding, which must have been worse by this time.

Seeing How Far I Could Manage

I've not been very well for the last few days, a chest infection that then spread into my muscles. I ached all over and felt much worse than I would after completing a long walk. I was finally feeling better this morning and so went for a local walk, going up the River Don to Conisbrough, or as far as I could manage.

I walked into town and then climbed down the steps to reach the footpath at the side of the lock; the path was blocked though and so I had to continue going westwards for a few hundred yards before I could pick up the alternative route.

This is the reason why the other footpath was closed -

A lot of cats live at Newton - I saw three of them today.

Just beyond Newton I took a footpath I don't normally use, passing over the footbridge over the avoiding line, which is still used by trains, and then walking along the abandoned railway line.

I ate my sandwiches sitting on one of the benches down by the river near the Boat Inn at Sprotbrough.

I crossed over the road bridge and walked on the other bank of the river. 

These information signs weren't there the last time I was here.

There are several tunnels to explore if you want to.

I crossed over Conisbrough Viaduct and made my way down to the railway station; a train was due and so I caught it back to Doncaster. By now I'd had enough; I'd walked about five miles but my neck was stiff and sore and I had the beginnings of a headache coming on.

Fairholmes, The Upper Derwent Valley, Yorkshire Bridge, and Bamford

The early train to Sheffield wasn't running this morning because of yesterday's floods and so I had to go by bus. I therefore arrived at Sheffield quite a few minutes later than planned but I still managed to catch my planned bus.

I travelled to Fairholmes and started the walk by doing an anticlockwise circuit of Derwent and Howden Dams.

I soon reached Derwent Dam: it was obviously overtopping because as soon as I'd stepped off the bus at the bus stop a few hundred yards away I could hear the loud roar of the water - I've not experienced that before from such a distance..

I wasn't the only person taking photographs.

I'd not yet lost sight of Derwent Dam if I looked behind me when I heard the sound of Howden Dam Overtopping, more of a splashing sound this time. I don't think the amount of water was as much...and the drop didn't seem to be as high. It was difficult to photograph this dam because the trees were blocking my view.

This image was my best effort.

I continued heading northwards.

Just after I'd taken the next two photographs I crossed over the old packhorse bridge and started heading to the south on the other bank of the reservoirs.

On the western side of the circuit the sun was shining at the wrong angle and so I didn't take so many photographs...and I've not included any.

I continued, reaching the bus stop at Fairholmes again and then pressed on, taking the footpath down by the water's edge on the western shore of Ladybower Reservoir.

I passed over Ashopton Viaduct and then walked down the road to Bamford, where I had enough time to visit the church.

I had to wait my turn to photograph the eastern plughole at the southern end of Ladybower Reservoir.

The church at Bamford isn't very old, but it's quite pretty.

The train which took me home to Doncaster from Sheffield was packed tight, this was the least room anywhere I've experienced - it was really unpleasant and one passenger squashed up quite close to me wasn't feeling very well at all. When my carriage pulled in to the platform at Doncaster there wasn't even enough room for me to bend down and pick up my rucksack from the floor, I had to wait until some other passengers had got off before me.

It's Been Raining, So We Went To Hemswell Antiques Centre Instead

I had planned to go to Newark-on-Trent and Southwell today with Siobhan, my support worker, but because of the rain we decided to go to Hemswell Antiques Centre near Gainsborouh. There's plenty of undercover there - it's the largest antiques centre in Europe.

When we travel out in that direction we usually go to the Toby Carvery at Bessacarr for breakfast, but we were disappointed the last couple of times we went and so decided to eat at the Trent Port pub down by the river, just before the bridge over the Trent at Gainsborough. The food there was much better.

The antiques centre at Hemswell is located on a former RAF base. We went inside five of the buildings there, but there are several other buildings where antiques and collectables are also on sale...and there are other retail businesses on the site as well.

On the way back home we called at the Retford and Gainsborough Garden Centre at Beckingham for apple pie and ice cream at the Citrus Cafe.