Leeds City Centre to Kirkstall Abbey

A  walk along the towpath of the Leeds and Liverpool Canal today.

I had an appointment with my Health and Work Programme advisor this morning and so had to show up looking presentable...and I'd also been to the doctor's surgery to pick up my prescription and then waited at the chemist's for my tablets. I didn't need to be dressed as though I was attending an interview though, but I still needed to be reasonably smart; I certainly didn't want to be wearing my regular hiking gear. I didn't have time to go home and get changed so I wore clothes that I thought would be suitable for all of my activities during the day.

I travelled on the 11:26 train to Leeds and then headed for the tunnels and arches underneath the station which lead down to the river and then to the canal towpath.

The milestones I saw were facing in the wrong direction [maybe this is the way they do it on the canals - it's something I will have to research]. This photograph was taken with me facing towards Leeds City Centre, the direction from which I'd come.

I didn't go inside the Leeds Industrial Museum at Armley Mills but I briefly left the towpath to have a look at the accessible outdoor areas - there wasn't anything to see though.

Even more so than last week's riverside and towpath walk in Sheffield my route today was really quite rural in places.

I missed the turnoff for Kirkstall Abbey and had to turn back, I didn't notice a signpost at all. I asked a young woman for directions who I'd briefly spoken to earlier and was told to walk through an area managed by a conservation project; there was public access because there was a cafe that was open.

The best of the weather had passed by the time I reached the abbey, but it was still fine enough.

I didn't have to wait long for a bus going back to the city centre and although I had ten minutes to spare at the railway station I was getting frustrated on the bus. As we passed the Town Hall  a newly married couple were posing for photographs on the steps and the female driver stopped the bus so that she and probably some of the other women on the bus could wait for the bride to throw her bouquet over her shoulders. The traffic lights started off at red, then switched to green and we didn't move...they then went back to red again and I mentioned that I needed to catch a train and used a bit of humour, or maybe sarcasm, and said that 'it looks like one of us is colour blind.'

The weather was a lot nicer than I'd expected, so I'm glad I made the effort.

Hope, Ollerbrook Booth, Edale, and Castleton

The driver of the 273 bus going out to Hope this morning was the same man who I had an interesting conversation with at Calver when he was driving the 215 a couple of weeks ago. We had another chat today in the bus station at Sheffield before he set off, he brought up the subject of Bridge Street at Bradwell, not on our route today though - it's where the service 272 buses go. He mentioned something that I'd never thought of before, something that's really obvious though if you give it some thought. Bridge Street is very narrow, there are only a few inches to spare at either side of the bus as it inches forward through the tiny gap between the houses, and he mentioned that several years ago the bus company had to pay for all the windows in the affected properties to have their windows replaced with new ones that would only open inwards. I love it when I find out out something interesting and a bit unexpected that I can post on the blog. Later on, after a few more passengers had boarded I did my good deed for the day by providing five pounds in change - the driver was struggling. 

Here's a photo of a bus passing along Bridge Street - it's not one of mine though.

I started the walk by heading north out of Hope using footpaths and stretches of road until I eventually reached Edale.

Of course I took plenty of photographs en route.

The footpath comes out near to the Old Nag's Head pub in Edale.

I walked through the village, going down the hill to the Penny Pot Cafe, and went inside, I ordered a pot of tea and an apple and strawberry scone. The scone was very moist, I could have eaten it without any butter...there wasn't much taste of apple or strawberry though.

I was surprised at how easy the climb up to Mam Nick was, even taking into account my much improve fitness these days.

I think these photographs were taken when I was one my way down the other side of the Great Ridge.

I chose to use the abandoned road as the best way to get down to Castleton today; it used to be known as the New Road but that's a rather inappropriate name now. 

The day finished off with torrential rain and flooding at Castleton; It only lasted for a few minutes though and I was able to shelter beneath a shop canopy.

The weather was a bit of all four seasons today, at times it was warm and sunny and then a few minutes later it was cold with heavy rain and blustery winds...or even worse. I always pack my rucksack to be able to cope with whatever the weather throws at me...today I needed both suntan lotion and my cagoule...just thinking about it now though I'm not sure if I'd got any gloves or chemical handwarmers with me though!

The Five Weirs Walk, And Then Along The Towpath To Rotherham

A couple of years ago I walked along the canal towpath from Sheffield City Centre to Meadowhall; today I took the Five Weirs Walk which follows the course of the River Don downstream. When I reached Meadowhall I continued going until I reached Rotherham.

The beginning of the walk is at Lady's Bridge and it's clearly marked all along the route, which is fortunate for me because I lost my map the other week and still haven't been able to get a new one. The reason that the route is well marked though I suppose is because in certain locations the walk diverges from the actual riverside, going along streets and through industrial areas.

Early on on the walk there are some statues set in the middle of the river, they look like mini totem poles made out of scrap metal.

The next point of interest is the Spider Bridge which is a suspended walkaway which goes right out over the river as it flows under the Royal Victoria Hotel.

[I couldn't see where the parking area that this refers to.]

Some parts of the route are quite green and semi-rural. This is a riverside local nature reserve - I didn't go to investigate though because it looked quite overgrown and I would have got my trousers wet...they weren't my hiking trousers, just normal flannels.

A bit further on...

I'm assuming the Five Weirs Walk isn't a definite footpath because the next section is closed after five thirty in an evening.

All distances along the route are measured in precise fractions of a mile - none of this newfangled metric stuff here.

I popped in to Wetherspoon's for a glass of Pepsi Max when I reached Meadowhall; I appreciated the chance to sit down for a wile and the shelter from the rain. The pub's conveniently situated right next to the riverside path.

After a short stretch of walking along the road I arrived at the canal towpath which I followed all the way to Rotherham. There are some really quite attractive areas on the way to Rotherham, if it wasn't for the constant traffic noise and the sounds coming from nearby factories I could have imagined that I was out in the countryside.

I was overtaken by a speed walker, he was really determined and was so quick that his training partner had to jog to keep up with him. His gait looked very awkward, contrived, and unnatural, probably even painful for him.

I saw my first boats on the canal about a mile south of Rotherham. 

New York is an area of Rotherham quite near to the town centre.

Obliviously the timings on this sign refer to cyclists, it had taken me about three hours, including my stop at Meadowhall, to reach this point.

I spent a few minutes in Rotherham town centre since a train back to Doncaster wasn't due for a while.

It rained for most of the time, I didn't mind though, wet miserable weather and urban decay and dereliction seem to go quite nicely together.