So far we have come from Nottingham via D.H. Lawrence country, the highest point in Nottinghamshire, a couple of country parks and Hardwick Hall to Bolsover and its castle; Creswell Crags, The Chesterfield Canal, Roche Abbey, Conisbrough Castle an the River Don.

Hickleton to Darrington

After leaving Hickleton Church there is no choice but to brave the A635. This is always busy as it is a feeder road to the A1(M). Turn left and follow the roadside path on the left hand side. There is a high limestone wall on your left, some of which is believed to date back to Elizabethan times. There is a relatively safe crossing point some way down the hill. On the right you will see a small triangular village green with another crucifix. Most of the houses in the village are limestone built.

After another 100m or so (passing Fir Tree Close on the way), there is a central reservation for the slip road serving the B6411 which turns off to the right. This is the best crossing point. There is a large weeping willow tree on the right and a third cross on the left. Hickleton really is the village of many crosses, as there are more in the church yard.

Leaving Hickleton take the B6411 (Lidget Lane) and after Lady Mary View pass some cottages built of a mixture of limestone and sandstone with red pantiles. As you descend the slope following the roadside path, distant hills come into view, one of them crowned by Emley Moor t.v. transmitter. Pass the entrance to the golf course and when nearly at the bottom of the hill turn right into Chapel Lane. This is opposite a small lay-by at the entrance to Phoenix Park (this is the reclaimed pit tip). We are flirting with the outskirts of Thurnscoe here although this has been transformed from a pit village to one with new light industries.

There are signs here saying “no tipping”. I don’t think that this means “no gratuities” but considering the amount of rubbish deposited along here it seems to have been ignored anyway.

We have now temporarily dropped down off the Magnesian Limestone onto the Coal Measures.

Chapel Lane eventually leads onto the Barnsley Boundary Walk and onwards to the village of Clayton, but we will leave it where the farm road goes to the right. This takes you between arable fields towards Stotfold Farm.

Looking right we can see Hickleton Golf Course on the edge of the limestone escarpment with the village in the trees behind. Just north of the houses is Castle Hill where there was a Norman motte.

Ahead, beyond the farm, Watchley Crag Wood and The Wilderness sit on the hillside. In May the road is lined with cow parsley and there may be skylarks singing.

Approaching Stotfold Farm, after a couple of oak trees, another path is way- marked off to the left. We continue along the track that then takes you to the eastern side of the farmhouse and onward to a stile with a way-mark. This is followed by a path over pasture land to another stile next to a culvert carrying a stream. The next bit of field-side path takes you up to Watchley Crag.

When you reach this the aim is to turn left by the way-mark. But if you look ahead through the trees you should make out a rock face. It is worth walking up to have a look. However there is the risk of falling rock so BEWARE. There are two layers of rock here. The upper part is classic Magnesian Limestone (dolomite) but the lower consists of the Yellow Sands. This is the very lowest of the Permian beds and is very soft. That is why there is a rock shelter where the sand has been eroded away – probably at the hand of man. Or was it teenagers having a bit of fun. This stratum outcrops at quite a few places north of here and has been used in the glass-making industry for its almost pure silica content. Although it does look quite solid it easily rubs away into beach quality sand. Below this, where you are standing are the Coal Measures of the Carboniferous Period.

So back to the way-mark and continue along the path through the wood. There are mainly ash trees (some of which have been coppiced) with sycamore and hawthorn. Quite a lot are covered in ivy. In the springtime some of the floor of the wood is carpeted with wood anemones and ramsons (wild garlic). There are also violets, celandines and dog’s mercury.

The path gradually curves round to the right and gently climbs, following the edge of the wood, back onto the Magnesian Limestone. After a while you come out into the open now higher up and you may see Emley Moor mast again away to the west and Ferrybridge Power Station to the north, with Upton water tower. Almost ahead of you Hooton Pagnell Hall comes into view.

Now the path widens into a track as you pass Little Watchley Wood on the right. You are now on Watchley Lane that you will follow for the next 800m or so passing Third Plantation and Second Plantation as you go. On the left as you crunch through beech mast you will see some fine old beech trees with graffiti added and on the right there is some new hedge planting.

In the distance there is a large wind farm and when the sky is clear there are great streaks of condensation trails from airliners in the flyway overhead at about 30,000 ft. You can hear these too when there isn’t much wind. More immediately you are always likely to hear a robin or blackbird or see a buzzard.

We now emerge onto Bilham Lane at a bend on the minor road. For the next section there is no roadside footpath but there is not a great deal of traffic and there is a grass verge to escape to if necessary. Continue north-eastwards with Second Plantation on the left, and opposite the cricket ground you might catch a track turning off to the left. A quick look down there will reveal the cemetery which is quite remote from the village and that has a magnificent lych gate. This was a gift from Julia Warde-Aldam to the people of Hooton Pagnell on May 1^st 1901 and was subsequently dedicated by the Archbishop of York in 1903. The Warde-Aldams were the owners of the Hall and the estate.

Hooton Pagnell.

Returning to the road you soon come to the B6422 with the church tower visible ahead. Carry on towards it and you will pass Hooton Pagnell Hall on the right. There is not much to be seen from the road though apart from some high walls. The origins of this are as far back as the 14^th century and the gatehouse is of that period. The house itself though has evolved over the years with Elizabethan and Georgian work followed by “much 19^th century castellating.” There is also a tithe barn in the grounds. The Hall now has a boutique hotel and is also a wedding venue.

When you get to the churchyard go up the 13 steps at the southwest corner. This is All Saints Church and much of it including the tower is Norman in origin. According to Pevsner the south door has “bold iron hinges that may well be the original ones of about 1100”. There is an Ordnance Survey bench mark on the buttress at the northwest corner of the tower. When the clock strikes 12 noon it is followed by the carillon playing “Abide with me”.

Leave the church yard by way of another lych gate and continue northward, reaching the road again in about 50m. On the left you will soon come to the old village cross. This was erected in about 1545 to mark the granting of a market charter by King Henry III in the year 1253.

Shortly beyond this is a plaque telling you about the village pound. This is a walled enclosure built to hold livestock, and whose origin may go back as far as that of the church. Just below this is the war memorial.

Most of the houses in the village are built of a golden sandy limestone. This is from one of the lowest beds of the Permian Limestone and was deposited as beach sediment on the western shore of the Zechstein Sea. You might be able to see shell fragments in some of the stones especially in some of the gate posts. In some cases the houses are built directly onto the bedrock. They mostly belong to the same period and one has a date stone suggesting that it was built in 1770. A lot seem to have had brick chimneys added later.

We are right at the western edge of the Magnesian Limestone here, at the top of the escarpment with a good view to the west over the old coalfield towards Barnsley.

On the left you won’t be able to miss The Hostel. This was originally set up in 1902 as St. Chad’s Hostel and was where students from St. Chad’s College in Durham could study for ordination after getting their degrees. Up until then theological training had only been possible at Oxford and Cambridge. St Chad’s lasted until 1916 when it was bequeathed to the village as the village club. It now advertises itself as a friendly country pub that does simple and elegant country food and real ale. At the time of writing there was also bed and breakfast accommodation in the village.

The general feeling of the village is that it is very much unspoiled. It seems that it was almost all owned by “The Hall” and the owners are very careful not to allow inappropriate development.

At the north end of the village, where you are 89m above sea level, Northfield Road forks off to the right. This is signposted “Cusworth Cycle Trail” and Moorhouse and Hampole. Take this and in about 200m you will come to the point where Back Lane and Broad Balk meet on the right. Take a good look at the long view to the ENE and you may be able to see Eggborough and Drax power stations. The high ground on the eastern horizon that you might see on a clear day is the Yorkshire Wolds. You might just be able to make out the towers of the Humber Bridge. With views in both directions you can appreciate how narrow the escarpment is.

Also close by: Brodsworth Hall (SE 505 071). This is about 2km away along the B6422. Open every day it is managed by English Heritage and features an exhibition showing life in a country house as it really was. There are of course tea rooms. It was built of limestone but it has not proved to be durable.

Take the gated Broad Balk eastwards going downhill with Hampole Wood ahead of you. There you will meet Lound Lane coming from the south where it becomes Old Street going north. Now this really is old. It is probably part of an ancient drover’s road that could go back to pre-Roman times. The fields around here are also very interesting. They are almost a kilometre long and about 200m wide with generally straight sides. These are believed to have been set out when the medieval North Field was enclosed in the 18^th or 19^th century.

Turn northwards onto Old Street that can’t make up its mind whether it is a path or a track but officially it is a byway. Hampole Wood, now on your right is mainly deciduous but there are a few pine trees and there has been some coppicing. Oaks, sycamore, holly and yew can be seen and in springtime what appeared to be wild daffodils and dog’s mercury.

As you leave the wood behind, the way is bounded by broad hedges which provide a bit of shelter on a windy day. Lenny Balk comes in from the west and there is a three-way sign post. Take the byway continuing northwards and now it is more open with a new hawthorn and blackthorn hedge on the left and just an open field on the right. Beyond that there is now a wind farm. On the field edge there are some wild flowers that some farmers might call weeds. In springtime there was ground ivy, groundsel, speedwell, shepherd’s purse and sun spurge (this is an indicator of limey conditions). This is a good place to hear a skylark too and with luck see it ascending high into the sky and dropping like a stone – one of the real delights of the English countryside but not as common as it used to be.

Less beautiful, over to the northwest you will see a spread of new industrial buildings escaping from the coalfield at South Elmsall down the hill.

Halfway down this field on the left you might spot an old limestone gatepost with a benchmark carved on it. There are also one or two old ash trees that looked dead but have new growth coming up to give them second lives. They really are resilient.

As the hedge comes to its end you will see a lot of blocks of limestone under a side hedge that have been ploughed out of the field.

Towards the bottom of the hill the way is bounded by hedges again and in spring there was a good display of violets. A pylon line crosses just before we reach the road but this last bit has been plagued by fly tippers in the recent past.

On reaching Hampole Field Lane it is only a few yards to the right before getting to the A638 Doncaster to Wakefield road. This can be quite busy but we do have to cross it. Luckily there is a refuge in the middle of the road about 100m eastwards towards Hampole. This is just before Mount Pleasant Kennels. Continue in this direction along the roadside path until reaching Ivy House, which at the time of writing was derelict. This has had an odd history and various estimates of its age.

Just after that, take the turning into Hampole village. That will lead to Main Street where you go left. As the road curves round to the right you come to a small open area where there is a large beech tree and a plinth with a reference to Hampole Priory. Nothing remains of this on the surface but its history goes back to the 12^th century, when it was founded as a Benedictine nunnery. By 1256 it had changed to the Cistercian order. It survived until the Dissolution of the Monasteries in the 16^th century.

Hampole is thought to be at the centre of the historical Barnsdale Forest. This probably covered much of what is now South Yorkshire and is supposed to have been the real haunt of Robin Hood and his Merry Men. Also associated with the village is Richard Rolle (1300–1349), who was a famous Latin and English religious writer and Bible translator who spent his final years at Hampole as a hermit, secluded in the dense forest.

Our route continues by turning right under the beech tree and going along between the gardens of Beech Cottage and Holly Cottage before entering a pasture field. At the far end of this a rickety-rackety stepped stile brings you out onto Leys Lane. Turn left here and continue eastwards along the quiet road, crossing over the railway bridge.

This line was originally the West Riding to Grimsby Railway and opened in 1866. There was a station here from 1885 until the 1950s. Another railway used to run from north to south and across Leys Lane just after a bend to the right. This was part of the South Yorkshire Junction Railway that ran from Wrangbrook Junction near North Elmsall on the Hull - Barnsley Railway to Denaby Main near Conisbrough. There was a passenger service with stations at Brodsworth and Sprotbrough but it was mainly to serve the collieries. This was closed in the 1960s and by the time of the revision of the last Ordnance Survey 1” map in 1966 it was shown as a dismantled railway.

On the right at the far side of the next field on the south side of the road is the possible site of a castle, but it has long been demolished and ploughed out. After a while you will pass what looks like Fort Knox but in fact is Priory Farm. This though is not the site of the priory (which was back in the village).

Ahead, the A1 begins to make its presence heard and seen. But here is one of the few opportunities to cross it safely. At this side of it is a cluster of useful opportunities. There is a Travelodge, a Little Chef and a Burger King. To the right is a footbridge to take you over four lanes of fast traffic into the village of Skellow.

Skellow takes its name from the River Skell that joins Old Ea Beck just south of the village. Its main claim to fame is that during the Civil War, Oliver Cromwell constructed a canon battery to protect the Great North Road.

There follows a couple of kilometres of roadside walking. It starts with Hampole Balk Lane which is the B1220. Along here there are houses on the north side but open countryside to the south with the view down to Doncaster and its tower blocks. You will cross over the River Skell at Skellow Bridge when the road becomes Cross Hill. After about 150m the remains of Cromwell’s battery appear behind a stone wall on the left between Holly Cottage and Hill Farm.

Almost immediately after this you reach the turning into Buttercross, where there are the remnants of an old cross on the triangle of roads. Just beyond this junction you will see Skellow Hall on the right. This is the oldest building in the village, having been built in 1642 - it is now a care home. On reaching Crossfield Lane, turn left and continue along a pleasant tree-lined road until after about 800m you reach a children’s playground at Skellow Cross.

From here there is a path that becomes Stony Croft Lane and leads to the village of Burghwallis. On reaching the crossroads our aim is to turn right into the village itself but by carrying on across the road and along Scorcher Hills Lane after a short distance you might be able to find the Burghwallis pub that is tucked away behind a row of houses on the right.

Travelling eastward along the main street, here called Grange Lane, the war memorial comes into view. It is worth turning right here along the Old Village Street to see if you can discover the old village pump and the pinfold.

The Old Village Street turns sharp left and takes you back to Grange Lane. Turn right here and continue along the roadside path lined mainly with sycamores trees. You will pass the entrance to Burghwallis Hall which was up for sale when I was there. The house in parts dates back to Tudor times but most is Georgian. Pevner says “it was rudely medievalized in 1820”. The Anne family who owned it were Catholics and there was a chapel within the house with a priest’s hole. In the 1940s it became a rest home for elderly ladies and became known as St. Anne’s Rest Home. The village street was closed when the hall was built and a new road made outside the park. This would become Grange Lane.

There is a cross on the right-hand side of the road with a bench opposite. You will find the road up to St. Helen’s church on the right hand side indicated by a road sign saying “Church of England” presumably to distinguish it from any Catholic associations. The church is set back quite a way, at the end of a tree-lined road with many yew trees. The entrance to the church yard is guarded by a lych-gate under a yew tree. Although it is not mentioned in the Doomsday Book it has some features that suggest that it was built about that time. There is some characteristic herringbone masonry in the walls of the nave and chancel that Pevsner suggests is Norman but others say it was pre-Conquest. The building stone is mainly Magnesian Limestone although some of it is brown.

Back at Grange Lane carry on eastwards up to The Abbes Walk. Follow that and pass the “Plague Well” on the left. This is set within a stream that continually keeps it supplied with fresh water. It is believed to have been built at the same time as St.Helen’s Church as a holy well, but it may well go back to prehistoric times as a sacred site. It was almost certainly used at the time of the Black Death to wash money being passed to traders to safeguard them from infection, and again in 1665 at the time of the Great Plague of London. There was an arch and canopy erected over it but that was removed many years ago.

The tree-lined road continues south-eastwards with more sycamores and yews and some holly. After about 300m a footpath leaves to the left indicated by a finger post with a white rose. Follow this along the back of The Willows Stables between a fence and a hedge, taking care to duck beneath water pipes at head height. It was along here one December day that I saw a buzzard, a gang of long-tailed tits, a charm of goldfinches, blackbirds, a magpie and blue tits and heard the chuck- chuck of fieldfare all within a few minutes. There were signs of buttercups and umbelliferae beneath my feet.

The path takes a right angle to the left and after a few metres there is what appears to be a parish boundary stone. A right turn then takes you across an arable field with scattered limestone cobbles. There was some speedwell and groundsel about with a hedge coming up on the right with elder, hawthorn, sycamore, holly, ash. Quite old then. Ahead a water tower appears and a track takes over. This is Lady Gap Lane. This will take you to Suttonfield Road at the end of a row of houses.

Now turn right. After about 60m there is a footpath sign on the left but this is best ignored as it only leads to problems. Carry on to the road junction opposite the Ann Arms (where food and drink are available) onto Sutton Road, the main street of the village or hamlet of Sutton.

It is a very interesting street with lots of limestone houses and outbuildings with pantiles that show various states of sedimentation and weathering.

On the left you pass what I think is Vine Farm House with a date stone suggesting that it was built in 1701. It is a pity that it has been rendered.

After the end of the houses Rose Lane goes off to the right but we continue straight on, passing a caravan park and coming to the Askern sign. We are going to flirt with the outskirts of this old pit village (or small town) and the Instoneville estate. After passing a school and some shops take Avenue Road on the left and then Instone Terrace on the right. Almost opposite the Mission Church is a footpath sign pointing the way into Warren House Park. This is where Askern Colliery and a Coalite plant used to be. They were closed in 1985 and now you would never know they had been there. As with many other old pit sites, it has been completely transformed. It now belongs to the Land Trust and is managed by Doncaster MBC and provides a wonderful open space with facilities for sports and games and opportunities for dog walkers. There is quite a network of broad tarmac paths but our route involves generally going northwards and then north-eastwards.

Leaving Instone Terrace ignore the path off to the right and carry on up the hill. Cross over another path and after a while what appears to be a round barrow or a tump appears on the right. This is at the highest point of the old pit tip and seems to have been built to give an extra metre of height to improve the all round view. A quick detour to that will give you the chance to see distant hills to the southwest, Eggborough power station chimney to the north, at least one church spire and numerous pylons.

There is a strip of birch woodland on the left to hide the houses and a lot of close cut grass with wild flower potential. Even in December there were signs of clover, cranesbills and some flowering dandelions and daisies. There are a number of benches along the way.

Another path crosses but carry on northwards toward the water tower with some other new bits of woodland on the right. At the next path veer away to the left with the football pitch on the right and some picnic tables and a children’s playground on the left. Then continue round the edge of the park north-eastward.

At the time of writing a new housing development was being built right across what was my planned route but I have been reassured that the footpath will be reinstated when the houses are complete.

After passing through the new estate turn left and take the PRW across the ploughed field. Then a track will take you down towards Askern Field, which is shielded from bikers by a limestone boulder. Now on well trimmed grass you will catch a glimpse of a lake in front partly hidden in the trees ahead. The PRW goes into the wood to the west but as it does so there is a group of limestone boulders guarding the entrance. It carries on westwards until emerging onto an arable field with a well walked way across and with limestone cobbles underfoot again.

However, if you turn right at the entrance to the wood, you enter Campsall Country Park by the back door. You will go through Langley’s Plantation. It is made up of mixed deciduous trees. A path runs around inside the edge of the wood crossing a footbridge and going beneath a double-pole electricity line. After crossing a culvert you emerge from the trees onto a grassy area. After 100m or so an unmade path comes down the hill from the right and goes into the wood on the left by a litter bin.

This is the site of Campsall Hall which was the home of the Frank family for several generations. The Hall and grounds were extensively enlarged during the time of Richard Frank (1698-1762). The once fine Georgian house no longer stands and much of the estate was sold for housing development in the 1950’s, after which the Hall fell into a ruinous state and was subsequently demolished. The examples of London plane, Wellingtonia, beech and yew that are here today were first planted by Richard Frank. The rich diverse habitat found within the park includes open grassland, meadow, ponds and wet and dry mixed semi-natural broadleaf and yew woodland. There are also some ornamental specimen trees – remnants of the Campsall Hall pleasure garden. The wet woodland is of particular importance as a habitat for birds and invertebrates. It is all maintained by Doncaster Council.

The path then takes you by a large pond that has ducks, moorhens, coots and swans that may come up to be fed. After crossing a bridge you will reach the far end of the park and come out onto a road that serves as the back lane of the village street. Turn right here and then where it meets the main road is The Old Bells Inn. This is probably one of the oldest pubs in Yorkshire but when I was there it was sadly empty.

There is a post office and shop almost next door which may or may not be open.

Turning to the northeast the village church appears on the hill ahead. The approach along a narrowing roadside footpath is between high stone walls making it feel quite canyon-like but it is spoilt somewhat by traffic coming round a bend on the hill. It is well worth coming this way to see the church. It is dedicated to St. Mary Magdalene and has a magnificent Norman west tower with a classic Norman arch over the door and windows. There are tales of this being where Robin Hood and Maid Marion were married.

Our route continues along The Avenue and on to Ryecroft Road passing Campsmount Academy. This is named after another large house that was just to the west of the village and was built by the Cook-Yarborough family in the mid 18^th century and which was demolished in the 1950s.

On the left is a turning onto Windmill Lane. Going up the hill towards the farm and the windmill itself you will get a glimpse to the north and east of the power stations at Drax and Eggborough and the man-made “mountain” at Gale Common. But, more on that story later.

The windmill now has no sails but is otherwise complete and is a classic tower mill on five levels with a perfect ogee cap.

Beyond the farm buildings the path heads north-westwards passing through a gate supplied by the Doncaster Ramblers and follows a field boundary. The hedge comes to an end and the path cuts across an arable field where there is speedwell beneath our feet. Ferrybridge power station is roughly ahead and Eggborough power station plays hide-and-seek behind some willow trees. Gale Common ahead is an ash disposal site made up of waste from the two nearby power stations and Kellingley colliery (before it closed). It has been landscaped and now looks very natural as you drive along the M62. To the southwest, Barnsdale Wood dominates the horizon. We reach a track where there is a way-marked post. Turn right here and we are on Southfield Road or as it is otherwise known Old Acre Lane. Turning eastwards the track brings you to Cliff Hill Road and onward to the edge of Norton village.

In Norton there are opportunities for shopping and refreshments. There are two pubs, the School Boy and the Royal Hotel, but these are some way off our route. The village is now comprised almost entirely of modern housing estates but there is evidence of its underlying limestone in some stone walls and there are hints of the proximity of the neighbouring Askern colliery in a few brick terraces.

From the crossroads at the west end of the village, head northwards along Spittlerush Lane to the bend where Back Lane takes you eastwards. It is possible to continue along a quiet metalled road to the end to meet Priory Road (also called Hall Lane) and northwards up to the site of the old priory. There are though only modern buildings there today, the priory having disappeared at the Dissolution of the Monasteries by Henry VIII. At the t-junction our route turns westwards along Norton Mill Lane. There are stone walls along the road here that may date back to the days of the priory.

There are a couple of shorter alternatives along signed footpaths along field edges to join Norton Mill Lane near or west of The Mill. Once out into the open there is a field path heading northward to a footbridge over a stream. This is the River Went and it forms the boundary between South Yorkshire and North Yorkshire. It sets our route for the next 10kms or so, roughly following its line from the eastern to the western limits of the Magnesian Limestone rocks.

Once over the footbridge a field path takes you westwards and upstream until you meet Willow Bridge just south of Little Smeaton. Crossing the bridge back into South Yorkshire for a while, a track to the right converges with the old railway line on an embankment. This carried the much troubled Hull and Barnsley railway but this had ceased to be before Dr. Beeching’s axe was wielded.

There is a bridge beneath the embankment that gives access to some arable fields where a signed path leads to Kirk Smeaton. Some of this PRW is across the ploughed field but the local convention seems to be to follow the field boundary.

Eventually the path reaches Water Lane and you enter North Yorkshire again. This area was once part of the West Riding and before that the ancient kingdom of Elmet.

On reaching Kirk Smeaton you will soon arrive at the church on a corner (set behind a new village garden). It is dedicated to St. Peter and although dating back to Norman times, what you see now it is mainly the work of Victorian restorers.

Just up the road is the Shoulder of Mutton pub where there should be something to restore you.

Immediately to the east of the church a path leads down to a footbridge over the River Went. Look out for the herons and ducks there. A slope up takes you to Chapel Lane. Turning westward and just beyond the house that was once the chapel, the footpath leaves the road to the left. With a wood on the left and open fields to the right along this section you may spot some fairy doors in the undergrowth.

After a while the view ahead opens up as you enter Brockadale nature reserve, which is managed by the Yorkshire Wildlife Trust. This is a steep-sided, quite narrow valley cutting through the limestone escarpment, probably formed by an outflow of melting ice at the end of the last glaciation about 12,000 years ago. In the wooded parts in Springtime there are wood anemones, bluebells, primroses, four species of violets, water figwort and stinking hellebore. There are speckled wood butterflies and brimstones. On the grassy slopes, (that have never been ploughed), through spring and into summer you could find cowslips, cinquefoil, salad burnet, betony, scabious, early purple orchids and clustered bellflower. On a sunny day it can be alive with butterflies such as marbled white and dark green fritillary. In the wetter areas on the valley floor you might find water avens, hound’s tongue and meadowsweet. In the winter highland cattle are brought in to help manage the rare limestone grassland and prevent unwelcome plants from taking hold.

A bit of Long Crag is visible ahead, and after passing an information board explaining all about the reserve there is a memorial seat to the Asquith family who owned much of the land here. A small bit of limestone pavement is exposed on the south side of the path but there is a sheer drop off this so beware!

The path then crosses an open field towards a pylon line heading for a footbridge over the River Went that is reached by a board walk, which is a great help in muddy conditions. Once over the river the path continues through mixed deciduous woodland following the bottom of the valley. A left turn would take you back to Kirk Smeaton and a short diversion along there would give a good view of Long Crag.

Turning right the path leads towards Wentbridge. It can be rather difficult underfoot along this section with tree roots and boulders and the path is close to the river so take care to avoid a splash. There is a great deal of hart’s tongue fern along here.

Up on the left are Smeaton Crags and Castle Hill. There is not much to be seen from the path apart from what appears to be some man-made walling. The “castle” seems to refer to an Iron Age promontory fort. Somewhere on the hilltop near here is the site of the “Saylis” which may have been a lookout point from which it was possible to monitor movements on the Great North Road.

Just before reaching Wentbridge the path goes under the viaduct carrying the A1. To avoid the incline from the valley, when the village was bypassed in 1961, what was at the time one of the largest viaducts in Europe, was built to cross the Went valley at a height of 30m (98feet) using pre-stressed concrete. It is 94m (308 feet) long and became a Grade II listed building in 1998. In 1964 the engineering significance of the bridge was recognised by New York's Museum of Modern Art. Thirty years after its construction it received an award from the Concrete Society.

It is at this point that we pass into West Yorkshire.

The path reaches the village of Wentbridge roughly in the middle and then goes northward along the B6474. Here the Great North Road crosses the River Went. On the bridge over the river you will find a plaque to Robin Hood, who is very much associated with this area as well as Sherwood Forest. It refers to a tale called “A Lytell Geste of Robyn Hode” that goes back to about 1500, and in 1,820 verses and 13,900 words tells the first recorded Robin Hood story.

Wentbridge is at the bottom of a steep sided valley and the road must have been difficult to negotiate in the days of the stage coach. There is an old coaching inn called the Blue Bell dating back to before the 16th century. The Wentbridge House Hotel on the north side of the river isn’t quite so old, dating from 1700. The village church is set back off the road beyond the hotel. It is built of the local stone but only dates back to 1878. It is though worth the short detour to look at it.

Just past the hotel as the road starts to ascend the hill, the path takes a parallel track off to the right following the route of an earlier stretch of the Great North Road. This eventually merges with the B6474 at the top of the hill. Here there is a prominent phone mast just before the junction with the A1. Just short of that, Westfield Lane goes off north-westwards towards Darrington. This is a section of the West Yorkshire Cycle Route and it involves about a mile of road walking but it is quite well worth it for the extensive views helped by being higher than 60m above sea level. Ahead is Ferrybridge power station and to the east are Eggborough and Drax. These create their own weather and there is often a towering cumulus cloud over each of them. This is though, not smoke but water vapour from the cooling towers. These all used to be fuelled by coal from the Yorkshire coalfield but are now converting to bio-fuel or gas.

On reaching Darrington turn eastward onto the main street called Estcourt Road. Most of the houses in the village are modern but there are many stone walls along the roadside. There is a pub called the Spread Eagle and a little further down the road there is a shop (it may be a post office). Just past the shop take Philips Lane to the left and follow the blue and yellow footprints up the hill. It’s worth taking a brief diversion to have a look at St. Luke and All Saints’ Church. Pevsner describes it as “one of the most satisfying village churches in the West Riding.” It is a patchwork of various building stones, some grey (Magnesian Limestone) and some brown (probably Permian sandstone). A kissing gate will take you through to the church yard where there are also the remains of an ancient preaching cross. In the summer there are yarrow, plantain and hawkweed here.

Continue up Philips Lane passing some nice stone houses, including the Old School House. You will come to the primary school grounds on the right and the village playing field on the left. A bench has been thoughtfully provided should you need a rest. At Church Laithe turn right onto Back Lane. There is a public footpath sign post here. This is a well-walked path in the shade of some large ash and sycamore trees. On the left side is an old hedge with a lot of different species – hawthorn, blackthorn, maple, hazel, elder and wild roses. The right-hand side is made up of garden fences. Along the sides of the path by mid-summer there are mainly coarse weedy plants like nettles, thistles and bindweed but the leftovers of the umbellifers of earlier in the year stand proud. Blackbirds and dunnocks live there and probably a mistle thrush.

Ahead the sound of A1 traffic is becoming obvious and before long it is there in front of you. When just short of the road, go left and keep the hedge between you and the traffic. There is a tarmac path on the other side as well but it is a little too close to the lorries for comfort. Just before the end of the field there is a stile on the right with a public footpath signpost just beyond it. It is probably safer to stick to the field-side path for the next few yards. Then you will come to Spitalgap Lane going off to the left. This was once an access road from the A1 to Pontefract. It had come over from Womersley and Smeeton. It is now closed off at each end, so is only usable by pedestrians and cyclists.

If you would like to continue northwards go to Book 5 which will take you to Potterton.

The copyright for the photographs is under a Creative Commons Licence by geograph.org.uk.