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 and Anston Stone Woods.

Dinnington to Hickleton

Our next section is a bit more urban but still missing the centre of Dinnington. There are good roadside paths all the way. Follow Church Lane until it becomes Athorpe Road. At the roundabout turn left onto the B6060. If you want to go into town turn right here and follow the twists in the road until you come to Laughton Road on the left. This is the shopping street where refreshments are available. There are cafés, restaurants and even bed and breakfast in various parts of Dinnington. The church dedicated to St. Leonard’s was built in 1868. There is also a medieval cross.

The B6060 takes you past a large Tesco supermarket where there are toilets but at the time of writing, no café.

After passing a wooded area, Outgang Lane will take you to the top end of Laughton Road where it meets Breck Lane. Follow this up to the B6463 where a quick right and left will put you on St. John’s Road heading north.

Just past St. John’s church, with the tower, a footpath leaves the road on the left. Take this to the back of some allotment gardens and out onto Hangman’s Lane just where it becomes School Road. There is a path immediately opposite but the actual PRW leaves School Road right next to the school and goes up some steps.

Follow this through a few fields until reaching the houses at the end of Church Corner where there is a gate and a signpost. Turn right here, but there is the view of the old castle motte and bailey just beyond here. This is on the site of the 5^th century Saxon hall of King Edwin of Mercia. His wife, who was a Kentish princess, introduced Christianity to the area and built a church on the site of the present one. The later castle was probably built by the Norman lord Roger de Busli soon after the Norman Conquest.

This is the highest point for quite a way at more than 130m above sea level.

Continue past the houses until you get to the south gate of the church. This is All Saints Church and Pevsner says that it has “one of the finest spires in the Riding, and one designed with considerable originality and ingenuity.” I don’t know about that but it certainly dominates the countryside for miles around. Of the rest of the church, on the face of it there is nothing exciting but the north doorway is Anglo-Saxon, the chancel has some Norman windows whereas the rest is largely Perpendicular or Decorated. There is though some figure-work, for example on the north aisle windows there is a “lion and a bird, a knight and ‘something unrecognisable’, a king and a queen, and an angel and a devil”.

From a distance you do get the impression that the spire could be shot off into space at any moment.

Continue along the High Street with its mixture of old limestone buildings and walls and more modern ones in brick. There is a pub called the Hatfeild Arms. Yes, it really is spelt that way, apparently after a local family. This is now the only pub in the village and there might be food available. There is though, no shop or post office.

Where St. John’s Road curves off to the right, carry on along Firbeck Lane and go along East Field Lane until the end of the houses. Here there is a short section of road without a path but it is quiet and it is only for about 200m.

After that, a lane (Scamming Lane) goes off to the left where there is a footpath sign just before a new house faced with stone. Take that and perhaps you will come across some white geese and in the field on the right some llamas (or are they alpacas?). You are now on the way to Roche Abbey. A path comes in from the left from the back of Laughton but we carry on, being careful not to wander into the field ahead. The track veers slightly to the right. After a short stretch between hedges it opens out to become a field-side path with a view to the northwest towards Slade Hooton.

With Coal Measures rocks to the west we are right on the edge of the Magnesian Limestone here at about 110m above sea level.

Beneath the hedgerow on our left there are buttercups, umbellifers, thistles, brambles, a small geranium and white dead-nettle and beneath our feet plantain and clover. In the field on the left there are a lot of limestone cobbles to remind us where we are. We come to a way-marked post telling us that we are on a Doorstep Walk. The path then follows the south side of the hedge. This area is known as Slade Hills.

The land to the right is intensively farmed but there is a wide strip of uncultivated land making the path easy to follow. It really is the wide open spaces up here with a long view eastwards as far as the Lincoln Ridge with West Burton power station near Gainsborough (usually) visible. To the west the view isn’t so extensive but quite picturesque and includes the village of Slade Hooton. However a map of the area in the 1830s shows many more miles of hedgerow and so, many more small fields than there are today and in that respect is typical of most of the English countryside.

A wood comes in on the left which cuts this view off for a while and there isn’t a lot to see but sky and there is plenty of that. The wood is mixed deciduous trees with ash and sycamore and you can find your feet crunching beech mast. There is a long stretch of pineapple weed underfoot and you might catch its scent. Along the hedgerow there are campion and nipplewort. On any bits of land such as embayments in the line of the hedge, nature takes advantage and patches of brambles, ragwort, clover, umbellifers and bugle have come in.

A gap in the wood reveals the view to the north where you will see Maltby and the old colliery tip that is now in disguise. More immediately you can see the rolling hills and woods on the other side of the valley of Hooton Dike. A bench has thoughtfully been provided so you can sit and admire the view for a while.

Now you come to King’s Wood. This gives the appearance of having been here for a very long time and has probably never been cleared. A way-mark by a redundant stile says that this is part of the Doorstep Walk. At first the trees are mainly sycamore and ash with some beech and these are moderately mature but as you go downhill and another path comes in from the left, the trees get taller and more majestic and there are quite a lot of old yews. There is an occasional conifer that reaches to the sky. Wild service trees and the large leaved lime are also said to be present. The path now is broader and has the feel of an ancient track-way about it. There is some bird song and a background buzz of insects. Some old woods can be oppressive but when I was there dappled sunlight lightened the mood.

An under-storey of hazel, hawthorn and holly completes the picture and there are signs that there has been some coppicing. There is a ground cover of dog’s mercury.

There was the sound of crows, chaffinches, a song thrush, blackbird and wren. Many other species have been recorded here, for example lesser spotted woodpeckers, nuthatches, tree creepers, tawny owls, jays, willow and other assorted warblers. Around the edges of the wood, willow tits and marsh tits, grey wagtails, bullfinches and gold-crests have been seen.

The remains of an old wall appear on the left and its age can be guessed by the fact that one of the ancient yew trees is growing over it. Was the wall built by the monks from the abbey?

To our left hidden in the trees is an artificial lake called Laughton Pond. The sound of quacking ducks might give this away. At the eastern end of the lake at its outfall are some stepping stones and a cascade as the stream drops down to the abbey grounds. Our path continues ahead along a board-walk with some open ground to the right where you could see red campion, herb robert and figwort at the appropriate season.

Roche Abbey.

All that remains of the abbey are the gatehouse, two “towers” which are the remnants of a pair of chapels and the foundations of the 30 or so other buildings. It was founded in 1147 as a Cistercian monastery and at its peak there were about 150 monks and 100 lay brothers and servants living, working and praying here. By the time of the Dissolution by Henry VIII in 1538 the population had dwindled to 17 monks, 4 novices and a few servants. In the 18^th century “Capability” Brown transformed the ruins to become a “Picturesque” feature of the nearby Sandbeck Park estate.

The site is typical of those selected by Cistercians as they were keen to get away from it all and sought seclusion for their commitment to the work of God. There was ample water from Maltby Dike and the site is partly bounded by limestone cliffs which adds to the feeling of isolation. The limestone was of course the building material for the abbey.

In the 20^th century some of Brown’s work was undone as it was felt that it had gone too far and altered the feel of the place. It was in that period that most of the foundations were exposed to allow the full extent of the of the abbey buildings to be revealed.

English Heritage now manage the site, and the ticket office and shop are in the Banqueting Lodge which was built by Lord Scarborough of Sandbeck Park in the late 1770s to entertain guests.

The path emerges from the woods right at the back of the abbey ruins and follows the boundary of the English Heritage’s enclosure. There is a very good limestone exposure on the right. After passing the Banqueting Hall you come to the Great Gatehouse. This was built much later than the abbey – not until the mid-14^th century and is one of the oldest Cistercian gateways known.

If you follow the road there is a small car park ahead (on the site of an outer gatehouse). The road turns sharply to the right but our path continues straight forward into the trees. There is another limestone crag on the right (no climbing please, this is an SSSI). The wood is another mixture of deciduous trees with nettles and brambles close in at the side of the path, but in the clearings there are knapweed (hardheads) and rose bay willow herb to give a bit of colour in the summer.

After about 300m you reach Gipsy Lane. Turn left here, go down the hill and over the bridge that crosses Maltby Dike. On the right is the entrance to a sewage works and just beyond a signed footpath leaves the road northwards. After passing through a short stretch of wood you emerge onto a grass field with knapweed and clover. The path follows a hedge and comes to an isolated stile with a way-mark that, at the time of writing, was not attached to either a hedge or a fence. I suppose that it was put there “just in case”. On the right there is a tall fence and some very tall cypress trees that hide the sewage works. Ahead there is a stile that really does have a purpose as it takes you through a hedge and up a bank.

Our route goes across another grass field with more clover and comes to a wood. Just before reaching a single electricity pole, a path off to the right takes you into the trees. There are some steps down to a plank bridge. The vegetation is a bit scrubby but in the open glades in early summer a lot of orchids appear as well as some yellow vetch. I saw a skipper butterfly here. On the opposite side of the valley Nor Wood stands out.

The next landmark is the railway bridge. After passing below that you come to another grass field, with red and white clover, yellow vetch and buttercups, hay rattle and hogweed. Almost anywhere on a bright summer’s day there will be lots of small brown butterflies, mostly meadow browns. You will pass a plantation of poplar trees that can be very noisy on a windy day.

Ahead you will see an electricity transmission line and the path takes you right up to the base of one of the pylons. You should turn left here but the path can get lost in long grass, so you can continue up the hill a while until reaching the arable land and turn left there. With the arable field on your right you will come to the end of a grassy track that will take you up to Hooton Levitt. Up here on the rolling hills you could convince yourself that you were on some chalk down-land. The pit tip, although less dominant than it used to be, reminds you that you are not. The sound of skylarks in the air though can only fill the heart with joy. If you see them down low during the nesting season they will probably try and lure you out of harm’s way.

On the edge of the track with arable fields both sides, there are some poppies that have eluded the farmer’s spray, some tiny geraniums with clover, creeping cinquefoil, red campion, nipplewort, docks and nettles with some umbellifers. Although the path is grassy and there is pineapple weed growing on it, a cobbly surface hides underneath which suggests that it is probably more than just a farm track and it might be an old road from Roche Abbey to Hooton Levitt.

As you steadily climb up the dip slope of the Magnesian Limestone the spire of Maltby church come into view and a pair of nicely formed sycamore trees lie ahead. Just before the first of these you will come to a three-way footpath sign post where you should go right across the ploughed field. It is well used and so easy to follow. In high summer you may see swallows and swifts that have come out from the village. The village of Hooton Levitt is hidden behind the trees. We are now above the 120m contour lin

If you take a moment to stop and look around you should see Laughton-en-le-Morthen church for the last time and over to the east get a last glimpse of West Burton power station. Maltby is in the valley ahead, and beyond you will hear the sound of distant traffic on the A631 and possibly airliners flying high up overhead. There could be the sound of dogs, gardens away.

Our path will bring you to a line of cypress trees, and tucked away round a corner it pops through a hedge to find a meeting of three other paths. One comes from the left out of Hooton Levitt and has a tarmac surface; one comes from the right and hasn’t and the third that goes off half right, has tarmac too and travels downhill to the right on its way to Maltby.

Hooton Levitt doesn’t have much to offer in terms of antiquity or facilities but it must be a nice place to live. Most of the houses are quite modern with little suggestion that they are sitting on limestone.

We need to take the Maltby path down through the trees – ash, sycamore and horse chestnut. An open meadow comes up on the left, again alive with brown butterflies in summer. It is starting to get a bit overgrown with young ash saplings. The church spire is right ahead as you reach an old hawthorn hedge and get to some shallow steps about a metre apart, so quite easy going. At the bottom of the shady path there is a footbridge over Maltby Dike and another stream comes in from the left. You have now reached the southwest corner of the church yard. This is marked by a magnificent old beech tree and a strange stump at its side.

This is as near as we are going to the centre of Maltby. We are taking a much quieter route round the outside.

Maltby is too big to be described as a pit village so we will have to call it a colliery town. The mine opened in 1907 and closed in 2013 due to “geological problems”. As with so many pits it has had its disaster. In 1923 an explosion in killed 27 miners.

A particular feature is the Model Village. This was set out in 1911 on a circular plan with park, bandstand, church and community hall. It was based on the town and cities that were being developed in the south such as Letchworth and Welwyn. Much of it has been filled in by later development.

Maltby was served by the South Yorkshire Joint Railway – the Doncaster to Worksop line. It also had a munitions factory during the Second World War.

Now there are a variety of shops and businesses and one supermarket (that has toilets but no café). There are numerous places to eat and drink and a hotel at next door Hellaby.

Meanwhile back at the church it is well worth taking a few minutes to look round. It is dedicated to St. Bartholomew and although most of the fabric dates from the 19^th century the tower goes back to Norman or even Saxon times as the herringbone stonework tells you. The upper part was added in the Perpendicular style in about 1400. You might see some doves that seem to live there. If you walk through the churchyard to the north side and turn right before getting to the lych gate, the path will take you round the eastern side and you will find a way out by some yew trees and a copper beech at the southeast corner. You should then go down some steps to join a footpath and turn left.

This path takes you along the valley just about on the spring line where the Magnesian Limestone meets the Carboniferous rocks below. After passing some giant rhubarb you will come to a muddy patch by a kissing gate to show this. There are alder trees, great willow herb and meadow sweet along here, all of which like damp conditions. Another kissing gate gets you to a field that has well grazed grass occupied at the time of writing by a solitary horse. This has allowed clover, knapweed, buttercups, bugle, hawk’s beard and bird’s-foot trefoil to prosper. A way-mark on the gatepost tells you that this is part of Rowbotham’s Round Rotherham. This is a route set out for the more athletic amongst us. Not me!

Another kissing gate leads to another grass field that is a bit wilder with long grass and thistles. You are almost sure to meet dog walker along here.

After yet another gate you will find yourself on a shady lane with some open woodland on your left. You could well hear wrens, chaffinches and chiffchaffs along here. There are oak trees, ash and birch amongst the bracken. After a while you will find that the path itself has been reinforced by metal or plastic grids to prevent wear and tear. High up the slope you might make out the limestone exposure called Maltby Crag.

Further on there is some limestone bedrock in the path just before reaching a garden fence. The fence belongs to a house called Fern Bank. You may hear their dog as you walk past. You have now reached the little hamlet of Woodlea. A road goes off to the left and up the hill with silver birch and gorse on the left. Take this and in about 200m you will come out onto the A634. Immediately opposite is Muglet Lane at the side of a huge green, right at the south end of Maltby.

Continue along Muglet Lane until after 150m or so, you will reach Outgang Lane on the right by the sports ground. This will lead you to the last houses on Landsbury Avenue. To the right of these a footpath carries on over a railway bridge. This is a continuation of Outgang Lane and is bounded by old hedges with many species and the surface gives the impression that it has been here a long time. It carries on down the hill until reaching a pedestrian level crossing over the railway. We are going to cross this towards the houses at the end of Mortimer Road. But first it is worth taking a diversion to look at Maltby Low Common.

Maltby Low Common is managed by the Yorkshire Wildlife Trust. It covers 6.5 hectares and is part limestone grassland where you might find the beautiful Grass of Parnassus, field scabious and small scabious. The rest of the reserve is a mixture of acid heath and marshland. Here there are common spotted orchids in the Spring, marsh valerian, mat grass, tufted hair grass, heather, pepper saxifrage, meadow thistle, sneezewort, lousewort, and aspen to name but a few. Nineteen species of butterflies including brimstone, orange tip, small copper, wall heath as well as cinnabar and silver Y moths. As for birds there are said to be buzzard, kestrel, cuckoo (you will be lucky to see one of these), turtle dove (even luckier), barn owl, whitethroat and garden warbler. In the winter expect to see foraging tits, redwings and fieldfare.

Return to the level crossing. A sign says “stop, look, listen”. The line doesn’t have much traffic so it is usually safe but that is a motto that could well apply everywhere you go.

The next bit is a walk through the woods but if you are worried about possibly getting lost then you could go via the neighbouring housing estate. You might get lost there too but there should be someone to ask. But if you are all right to go into the woods, turn right before the gate at the end of the road where the houses finish. The path isn’t obvious at first but go past some blocks of rock and concrete with a fence on the right. Then turn left into the trees and with an electricity pole ahead there is a bit of a clearing with bracken and goat willow. A right fork will take you into deep woods and the path weaves its way through. You should be heading northwards. (A compass might be useful here) You will reach a point where tracks join and you should go left here. The trees here are mainly sycamore with some oak and ash and in late Summer you will find cob nuts on the hazel bushes. From now on the path is clear and wide and it will bring you out onto Tickhill Road. You will hear the sound of the traffic before you get there. Almost opposite should be Lumley Arms pub. If it isn’t in view then you have probably come out too far to the east so turn left and follow the main road. There is a roadside path opposite. You will come to the pub and the Maltby town sign. This latter is a mosaic featuring a miner with helmet and pick reflecting the town’s recent history.

The alternative via the houses takes you along Mortimer Road and Quilter Road to reach Tickhill Road almost opposite the Lumley Arms.

The wood that you may or may not have been through is shown on the map as Maltby Wood. This is a fragment of the much larger area of woodland that used to extend for about 2km northward and eastward but is now largely beneath the colliery spoil heap. There is more surviving on the north side that we will come to later.

Now, the Maltby area has presented a bit of a problem. There are a number of useful paths running northwards from the town but too often they have led to critical points where dangerous roads and traffic have made it unwise to use them. Luckily, a route suggested itself and although on the map it looks to be going through a heavily industrialised area, in fact when you get there little evidence of that can be seen. What’s more it steers clear of most of the town.

Also in the area: Tickhill Castle: 6kms to the east. (SK592 928). This is now a private residence but open to the public one day a year, usually the second Sunday in June.

Continue along the roadside path until you reach Glencairne Close. Turn right here and head northwards and at the end there should be a footpath sign pointing to the right. This will direct you onto a track that almost immediately turns left and take you through an area of allotment gardens and small fields. There are ponies, homing pigeons, ducks and geese as well as sparrows, the occasional magpie and in Summer, swifts and house martins. You may well hear chaffinches, crows, and certainly dogs. In places there are high fences with graffiti and in the background to the right the towering presence of the old colliery tip. This is getting greener by the day and in some places woods are spreading onto it.

The track bends to the right and at a left bend another track goes off to the right. On my map the PRW is shown going across the little fields but in practice people stick to the track. There is quite a lot of bindweed and elder along here. In a while you will come out onto a well cropped grass field looking like a recreation ground but with no facilities. Keep to the right-hand side of this and at the northeast corner the path resumes. There are no signs or way-marks along here at the time of writing.

You then do a right turn followed by a left and enter a wooded area but this time it is easy to navigate. These are the northern remnants of the ancient Maltby Wood. The path continues in a roughly northerly direction. There are oaks, ash and hazel trees along here with an occasional lime and birch. It looks as though you might meet a few hobbits walking along but you are more likely to meet a motorbike rider if the tyre tracks are anything to go by. You will almost certainly hear the sound of blackbirds, chaffinches, chiffchaffs and wrens. At one point the path forks but either way will take you to the same place at the edge of the wood.

As at many points in this area access to bikes is made less likely by the placement of large limestone or concrete blocks. That is the case here, but having negotiated your way round those the path continues between hedges up to Stainton Road.

In Stainton village is a pub where you can find food and drink, and there is a roadside path to take you there safely. Incidentally. Stainton is where the famous Yorkshire and England fast bowler, Fiery Fred Truman was born and raised.

Our path continues immediately across the road. Although this is not shown as a PRW on my map and there are no signs or way-marks, it is a well walked route. It leads northwards passing from Rotherham District into that of Doncaster. It takes us beneath a very unusual line of electricity pylons. This line runs from north of Rotherham down towards Newark.

Shortly ahead of us is Holme Hall Quarry. It is of course limestone that they are after but mainly for aggregates. Some suppose that it goes back to Roman times and certainly it would have taken a great many years to remove all that stone. There was a rapid expansion in the 1960s and 70s to provide road stone for the motorways in the area. This is one of the biggest quarries in the Permian belt (it covers more than 1km square) but we won’t see any of it unless we leave the path.

Our route does a little loop by a red and white post and continues along the western edge of the quarry that is shielded by a bank and hedge. There is bracken and herb Robert on the left and hogweed and cow parsley on the bank on the right. We are now on a perfect piece of limestone grassland with bird’s-foot trefoil, clover, hop trefoil, pink and white bindweed, pineapple weed and lots of different grasses. There are skylarks on the wing too and you might hear goldfinches.

You could hear the sound of quarry vehicles or that of an air-liner approaching Robin Hood Airport which is only about 12km to the east but otherwise only the birds and perhaps the sound of the wind. .

There are wide open spaces to the left and in the distance to the north-west, the three masts on the top of Beacon Hill near Clifton appear. A public right of way comes in from Lambcote Grange and joins us on Top Lane. This is probably an ancient trackway that runs up towards Edlington and Conisbrough. A further path comes in across the field before, after another 600m or so of field edge path we reach Austwood Lane. This used to be the road from Braithwell to Stainton but now it finishes here. All to the east is now quarry. Top Lane continues ahead indicated by a “byway” sign but we will leave it here.

Now it is time to turn to the left and head westwards. As the road now goes nowhere there is unlikely to be any traffic apart from the occasional dog walker or pram pusher. It’s as quiet as can be. A few yards down the road there is a bridge over Ruddle Dike. And just beyond on the left the ruin of Ruddle Mill. This was a water mill that I surmise produced ruddle or raddle from red ochre. But I don’t know where the raw material came from. Ruddle is used to mark ewes that have been serviced by the ram. Nowadays other colours are used as well.

A small sewage works is on our right but it shouldn’t bother us. Old hedges either side of the road are made up of many different species – hawthorn, field maple, privet, hazel and dog roses with occasional ash trees and an odd oak. Beneath are typical hedgerow plants such as white dead-nettle, woundwort, buttercups, bindweed, brambles and greater willow herb. Chaffinches and blue tits make their presence heard. After about 500m we reach the edge of Braithwell.

Just to the south of our route at the junction of the B6376 and the B6427 is what remains of a cross that is believed to have been erected in the 1190s. An inscription on it translates as “Jesus, son of Mary, think upon the brother of our king, I beseech you.” This may refer to King Richard the Lionheart who was held hostage in Austria.

After passing a stone barn most of the houses are new bungalows but there are still limestone walls and some older buildings were built of limestone too. Keep straight on until you come to the High Street which is part of the B6376. A left turn would take you down to a couple of pubs and a café that is open most days. However we are going right and passing the war memorial and then left onto Micklebring Lane.

You will shortly come to St. James Church. The original church was built here in the 11^th century. Above the door in the south porch is a carving (on the tympanum) dating from that period featuring a haphazard collection of rosettes that are said to represent the stars in the heavens and the Holy Trinity. The church was extended in 1190 and a south aisle added in the 14^th century. The tower dates from the Perpendicular period and the chancel was added in the 16^th century. A sundial was erected over the south porch in 1828. Also on the south wall is a mass dial dating from the 12^th century.

We continue along Micklebring Lane. This unfortunately means a bit of road walking but even though there is no path or verge it is straight with good visibility. You will be unlucky if you see more than 5 cars in the 10-15 minutes it takes to reach Micklebring. This is the least of evils but perhaps a high visibility jacket or waistcoat would make sense. It’s best not to stop, look or listen for too long.

On reaching Micklebring village you will come to a small triangular green at a road junction where our route turns right towards Edlington. If you turn left and walk along the village street you will come to a pub where food and drink are available, with an extensive view to the west and just beyond at a lay-by is a viewpoint that explains all that you can see. However, the road is narrow and there is no path for much of the way and the traffic does not seem to have much respect for speed limits.

Back to our route and just across the road from the green, next to the last house a footpath goes north-westwards down the hill. But before setting off, stop and admire the view. You should be able to detect the subtle contours of the Magnesian Limestone escarpment running away northwards towards Conisbrough. On top of this are the three masts on Beacon Hill. Nearer still are the lorries on the M18 and the limestone cutting they go through.

This next section shares the route with the Danum Way as far as the M1. Set off down the field-edge path towards the motorway and at about 10 o’clock (the angle, not the time) Emley Moor t.v. transmitter comes into view. You are dropping off the limestone onto the Carboniferous rocks below but only for a while and you might notice that the soil is becoming a bit more clay-like. At the bottom of the hill just before reaching the motorway the path turns left and takes you to an underpass. It is surprisingly quiet as you pass beneath the speeding vehicles above.

A footpath sign tells you that you are now on the Heron Way. Turn right here and follow the motorway fence along the field-edge path until it turns off northwards across arable fields. It is a well cut grass path up to some ash trees where there are the remains of a stile and a way-mark. You then cross diagonally a grass field heading for the masts. This field seems to have been left fallow for quite a while and is beginning to get overgrown in places with brambles and small bushes of hawthorn and willow. Amongst the long grasses though are quite a few wild flowers such as buttercups, daisies, scabious and clover, hop trefoil and bird’s-foot trefoil.

You climb up the hill, which is the scarp face of the Magnesian Limestone, until you see a gate in front of you. Veer off to the left here and you will find a stile. This will take you out onto a grassy track and along past a covered reservoir to the masts on the top of Beacon Hill. It’s 130m above sea level here.

Off to the west is an extensive view as far as Emley Moor and the Pennines. To the northwest is an area shown on the map as Conisbrough Park. Apart from being a parish in its own right including Clifton, much of it was a medieval deer park and hunting ground and it wasn’t enclosed until the 19^th century.

From the masts onward it is a made road bounded by hawthorn hedges with a lot of elder. Its white flowers in June will be followed by purple berries in late summer. It’s good for speckled wood butterflies here. You are now on Beacon Lane. The road takes a right turn and you will find shade under some ash trees probably with the sound of blackbirds, chaffinches and maybe goldfinches.

You will come to a recreational area on the right just before meeting the junction of Beacon Lane and Common Lane where there is a small bus shelter. Turn left here into Clifton village.

Clifton is a small, quiet limestone village with just a few modern houses filling in some of the gaps. Off the main street to the right is Church Lane leading as you might expect to the church. Well, it is more like a chapel, Victorian or even later, just a basic rectangle with a small porch. I would guess that it is on the site of something much older.

Just to the east of the village is probably one of the best all round views you will get. It’s just a pity that I can’t easily include it on our route. There is though a very good bridleway that will take you there if you would like to take it in. It is at grid ref SK526 967. To get there, turn down Church Lane and at the end turn left by some white ducks and some large sycamore trees. The road bends round to the right and eventually is sign-posted “bridleway”. Carry on along this ignoring any turns to the left. After a straight section the track bends to the left and out into the open. From up here you can see Emley Moor to the northwest and the Trent Valley power stations to the southeast. They are about 70km apart.

It is possible to continue along this track towards Edlington and the B6094 but there is no safe way to Conisbrough (our next destination) from there so it is advisable to return to Clifton.

Meanwhile back in the village head northwards along Common Lane going down the steep hill. Although it is a public road it is quiet and there are places to go should any traffic come along. At some point the name changes to Denbrook Lane and you will cross Den Brook. After about 1km from Clifton you will reach the B6094 by Manor Farm. Turn left and just across the road you will see a pair of semidetached houses. Immediately past these is an unsigned path (at the time of writing) off to the right. Be careful crossing the road as there can be some fast traffic.

The path takes you along the line of the old railway track. This was part of the Great Central Hull and Barnsley system. The first section is very well mown grass with recently planted trees on the left. There are oak, ash, maple, birch, alder, rowan and what appears to be Swedish whitebeam here. The grassy track opens out and there is an unexplained block of limestone. The path narrows and on the left is another bit of new planting with mainly hazel and some oak, birch and ash. The path comes up to some fences which is where Snake Lane comes in from the left and from here the path is gravelled. After 200m or so it goes into a more mature, shady deciduous wood before eventually reaching Common Road. Turn left here and you will find the entrance to a recycling plant and just opposite is a garden centre that has a café. From then on you are on Crookhill Road. Continue along here for about 500m until you come to the A630, Doncaster Road. Turn left here and cross the road as soon as you are able.

From along here there is a very good view of Conisbrough Castle to the north.

Conisbrough.

The town doesn’t appear to have a great deal to offer the passing traveller but there are pubs, a hotel, fast food outlets and a restaurant or two, a couple of convenience stores (but no large supermarkets) and a post office but no bank or public loos. It was though perhaps the most important town in Saxon and Viking South Yorkshire, being the centre of a large royal estate. After the Norman Conquest the Lord of Conisbrough, William de Warrene held 28 townships. Both the church and the castle were extremely important, but more on their stories later.

Coal mining came to the Conisbrough area in the mid 19^th century with pits at Denaby Main and Cadeby. This was to dominate the town for 100 years.

Continue along the roadside path until you reach the traffic lights where you should turn right. Immediately turn left up New Hill toward the town centre. Carry on until you reach West Street where you will see the Eagle and Child. Follow the road round to the right where it becomes High Street and after about 70m you will see the church of the left.

This is St. Peter’s Church and it is claimed that it is “one of the oldest churches in England”. Said to date back to about the year 750, there is very little evidence of this on the outside. Most of what you see is late medieval and you have to go inside to see any really early work. There is though a Norman arch over the doorway in the south porch. Probably older than any of the church are remains of a “preaching cross” southeast of the south porch.

Continue along Castle Street round to the right following the blue sign where you will see the entrance to the castle ahead of you.

Conisbrough Castle.

Pevsner says “The position of Conisbrough Castle above the River Don…. is magnificent, and the keep is, in the beauty of its geometrical simplicity and of its large ashlar facing unsurpassed in England.”

The English Heritage guide book begins “Conisbrough Castle’s magnificent 12^th century great tower, rising up above the ruined walls of its inner bailey and its tree-covered hill is one of England’s most striking landmarks.”

There was probably some sort of structure here before the Norman Conquest but the estate was given by William 1^st to William de Warenne, one of his most trusted followers. It seems that the castle we see now was built by Hamelin of Anjou who had married Isabel de Warenne, William’s great-great grand-daughter. It remained in the family line until the 14^th century despite being seized several times by the Crown. It was then given to Edmund de Langley before going back into royal ownership in 1461.

On leaving the castle turn right down Castle Hill and ignoring the “all routes” sign, go left along the one-way Dale Road then right onto Station Road. At the bottom of the hill you will reach Low Road where it becomes Doncaster Road. Turn left and in about 100m on the north side of the road is the station approach.

Take the station approach down the hill. On reaching the car park at the bottom, cross the railway line over the footbridge. There are trains here from Sheffield and Doncaster. Turn right at the bottom of the steps and ahead of you is the access road to the Kingswood Centre. Take this and pass the Fund Raising Tree and Welcome Hall and cross the River Don. You will reach the gate at the entrance to the Kingswood Centre where there is a path off to the right.

The Kingswood Centre is on the site of the ill-fated Earth Centre. This was set up in the 1990s as an environmental visitor attraction. It didn’t attract enough people and subsequently closed in 2004. In 2011 it was taken over by a private educational services company called Kingswood with the aim of creating a residential children’s adventure centre.

Following the tarmac path by a poplar wood, it bends to the right where a rougher path continues ahead. Our path is lined with mainly birch trees until coming out into the open where there is a wealth of wild flowers. In June there were moon daisies, vetch, yellow rattle and red campion as well as some broom bushes.

Just before a t-junction you will see on the left what appears to be an Ordnance Survey trig. pillar. It is a concrete block the right shape and size but it has no metal bit on the top and no bench mark, so it probably isn’t.

At a t-junction turn right onto what is the Trans Pennine Trail – route 62. It was recently given a smooth tarmac surface by Sustrans as part of its cycle network. You have to be aware of silently approaching cyclists. This track takes you eastwards through a mixture of deciduous woodland (with some alder trees) and more open patches where you might see cranesbills, some early purple orchids, wild roses, teasels and rose bay willow herb. There are a lot of ash tree saplings and in places there is an invasion of bracken.

Looking back in places you can see Conisbrough Castle and the church. A road approaches from the left but doesn’t quite make it. The woodland closes in with sycamore trees both sides of the trail keeping it nice and shady. As with all woodland there is always birdsong to entertain you. Blackbirds, chaffinches, robins and wrens are with us most of the way.

A double crossroads comes up. At the first one continue straight ahead. A right turn would take you onto the viaduct. Shortly after this a path comes in on the left from Cadeby and a rough track goes off to the right. The better option is to follow the tarmac trail off slightly to the left into another open area with more wildflowers including the small pyramidal orchids and more hay rattle.

Ahead you can see Warmsworth water tower as you curve round down the hill towards the under-side of the viaduct. The Conisbrough Viaduct was opened in 1909 to carry the Dearne Valley Railway between the Hull and Barnsley Railway and the Great Northern and Great Eastern Railways. Said to be 1527 feet in length, it has 21 arches, 14 to the west and 7 to the east of its girder span. This in turn is 169 feet long and is 116 feet above the river. It really is an impressive sight. There is some graffiti on the side that was applied without benefit of health and safety. Our path follows it as far as the River Don where it takes a sharp turn to the left between a pair of large rocks put there I suspect to deter motorbikes.

So what of the River Don? It was once very badly polluted. It rises the Pennines on Great Grains Moss and flows through the industrial areas of Sheffield, Rotherham, Mexborough and Conisbrough. Its tributary, the Dearne Valley was just as bad. It had no fish until the mid 1980s. In 2011 it was restocked with 1,000 barbel. Tens of thousands of dace, chub, bream and barbel have been introduced. Salmon have been reported near Doncaster, having been absent for 200 years and are now said to be breeding in the River Dearne. There are roach and gudgeon at Sprotbrough. Fish numbers have built up but floods washed them out at times. Fish passes have been built at the weirs which have helped to maintain numbers. The river is generally about 5m deep and 30m wide and is navigable as far Sheffield.

When we have passed under the bridge, on the left you should see a little bit of a large quarry and on the right is a loading platform where limestone from that was loaded onto barges. The path becomes a bit more undulating for a while as the surroundings become more wooded. There are one or two outcrops of rock along here including one that looks as though a large beast (a dinosaur?) is watching from a cave. There is a footpath off to the left but more on that later. There are quite a lot of willow trees of different species along here and the far bank is well wooded.

Watch out for a path leading off to the left that will take you to a bird hide. It goes off at an acute angle backwards and so is easy to miss. From the hide you can look out over the water of Sprotbrough Flash and up to Pot Ridings Wood. This is all part of a nature reserve and SSSI belonging to Yorkshire Wildlife Trust.

The flash first appeared in the 1920s as a result of subsidence caused by coal mining. A fringe of wetland vegetation developed with reed sweet grass, reed mace (bulrushes), and common reed. This was followed by wet (carr) woodland with willow and alder.

Over 100 species of bird have been recorded here of which 65 breed. These include great crested grebe, little grebe, reed warbler, green woodpecker and great spotted woodpecker, tufted duck, gadwall, mute swan and kingfisher. Both ospreys and bitterns have stopped off on their migrations.

Sprotbrough Flash © Ian S

In the woods are wych elm, ash and sycamore trees with hazel, dogwood, guelder rose and spindle beneath and at the appropriate time of the year there are bluebells, ramsons, dog’s mercury, wood anemone, sanicle (a small umbellifer), yellow archangel and spurge-laurel. In the grassland beyond are primroses, cowslips, various orchids and autumn gentian. There is a second hide further along the track with a similar view. Swans, ducks, geese and coots can be seen on the water and sand martins fly above. Chiffchaffs and other warblers make themselves heard and there might be a buzzard overhead. This is a good opportunity to test your skills at recognising bird calls.

On the left hand side are a lot of brambles growing but you would need long arms to gather much of the fruit.

There is also a third point at which to look at the Flash but this is just a viewing fence.

River Don © Tom Curtiss

You will now be approaching Sprotborough Bridge and the Boat Inn. Before that there is a row of cottages and by the pub there is a big poplar tree and an even bigger conifer. From its cones it seems to be a Wellingtonia. The Boat isn’t obvious from the riverside and the main entrance is off the road but it is usually open for food and drinks. It is said to date back to 1652 and Sir Walter Scott may have written some of "Ivanhoe" here.

Now going back to where a path left the riverside track. This would be an alternative route that would take you up a steepish stepped path up to the edge of the wood and out onto the fields. After a stretch along the wood edge the path comes to Pot Ridings Wood that you just go into and turn right. After a while you come out into the open again and progressing north-eastwards with the wood on your left, you look down on the Flash. The well used path takes you to the cottages next to the Boat Inn.

The Boat Inn © Ian S

Just beyond the pub is a small car park and seats on the riverside where you can have a rest, admire the view and listen to the sound of the water cascading down the weir at Sprotbrough Falls. Apart from this the Don flows “quiet”. This section of the river is bypassed by a short canal and lock. The towpath goes under the bridge and a short diversion along here should provide a good photo opportunity as there are usually a number of boats moored along here.

Also nearby is Doncaster – the Roman Danum. It is only 4km to the east and it has a number of hotels and bed and breakfast establishments. There are of course many shops and supermarkets. The parish church was built in 1854-58 to replace the medieval one that was destroyed in a fire in 1853. Doncaster is most famous for the St. Leger held on the racecourse on the eastern side of the town. It is also where many famous locomotives were built including The Mallard and the Flying Scotsman.

From the Boat Inn our route continues up the road, Nursery Lane, for 100m or so and reaches Boat Lane. Go left and up the hill into Sprotbrough village. After about 500m you will come to a triangle where Boat Lane meets Main Street. You are now at the village centre with St. Mary’s Church on the right. There is a cluster of good places to eat and drink just here including Tea Rooms and Bistro, a wine bar and an Asian restaurant.

St. Mary's Church © Mike Cooper

The parish church of St. Mary the Virgin is a very pleasant building in the gothic tradition but there seems to be nothing earlier than the late 13^th century. It is mainly in the Perpendicular style with later Decorated additions. On the east side of the tower you can see where it was met by a higher roof line.

At the east end of the village, off our route, is Sprotbrough Park which is a residential housing estate on the site of Sprotbrough Hall. The Hall was demolished in 1926 having been built in the 17^th century for Sir Godfrey Copley who was a member of the Royal Society. Funding from him provided for the Copley Medal, an annual award for scientific achievement.

Also close by: Cusworth Hall and Country Park. (SE 545 039). About 2 km east just beyond the A1(M). This holds the Museum of South Yorkshire Life. Entry is free although there is a pay and display car park. There is of course a tea room and shop. Thursday and Fridays are closing days. .

Opposite the church is Thorpe Lane, which will take you northward, with houses on the left and a cricket ground on the right, until you reach Melton Road. Turn left here and after about 400m you will come to Folder Lane on the right. A pleasant tree lined walk along the residential road will take you, after passing two entrances for Chiltern Crescent, to a bend to the left. There ahead is a bridleway sign leading you northwards. Take this field-side path which will pick up a farm track and proceed up to a small wood with a phone mast within it. This is Fox Flat Plantation. On reaching it bear left (there is a way-mark here), leaving the farm track, and keep the wood on your right. There are oak, ash, sycamore with elder and hawthorn here and no doubt chiffchaffs, chaffinches and robins. Cow parsley and red campion line the way.

Having passed beneath a pylon line, the path takes off across arable fields but it is well walked and clear. After experiencing the wide open spaces for a while you will eventually reach Sheep Lane. Here you should turn left. Unfortunately there is no roadside path here but there is not much traffic and with no hedge on the right hand side there is the opportunity to hop off the road if anything comes along. Continue past Melton Brand Farm until arriving at Melton Wood Country Park. Here there is a car park surrounded by Scots pines with an information board at the far end. The mixed, mainly deciduous plantation covers 100 hectares (250 acres) and is owned by Doncaster Council.

The Crossroads © Martin Dawes

There is a network of paths throughout the woods but the preferred simplest route is to leave the car park at the eastern corner at the side of a gate and after a short section of track going northwards take the track that heads to the west. It is occasionally marked by posts with purple tops. Follow the track until reaching a cross roads surrounded by six benches. Turn left and go along another track until you reach the edge of the wood by some yew trees, a bench and some stone gate posts.

If you are feeling brave you could leave the car park at the west end by the information board and follow some of the paths around the woods. One way or another you may find yourself at either the cross roads or at the stone gate posts but you will have experienced some wonderful tree-scapes with a magnificent beech grove and swathes of bluebells and ransoms and some wood anemones if you are there in Springtime. Along the east-west track there are lots of bugle flowers. There are also sycamore trees and yews with some Scots pines, and the birdsong is terrific. There have been chiffchaffs, goldcrests, wrens, chaffinches and nuthatches seen here as well as blackbirds, thrushes and robins. Speckled Wood butterflies are common in the Summer.

Leaving the wood behind we go out onto the prairie with the tower of St. James Church at High Melton ahead in the trees. This is shown on the map as Ox Pasture but it has been ploughed up for many a year. We follow a bridleway across an arable field southwards until reaching another path and there go westward. After about 300m a farm road comes in from the village to the south. Our route continues westwards across more arable land. It really is intensively farmed with the crops coming right to the edge of the road. Maybe there is about a foot of room for weeds like groundsel, shepherd’s purse and pineapple mayweed but not much more.

There is a steady gentle climb along here as you go up the dip slope of the escarpment, but the views become really extensive. Looking back you can see eastwards to Gringley Hill with West Burton power station beyond and as the road turns north-westwards, the hills beyond Sheffield and Barnsley come into view to the south and west.

You might hear the occasional skylark up here but it is unusually quiet apart from the sound of the wind, the odd motorbike in the distance and perhaps the blades of the wind turbines that appear ahead.

You will come to Hangman’s Stone Road where this bridleway is protected from traffic by concrete blocks. Turn left and see the entrance to another bridleway almost opposite. This is what we are heading for. There can be some fast moving traffic along here as the cars rush up the hill from Mexborough and Barnburgh.

Our next section which is also a cycle way takes us through Cliff Plantation, a mixed deciduous wood with ivy-clad trees and dog’s mercury, cow parsley and ramsons. On the right is a limestone crag - probably the result of quarrying. Look out for the face carved in the rock. It’s about 100m from the road.

Barnburgh Cliff © Jonathan Thacker

After about 250m a footpath sign leads you out into the field to the north. You then go north-westwards across a ploughed field until reaching another footpath sign, this time supported by a pile of loose blocks of limestone at the end of a track. On the map this is called Sheep Walks but I don’t think there have been sheep here for a while. Now it’s all arable land.

To the north, first Drax and then Eggborough power stations come into view. The eastern horizon (on a good day) is the Jurassic ridge east of the Trent Valley.

If you miss the footpath sign leading you off the bridleway, you would continue westwards and eventually reaches the road about 1 km south of Hickleton. This would give you the chance of an extensive view to the southwest towards Sheffield but leave a long trek along the road up to the village without the benefit of a path.

The recommended route leads more directly towards Hickleton. After a small copse with sycamore trees, all along the edge of the track are huge numbers of comfrey plants. Ahead you will see Lawn Wood at the eastern boundary of Hickleton Park. There is a football field on the right as you approach an avenue of lime trees leading you along to the road.

This is the road without a path but it is only for about 300m. Turn right here and head northward. If you are tall enough to look over the wall on the left you will see Hickleton Hall. It looks in a sorry state at the time of writing as the windows are all boarded up. It was until recently a Sue Ryder care home but its history goes back to the 18^th century. It was built about 1730 and after being bought by Sir Francis Lindley Wood (second Baronet of Hemsworth and Garrowby) in 1828, it was handed down through the generations, eventually to become the home of Edward Wood, 3^rd Viscount Halifax in 1934. He became Viceroy of India and later Foreign Secretary and in 1944 became Earl Halifax.

The Hall is built of limestone, is seven bays wide and has flanking pavilions. Before becoming a Sue Ryder Home it was for a while a girl’s boarding school. There are hopes to restore the Hall and turn it into a hotel and wedding venue.

You will soon reach the entrance to the park where there is an arched gateway. This was built about 1910 in what Pevsner calls the “Lutyens Style”.

We have now reached the village of Hickleton but before getting to the main road, the A635, note the cross on the right hand side of the road. Go into the churchyard to avoid the road for as long as possible. This is St. Wilfred’s Church and was effectively the Halifax family chapel. There is a private gate leading through to the Hall with a coat of arms above it. The church is largely from the Perpendicular period (15^th century) as you can tell from the straight-headed windows. There is a Norman chancel arch but you need to go inside to see that and the font which may be Saxon or Norman. The interior is said to be richly furnished.

Hickleton © John Slater

Leave the churchyard through the lych gate at the northwest corner. There is an interesting information board close by telling more about the village. Don’t miss the three skulls set in the wall behind a grille on the left.

Lychgate (with relics) © Jonathan Thacker

If you would like to continue northwards go to Book 4 which will take you to Darrington.

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