Shepley to Darton 09/06/19

14.9 miles, via Shepley Marsh, Lane Head, Piper Junction, Dearne Low Moor, 

 Whitley Common, Whitley Height, High Bank, Thurlstone, Penistone (Bridge End), 

  Hoylandswaine, Cawthorne, and Kexborough. 

Walking plans for Saturday are junked when the rain comes on hard, continuing June's pattern of frustratingly inconsistent weather and temperatures that are unbecoming for this point in the season, and thus we shift our trip to Sunday, a much clearer looking day, with a more modest mileage scheduled after last weekend's distance, only picking my route minutes before leaving home after trusting my ability to get a 15 mile trip down in a fixed 5 hour 45 minute window. The transport issues are what make Sunday tripping so frustrating, and the 40 minute layover at Huddersfield while awaiting the Penistone Line train is no exception, even when it does allow an extensive trainspot, but despite having only one job to perform, Northern Fail can't get it done, and we don't get underway until 15 minutes after the scheduled departure time as they can't shunt their unit into place among all the TPEs. Thus we arrive at Shepley, right at the western edge of this year's walking field, at 9.40am with my error margin for the day lost already, and thus we set off knowing that no display of urgency will be necessary at all as we strike off southbound on the rising Station Road, which illustrates well how the village gradually grew down the hillside to meet the railway, rising through a century's worth of suburbia to meet the Kirklees Way route by the Old Hall of 1608 (and the replacement New Hall is notable by its absence). Past the Jos Lane corner, we are rapidly off to establish another new southern boundary to my field of walking experience, which has been done so often this season that it's barely worth mentioning, and then it's downhill to meet the village Co-op and the Black Bull inn at the corner of Marsh Lane, and then it's onward uphill again, past the former Sunday School and the church of St Paul and carrying on among the formerly rural cottages and farmsteads that sat at the old top end of the village. Pass the Farmers Boy inn, another one for the fantasy career as a publican and carry on through the ribbon of suburban houses that has grown to meet the formerly separate enclave of Shepley Marsh, arriving in the fields above the village with the looming mass of Nabscliffe rising above, and we'll be heading over that, after a fashion, splitting off onto the rising Row Gate by Marsh Cottage and following a small pony being taken out for their first road walk, and getting some grand views that match some of those from the nearby vantage point from last week, but this time we have sunshine aplenty as we look over the valley of Shepley Dike and beyond, while rising to meet the A635 Holmfirth Road.

Station Road, Shepley, with Emley Moor masts backdrop.

The Farmer's Boy, upper Shepley.

Ascending Row Gate to Nabscliffe.

Pace its pavement east for a short way towards Lane Head, above the gardens of Highfield House, which was once at the heart of Seth Senior & Sons' Highfield Brewery complex, remarkably, and then it's off onto the minor roads, joining Piper Well Lane as it elevates above 300m, high moor altitude and already 100+m above our start line as it skirts around the vast bowl of Lane head quarry, which has take great care to not blast out the cliffs on which a small circular woodland sits. The views here are even grander, as we angle towards the five lane ends at Piper Junction, joining Haddingley Lane as it enters the high fields of this upland that lacks a distinctive identity, angling us between Middle Haddingley, Meadow Nook and Lower Haddingley farms, and elevating us towards the rough edge above the Holme valley, but not high enough to get a westward view. We can look east from up here on what the old OS map calls Low Dearne Common, above the headwaters of the Dearne valley, and an expansive view from up here opens out across all of West Yorkshire, with the Woolley Edge and Hoyland Banks looking miniscule in the landscapes, while all three Aire Valley power stations can be espied from here with Eggborough clearly emerging from Drax's silhouette, while a high blip on the horizon reveals itself to be the water tower and mast above Upton at the furthest reach of Wakefield district. More evidence, if you needed it that Kirklees really is the secret top of the world, with even the hint of the Yorkshire Wolds on the horizon when viewed with binoculars, a vista to energise the mind as we gradually elevate our way past Dearne Head and Springfield House farms in their vast plots before getting sight of the windfarms that are the day's early targets and cresting by Slack Mouth farm and the Windmill Lane crossroads. Get sight of the distant edge of the Dark Peak to the south before we head down Hey Slack Lane by Drake Hill farm, with the ridge just crossed marking the Dearne-Don watershed, with the latter's remotest reservoir on this branch, Broadstone sitting to our east, and while attention is naturally focused on our windfarm visit, we ought to remember to peer west as we pass Hey Slack farm, as a declivity allows us to look over the high fields of the Holme valley, with the Holme Moss - Black Hill prominent above and the village of Hade Edge, I think, spread out below, all gorgeously illuminated in the morning sunshine.

Lane Head Quarry.

Middle Haddingley and Meadow Nook farms.

Dearne Head farm, and the expansive view eastwards.

Drake Hill and the Whitley Heights windfarms.

Holme Moss - Black Hill and the upper Holme Valley.

Start to move away from the Holme valley edge as we follow Slack Top Lane and shift definitively into South Yorkshire as we pass Martin's Nest farm and join Grime Lane, which has all the appropriately bucolic smells to match its name as we start to rise towards the windfarms that seem close while keeping their distance, getting elevated views back to Drake Hill and Broadstone reservoir before cresting again by Upper Maythorn farm and getting another view of the Dark Peak edge, rising beyond the aggregate works at Crow Edge, below. Enjoy another high panoramic view around before we drop down to Lower Maythorne Lane, to meet another low depression as we start across Whitley Common, with the high edge to the south rising to obscure the views into the upper Don Valley proper, but now attention can fall solely onto the windfarms for a while, which form two distinct groups, the first of them sitting on these common fields, six of the very large types of turbine arranged in two groups of three, and not all of them active despite the strength of the wind blowing off the Pennines. Indeed, cloud cover seems to be coming on pretty fast, to confirm My Sister's belief that the closer to the Pennines you get, the probability of a downturn in the weather increases, but we'll press on below the whirring of the turbines, still sneaking distant views towards Wakefield and the Aire valley power stations as the lane rises towards the crest of Whitley Height, where tree cover and rising terrain denies us views in any direction, aside from ahead where the second windfarm resides. Here stand two lines of six turbines, distinctly smaller and more rapidly spinning than their counterparts to the north-west, giving this upland a distinctiveness that it would otherwise lack, as we come around to the sight of the Don Valley once more, along with the rising upland that sits south of Penistone, culminating in the high top Hartcliff Hill, and as we pace on we'll convince ourselves that the revealing Dark Peak views must surely have revealed Bleaklow to us along the way. Start to decline with the lane, noting just how popular Whitley Road has been with the Sunday cyclists, looking down towards Millhouse Green and up to the passage over the moorland fringe that we walked last month, dropping down past the Windmill nursery and kennels and on further above Carr House and Royd farms to spot the A628 as it passes under the old MS&LR line that forms the Trans Pennine Trail, and also as it rises to an insane height in the west to traverse the Woodhead Pass towards Longdendale.

The Crow Edge aggregate works, with Windfarm and Dark Peak backdrop.

The Whitley Common Windfarm.

The Whitley Heights Windfarm.

Hartcliff Hill rises between the upper Don Valleys.

The upper extremities of the Don Valley, with the Woodhead Pass.

As we pass below 300m, the desire to stay high for a short while longer kicks in, and thus we don't continue down to Millhouse Green and instead pick up the rising path of Slant Gate that leads us past its eponymous cottage and up over the face of High Bank to get a sunlit view forward to the eastern horizon of the Cawthorne and Don valleys, while a look back show up ominously coloured clouds pressing east off of the Dark Peak, so attention focuses towards Penistone as we start our descent again, down the rough track of High Bank Lane. I don't think much traffic has used this high track since the quarry workings up here ceased operations but as we descend towards Thurlstone we meet three separate vehicles apparently following their sat-navs on this rising road to nowhere, and with the day's initial height lost we start to lose the heat too as things grey over to make the village seem a bit less welcoming, which is a shame as its blackened stone cottages would look grand in the sunshine, and the Spinal Tap-esque Stonehenge in one yard deserves the illumination. Land on the A628 Manchester Road, only 28 miles shy of its destination according to its roadside tablet and follow it east, past the old post office, and other pleasing cottages and town houses, to make our way over the River Don via Thurlstone Bridge, where we meet a bench on the south bank and pause for lunch, our break actually coming at lunchtime for a change. Then onwards with the A628 leading us towards Penistone, hanging on the bank of the Don as we pass the bespoke wedding duds business in the enduring Hoyle Mill and meet the town's suburban fringe as the river wanders away and Penistone's leisure centre arrives among the riverside meadows, looking much more modestly scaled than that in my home town, which gives an impression of how small town's can have a much greater apparent regional significance when in a relatively isolated location compared to those lost in the urban jumble (it's half the size of Morley, after all). The threat of rain unfortunately becomes a reality as we approach Bridge End, and waterproof need to be donned as we come by the corner by the Bridge Inn and the White Heart where we return to the north bank of the Don just as floats pass by as part of some local festival, which are really flatbed trucks with untethered kids upon them with very little by way of obvious security or protection from falling off, which fills me with pangs of terror, even though I'm sure everyone involved knows what they're doing.

Ascending Slant Gate to High Bank.

The panorama above Penistone from High Bank Lane.

Descending into Thurlstone.

The River Don near Hoyle Mill.

Bridge End, Penistone.

That's as close as we'll be getting to Penistone on this trip as we stick to the A628 as it peels away to the north of the town, as it will gradually have itself worked into my locality as we revisit it over the coming high season, pressing on up the rising Barnsley Road as it describes its northern suburban edge and passes over Scout Dike, meeting our last path this way as we cross Well House Lane and the continue on to the north east, under the railway bridge at the norther end of the embankment that leads down to Penistone Viaduct. It's a long haul and rise up the hill beyond, with the viaduct revealing itself over the fields on the north side of the Don, with the town elevated beyond, and it's definitely a geographically revealing ascent, giving the region a much wilder aspect than I'd have expected for it as the high fields of Sheephouse Height and Hartcliff Hill are revealed beyond the town, and Whitley Heights rise above the upper Don Valley, and gradually revealing the Woodhead Pass far off to the west as it heads over the moors at 450+m elevation over Cabin Hill. The gloom probably makes it feel that bit more dramatic as we rise up towards the Hoylandswaine roundabout with the A629 bypass road, meeting the Churchfields Vets complex in the former High Lees farm, and finding ourselves just that bit too far away from the valley to get a good shot of the northbound train as it passes over the viaduct, and having crossed the road summit and headed away from the Don catchment, we can look forwards as we find ourselves on the high edge of the Dove Valley with a clear sightline towards Barnsley. A fine high perspective to enjoy as the sunshine starts to break through again, allowing us to shed the extra layer as we slip off the main road here to continue our north-easterly path, following the old path of Barnsley Road as it sidles downhill towards Hoylandswaine, where the road is up midway through resurfacing works that reveal its old cobbled surface which enhances the vintage of this corner as we descend past Hall Top Lane farm and the terraces of cottages by the Rose & Crown inn. The village is then entered properly as we join Haigh Lane as it passes above the local cricket field, at almost 250m elevation, and offering a fine aspect over the Cawthorne valley and beyond, a locale that I'll never tire of getting fresh views of, as haven't the many suburban dwellers of the commuter village that has grown up on this hillside, I'd assume, where Cannon hall and Tower Cote house can be espied among the mass of greenery.

The railway bridge, Barnsley Road.

Looking back to Penistone and the Don Valley.

Barnsley Road above the Dove valley.

The revealed cobbles on the descent into Hoylandswaine.

The Cawthorne valley from Haigh Lane.

There's more village than you might expect up here, as one of only four in the entire valley, and if it wasn't for the suburban spread you might be forgive for thinking it didn't have a church, which is located a long old stretch down the lane, where St John the Evangelist's has all of the gardeners in to give its graveyard a spruce up, and the village school is found even further down, right at the northernmost corner of the village, ensuring all the kids have a long walk uphill at the end of their working days. The pavement ends here, and we are off onto a road walk beyond the last cottage on the lane, descending on among fields of sheep and cattle as the contextual views diminish around, losing sight towards the high wooded perimeters of the valley and to the high points visited at Whitley Heights and Hoylandswaine as the lane slips among high hedges which means wits need to be kept sharp to avoid the attentions of the Sunday drivers. There's very little to pick out by way of civilisation in this rural landscape, so finding a farm cluster or two counts are almost counted as places as we travel by, like the Upper Elmhirst farm group on the curve of South Lane, or the larger hamlet-let that has gathered around the properly medieval looking Wool Greaves Hall just a little further along the way, where some fine upscale country living could be had, if that were your thing. Pacing on, I'm again struck just how green this part of South Yorkshire is, as these rural parts to the west of Barnsley are quite unlike the remainder of the county to the east, making it one of the better kept secrets in this part of the West Riding, one which I'll continue to make a broader case for while the locals continue to enjoy it, moving on past Hadden farm and joining the shaded descending way through the woods of Hadden Green and Bentcliffe Hill plantations, which mask the sight of the brickworks to the west. The sunshine has passed again as we emerge from the tree cover, below the fields around Pease Grove house, and thus the warmth diminishes again as we progress on, down towards Thimble Hall and the lodge house without an obvious estate on the corner by the A635 Lane Head Road, where we can finally stop establishing a new southern boundary to my field of walking experience and we can enter Cawthorne village at the Tivy Dale end, following the old Barnsley & Shepley turnpike as it leads us past the village hall in the old board school, and past an old cottage frontage along Tanyard Beck that completely conceals the later suburban growth behind it.

St John the Evangelist, Hoylandswaine.

The last sighting of Whitley Heights for today.

Wool Greaves farm, South Lane.

Pease Grove house and Bentcliffe Hill.

The rural cottage frontage of suburban Cawthorne.

Vintage styles, or a good simulacrum thereof,  rules the day along the whole village front down this end, as we pass the Cawthorne club and hit the rise past the Cof E school and up Taylor Hill to the village museum, with All Saints church hiding just beyond a view for the third consecutive visit, as we pass the cottage front of Maltkiln Row and come around to the charming village centre at Hill Top, where we find the Post Office & Traditional Sweet Shop, the Blasson House restaurant, and the Methodiust chapel with it's prominent statue of John Wesley. The rural vintage front endures down Darton Road past the village store & tearooms, and among the cottages and farmsteads before the suburban encroachment arrives on the Stanhope Avenue corner, the next to last one in the village, so that any casual passer-by might not see how the monied of this quarter might enjoy countryside living, and here we'll stop to finish lunch before we make the final push on to the finish line. The pavement leads us to the redeveloping Clay Hall farm, and then the road walk resumes, taking us on a slightly removed route above Cawthorne Beck, with the woodlands of Cawthorne Park utterly dominating the northern horizon as we pass Mill House farm, and then drop down to cross the meandering stream, which still seems to be far too small to be the main watercourse of this valley. Then it's uphill once more, among high hedges and more muscle cars on a minor road than you might expect to meet, angling our way around the eastern edge of the woodlands and looking back to the western fringe of greater Barnsley as we angle our way up towards Kexborough, which we land in among its enduring farmsteads at its western end on Churchfield Road. Of course, this quarter has been seen before on two occasions this year, and the route down into Darton will entirely be a route previously seen, and so the only variety is keeping to a different side of the road where possible as we pass the estate and terraced edge of this suburb down to the M1 bridge and the crossing of the A637 by the Rose & Crown, and then heading down Church Street between All Saints and the old vicarage. Split off the main street to follow the path over the River Dearne and along the edge of the Longfields community greenspace which provides the shortest route to Mill Lane and Darton station, where we rock up a solid 40 minutes after the two hourly Sunday train left, though this doesn't constitute a transport disaster as I have and escape rout planned, and so steps can be taken back to Church Street to conclude by the bus stand at 3.55pm, a mere 30 minutes ahead of the express X10 bus arriving to provide the fast, and cheap, alternative route back to Leeds.

Maltkiln Row, All Saints and the Village Museum, Cawthorne.

The vast woodlands of Cawthorne Park.

Cawthorne Dike.

Another passage through Kexborough.

Church Street, Darton.

The River Dearne at Darton.

5,000 Miles Cumulative Total: 3918.4 miles
2019 Total: 268 miles
Up Country Total: 3501.4 miles
Solo Total: 3627.9 miles
Miles in My 40s: 2512.2 miles

Next Up: Further probing Barnsley District as we strike towards the Holme Valley, again.