South Elmsall to Doncaster 19/09/22

13.9 miles, via Minsthorpe, Coalpit Fields, Stubb Hall, Top Ings, Hampole, Red House,

 Woodlands, Woodlands Park, Brodsworth Colliery Branch, Castle Hills, Scawthorpe,

  Bentley, Bentley Rise, Willow Bridge, St Mary's Bridge, North Bridge, High Street,

   Civic Quarter, Market Place, and The Rookery. 

As I've already mentioned, traditional patriotism and pageantry is not for me, and I'd honestly rather be at work on the day of HMQE2's funeral, as shutting down many hospital services for the occasion seems like a poor choice when the NHS has 6M+ backlogged admissions to deal with, though trying to run as normal would probably be something of a fool's errand too, when you consider that approximately half the population of the country will be watching the proceedings on TV, and thus the extra bank holiday allows me the opportunity to get out and push the mileage again, on a late Summer day that is a total contrast to the one we had at the weekend. To South Elmsall we ride for an early start, back in West Yorkshire when I had intended to do all my September business in South Yorkshire, alighting at 8.50am, and setting off on a bit of a weird deviation to get us onto the southeasterly trajectory that we had in mind, by pushing uphill on High Street to the corner by Trinity Methodist church before striking along Ash Grove northwesterly though the suburbs and estate houses, above the primary school and leisure centre, on the way across to Minsthorpe Road, where we land by the community college and then press further uphill northeasterly to come up to the Mill Lane crossroads by the Barnsley Oak inn. Suburbia ends beyond as Dale Lane skirts a way around the northern edge of the industrial estate comprised entirely of distribution depots, passing those of Superdrug and ASDA as the Upton Beacon water tower and the Walton Wood mast loiter under the gloom on the northern horizon, we come up to the bottom of the North Elmsall bypass, and join the A638 Doncaster Road as it sets off southeasterly, starting here as there's an inexplicable footway alongside it all the way, processing on as the Wrangbrook junction terrace and the rise of Barnsdale's hill sit across the fields off to the northeast, on the ridge that conceals the flatlands in the east, as we head on by the ever-expanding depot facilities operated by Next. At the end of Field Lane, by Cherry Tree house, we pass over the H&BR Wath branch, where one bridge parapet endures in spite of the extensive road remodelling that has taken place at this junction, and the we're on our way, outside of the Wakefield Way route beyond the cottages at the roadside and soon out of Wakefield district and into Doncaster Borough as bizarre waves form in the clouds before we dive down below Turnpike Plantation, and the South Elmsall quarries, to pass above the Stubbs Hall farm complex, which is most notable for its angling lakes, visible from the railway.

Trinity Methodist church, South Elmsall.

The ascent of Minsthorpe Lane.

Dale Road and the South Elmsall depot district.

Walton Wood, Wrngbrook Junction and Barnsdale.

Cherry Tree farm, and the H&BR Wath branch.

Turnpike Plantation and Stubbs Hall farm.

We don't spy Little John's Well, somewhere on the map beyond the lodge house, as we pass above the circular plantation and wind pump in the Stubbs Hall estate, and follow the road as it drops down over the fields of Top Ings, taking us over the local stream and over the railway line that we've grown familiar with over this summer, and then rise up towards Hampole, met by the kennels and cattery, and immediately revealing a more interesting face as we pass the Long Barn conversion and the decorative ruin of, or adjacent too, Hampole Manor, looking like a real Grand Designs type fixer-upper ahead of the corner where we last met the A638, across the ways from the Hampole windfarm. This is a familiar pavement along here, with a much chillier breeze than we had on our prior hot day's run to Doncaster, and there's even a light drizzle in the air as if to punish me for being out of doors on a day of such national significance, as we rise again above the H&BR South Yorkshire Junction branch, and the lime works, on the way to the entanglement with the A1 and the Doncaster bypass, where there really isn't much traffic to be seen at this time on a Monday morning, as we press on towards the crescent sculpture on the Red House island, which might be providing a visual complement to the globe on the interchange down Rockingham Way. Wander with the footway as it takes us onto the edge of the Old Great North Road as its cuts away from the Roman Ridge alignment, bringing us around to the outer edge of greater Doncaster as we take our easterly gander towards Carcroft and its own colliery remnant, soon passing The Oval at the edge of the upper, and newer, half of the Woodlands estate, while the dual carriageway offers us the shortest possible route to the city, but we have other paths in mind as we come down to the crossing at Tenter Balk Lane, as the older Woodlands model village needs to be examined, built pre-WW1 in the Arts & Crafts style for the Brodsworth Colliery workers, exclusively featuring semi-detached houses and thus forming one of the earliest estates of its kind, to be regarded as we pick our path down the pavements of the East and Central avenues.

The West Riding Line, at Top Ings.

Hampole Manor, the definitive fixer-upper.

The H&BR South Yorkshire junction branch.

Red House traffic island.

The Great North Road, and The Oval, upper Woodlands.

The Crescent, Woodlands estate.

On a glum day, it looks like its showing it age, but the main feature of interest is in the centre, among the civic building at the estate's heart, namely the red brick All Saints church, with its tall, slender and extremely visible spire, which stands out for miles around, and could offer a venue for funeral time, if we were so moved, but instead we carry on south, to meet The Park, the large open square plot which is the main green feature of the estate, presenting two side to be paced down as we are led down to Woodlands Park, an entirely different feature formed by the estate grounds of the late 18th century Woodlands Hall, parked on its bluff above its angling lake. Our route now gets super wandery as we wander among the other people who'd rather be outside at this time, dropping downhill to the lake shore and cutting back west as the hard tracks guide us above the allotments in the natural groove formed below Middle plantation, which lead us to and over the Roman Ridge road, almost into the site of Brodsworth Colliery before we cut back east, joining the railway branch that served it as it passes under Ermine Street again and onward with a decent cycleway surface through the wooded glade beneath Hanging Wood, above the allotments on a modest embankment with total solitude to be enjoyed despite the nearby presence of estates and parkland. It's also a decently long walk, settled into a shallow cutting as it shadows the fishponds, eventually coming to the passage under the Great North Road, which in turn leads us into the flatter fields to the east, carrying us past the Highfields allotments and in sight of the Scawthorpe water tower as we are propelled towards the railway junction, not getting any view of the Castle Hills motte and bailey which allegedly linger among the scrubby growth and trees hereabouts as we go, before the low wall above the culvert of Langthwaite Dike provides us a spot to break for lunch, ahead of the old line's division towards Adwick and Bentley. 

All Saints church, Woodlands.

The Park, Woodlands.

Woodlands Hall.

The Roman Road, above the Brodsworth Colliery Branch.

The Brodsworth Colliery Branch, shadowing Woodlands Park.

Following the path to Castle Hills junction.

The cycelway pushes south along the old path of Langthwaite Lane, offering a view to the Radcliffe Moat in the east and the spread of Castle Hills junction, previously spied from the railway, hoping for some action on West Riding line as we press towards suburban Scawthorpe, seeing an IC225 roll by at speed before we meet the spread of greater Doncaster again, much more decisively this time as we land among suburban closes that aren't on my E279 map and join Jossey Lane by the broken bridge on the H&BR - GCR joint line, home of the Trans Pennine Trail and a route that we won't be traversing this year, despite all the contacts we've made with it. Pass between another angling lake and the Cementation Svanska plant as the road rises us over the railway, one bridge north of Bentley station, as Jossey lane leads among some eccentric gable ends and suburban blandness on the way down to Cooke Street, which is crossed to join the terraces of New Street, which places us outside our bubble at this late stage and making our way over to the A19 by St Peter's church and the primary school at the bottom of Bentley High Street, and then take the main road over the railway again, south of the station and into the long run of terraces at Bentley Rise, where the city clearly grew out in the early 20th century to absorb its neighbour satellite. Past the Methodist chapel, it feels like its going to be like this all the way to the city, so it's a bit of a surprise to meet the elevated stretch of road beyond Swaithe Dike and Yarborough terrace, riding above the flood arches on ground that hasn't gotten seriously inundated in a while, across the way from the retail park on the site of the old H&BR goods terminal, and our turn under the Willow Bridge on the city avoiding line, and our rise on the footbridge over the top end of New Bridge Road, the contemporary passage of the A19 that cannot be traced on foot, more's the pity, meaning our route sends us over the Don via St Mary's bridge again, and past the Doncaster Markets mural, that features BRIAN BLESSED as Prince Vultan, rather prominently.

Langthwaite Lane, leading to Scawthorpe.

The H&BR - GCR joint line, Jossey Lane.

St Peter's parish church, Bentley.

Among the terraces of Bentley Rise.

The Bentley Road Flood Arches.

Willow Bridge.

'Gordon's Alive!?'

North Bridge takes us over the Navigation and the station throat again, for the third time as its the only route option, but we aren't dashing to the finish line now as this enforced bank holiday and the consequent shop closures offers an ideal opportunity to pace around an underpopulated city centre without offending the locals, and thus our path leads us across Trafford Way and up the High Street again, past the Frenchgate centre and on among the shut up shops and banks, admiring the vintage frontages of the Mansion House and the oldest store in the town, supposedly 16th century, before passing the Mercure hotel and ascending Hall Gate, distinctly the bar and club quarter among the Georgian townhouses. Hang a right onto Waterdale, to take us past the Danum Gallery and Museum and the borough Civic Hall, as well as the Central Library and the Savoy Cinema in the still developing Civic Quarter, passing around the very 1960s Waterdale Shopping Centre, which the city doesn't appear to need, and touching the inner loop road before we switch back along Cleveland Street, by the equally quiet Colonnades Centre to meet the pubs and takeouts beyond, crossing our previous path as we head along wholly shuttered Silver Street, to spy some rather nice tiled frontages before switching around to meet the Market Place, home to the famous Corn Exchange and Market Hall. All touring sense is breaking down as we track back along Baxter Gate and St Sepulchre Gate, looking like we're going full Wathchperson (an old Acorn Electron joke) as we start to seek pavements we haven't yet traced, up Printing Office Street by its South Yorkshire colliery memorial and hidden Methodist chapel and down Duke Street past its curiously outdated Boyes Department Store, before we spill out onto Trafford Way, crossing by the Flying Scotsman House medical centre and returning us to the Rookery, passing the Leopard and the Railway taverns again, and confirming that there is indeed a footbridge that leads from the street to the Doncaster Plant railway works before our day wraps up at 1.55pm.

The Minster and the Grey Friars centre.

The oldest store in Doncaster, High Street.

Hall Gate.

Doncaster Civic Hall, Waterdale.

Cleveland Street and Silver Street.

The Corn Exchange and Market Hall.

The Colliery Memorial, Printing Office Street.

Boyes Department Store, Duke Street.

The Doncaster Plant footbridge.

An early afternoon landing at Doncaster station on a bank holiday Monday ought to provide a decent window for a prolonged train-spot, especially as the platforms are hardly thronging with passengers, but 40 minutes turns out to be enough as I've managed to land in a rather uninteresting phase of this still gloomy and chilly day, with no freights or exotic traction to be seen travelling in any direction, and it would have been even shorter if the local service to Leeds hadn't been cancelled (due to the driver's seat being broken!), and that means we nab another express ride away, finally snagging a ride on an Azuma on the third attempt this season, a mere three years after they first entered service on the LNER lines.

5,000 Miles Cumulative Total: 5843.3 miles
2022 Total: 554.6 miles
Up Country Total: 5,362.6 miles
Solo Total: 5507.7 miles
5,000 in my 40s Total: 4433.1 miles

Next Up: The dawning Autumn has us setting our sights on a new annual mileage target.