This is a walk I did last week, sans Sybil as her arthritis has been playing up lately. The route comes from a leaflet I picked up in Rotherham Visitor Centre a while back. It begins at Wath All Saints church, which was closed by the time I arrived, but after a brief look at the outside of the building I joined a footpath over a nearby field to arrive in Brampton Bierlow.
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| Wath-upon-Dearne All Saints |
The weather was glorious and the wildflowers were waist-high and thriving. Several species of butterfly were enjoying the sun while it shone, but all too soon I was leaving the field and turning onto a rather busy road. The second church, West Melton United Reformed, was almost directly ahead; a plain, white building that didn't look like your typical church. This one was also closed so after taking a quick photo I moved on towards the next one, which was only a few hundred yards further up the road.
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| Red Admiral |
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| West Melton United Reformed Church |
Brampton Bierlow Christ Church, unlike the previous one, was more traditional-looking and I ventured into the grounds and took the opportunity to have a quick rest on a bench while taking in my surroundings. An outstanding view had opened up towards one of my destinations for the day, Hoober Stand. It is easy to get bogged down in the urban areas of Rotherham and to forget about the amazing countryside we have on our doorstep. It also made me aware of how far away Hoober seemed to be and that, despite having seen three of the six churches already, there were still plenty of miles to be covered. So after a quick drink I re-joined the pavement and continued on my way.
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| Brampton Bierlow Christ Church |
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| View towards Hoober Stand |
The next few miles were a rather punishing slog along a country lane towards Elsecar. I was quite grateful that I hadn't brought Sybil as she is a nightmare on the lead and neither of us would have enjoyed being tethered to each other for this part.
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| On the Trans Pennine Trail |
Eventually the slog ended and turned a corner to see a rather unusual sight: a train reversing along a track over the footpath. I waited until it had passed and carried on to join the Trans Pennine Trail. This was a rather lovely section alongside an old canal, regularly visited by volunteers who kept the area clean and unspoiled for others to enjoy.
This part of the walk alone made up for the previous couple of miles. A family of ducks swam by, clearly hoping I would throw some food their way. I resisted their cute little faces and enjoyed the cool shade of the towpath as I strode on towards the village. Soon it was time to leave the trail and veer right into Elsecar; a beautiful place with some rather lovely little cottages.
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| Reform Row cottages |
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| Reform Row cottages |
The next church was soon within sight. Elsecar Holy Trinity was set well back from the road with several stone angels watching over the bodies of the deceased. Again this church was closed, as it was now late afternoon, so after a quick walk around the grounds I carried on towards Elsecar Heritage Centre for a refreshment break.
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| Elsecar Holy Trinity Church |
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| Elsecar Heritage Centre |
This was my first visit to the centre and I was somewhat pleasantly surprised at the natural beauty of the buildings. I guess I was expecting several grubby engines and a fume-coated museum, but instead my interest was piqued by craft and antique shops. I resolved to come back for a proper look the following week. After a decent rest I headed on towards Wentworth and the last two churches of the day.
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| Wildflowers |
Moving away from Elsecar, I took a footpath leading back out into open countryside. A huge field merged into King's Wood, which was where the directions got a little confusing. The route was fairly old and it seemed that time or vandals had removed the wooden marker arrows from the trail, but luckily I had walked this way before and carried on up through the wood to be rewarded with a view of Wentworth on the horizon.
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| Wentworth Old Holy Trinity Church |
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| Wentworth Old Holy Trinity Church |
A nice downhill stroll between two hedges brought me out into the village. Here there were two churches practically side by side; one of them almost a ruin now as the village is served by the newer, larger church nearby. Interestingly, the old church was open and I went inside to have a nosey.
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| Wentworth Old Holy Trinity |
The interior was small yet full of incredible stone figures. Several information boards were dotted around, mainly about the Churches Conservation Trust that was looking after the building. Soon it was time to move on to the last church of the walk, Wentworth Holy Trinity, just across the track.
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Wentworth Holy Trinity
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This church was also open and I had the whole place to myself. The interior was very impressive, with several stained glass windows depicting scenes of the deer park and nature at her best. An image of the wildlife that can be seen around the village caught my eye. Mad March hares were boxing in a field and pheasants were bursting from the grass, no doubt waiting until they were almost underfoot before revealing themselves.
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| Wentworth Holy Trinity |
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| Wentworth Deer Park |
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| Wentworth Holy Trinity |
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| Wentworth Holy Trinity |
I'm not sure if it was due to the delightful stained glass, or the general openness of the large church, but this was the first church I'd felt somewhat comfortable being in for a long time. Losing my mum three years ago had made me feel very bitter towards religion of any sort, yet this building felt non-judgemental. I guess having the church to myself helped as well.
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| Hoober Stand |
The route continued through the village of Wentworth before turning off over several fields and heading towards Hoober Stand. I've been here a few times before with Sybil so enjoyed the feeling of being on familiar turf before leaving the woods and starting a punishing descent back to Wath on narrow, country lanes. It had turned 7pm before I reached my start point of Wath All Saints; at this point the church felt like an old friend and I was ready for home.
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| Wath All Saints sundial |
