Spring walk through Listerdale Woods

After hearing reports of spring finally arriving in woodlands throughout the country, I was impatient for it to arrive in the woods Sybil and I walk daily. The bluebells had been biding their time with just their leaves above ground for awhile, since the last snow fell in fact. Over the last couple of days just one or two had started to come into flower, however today the majority of the plants on the sunnier slopes of the wood were flowering.

It's nice to finally see leaves on the trees, too; last year the leaves had started coming out in March! The chiffchaffs were singing, as they have been for a couple of weeks now in this wood. We headed straight up through the wood, then up and round to the Wickersley side, where the wild garlic was just starting to come into flower.

The smell was delicious, and we loitered a bit to give Sybil a rest in the shade and a play in the stream before heading down through the old parkland where the daffodils had sadly finished flowering. I did however find one left:

Then it was down to the fallen tree where I had noticed some unusual looking fungi on the bark. My first thought when I saw them was King Alfred's cakes, and the Internet seems to agree however I am not sure if there are any similar species it could be.

Then it was along the top path and through the fields towards home, where on the way we usually see swallows, house martins and other farmland birds swooping over the fields and twittering in the hedges. 

The walk that never was...

Or what to do when you get lost.

Sybil and I set off on the 09:01 bus to town, then onward to Maltby. This walk was to take us down from Maltby and through the villages of Hooton Levitt, Carr, Brookhouse and Firbeck, and back via Roche Abbey. However, due to my inability to follow directions unless every blade of grass on the way is accounted for (or maybe the directions were also a little unclear in places), we only made it as far as Carr before somehow ending up in Hellaby.

Beyond the Churchyard

We first managed to lose our way directly after the churchyard in Maltby, where we turned left instead of heading straight on. The directions did state: Follow the path to the left over the stream..., just so you know I'm not totally incompetent. And yes, we did cross a stream. Anyway, all was not lost as Sybil made several new doggy friends and we had a pleasant walk across some fields before realizing we were not heading the way we should be. I turned us round and asked a nice gentleman how to get to Hooton Levitt and he sent us on our merry way.

View to Maltby colliery

The next few paragraphs of directions made sense in relation to our location and we managed to get to Carr without further mishap. This is where is all went wrong. I turned left onto a footpath as instructed (obviously the wrong footpath) and headed down a field containing two demon horses. One was a young horse who demanded attention from Sybil and myself, touching Sybil with her nose and generally unnerving us as she trotted around us with her large hooves. Concerned that Sybil would be trampled I gently tried to move the horse away and was nipped on the arm for my efforts (it bloody hurt!). The other horse came over and both tried to block our way to the stile, but eventually we broke free into the next field.

We were headed to a civilization far too large to be Brookhouse, but rather than turn back into the domain of the demon horses we pressed on to come out in Hellaby. We admitted defeat and boarded the bus back to town and with the promise of a visit to the pet shop and a picnic in Clifton Park, Sybil was more than happy.

What to do when you get lost

Rotherham Roundwalk Part II

I picked up the second half of the 25 mile walk where I had previously left off, on Herringthorpe Valley Road. The route goes through Valley Park, our usual stomping ground, and leaves through the woods onto Brecks Lane and up onto Bawtry Road. We headed towards Wickersley and left Morthen Road via a public footpath that took us through a riding stables and past Pinchmill Ponds.

Up the steps and across a couple of fields, and we came to Royds Moor Hill road where the footpath continued up a driveway and behind a converted barn. I always get rather uncomfortable when footpaths pass through someones property, and expect someone to run out of their house yelling at me! Luckily though, this didn't happen today and we headed across four more fields with views over to Whiston on our right.

Whiston

We then left the fields and joined a cycle track where we encountered our first horse of the day. A young child on a pony was coming towards us, and I clipped Sybil's lead on and took her to one side. She sometimes squeals at horses and I was hoping this one was bombproof as I didn't want to be responsible for the child getting bucked off! Fortunately Sybil sat quietly and the horse passed without incident.

The walk then headed down into Revel Wood, which was full of bluebells growing but unfortunately not yet in flower. We left the wood through another field where Sybil decided to chase a rabbit into the neighbouring field. I shouted her back and told her off, and we carried on over the M1 motorway to the hamlet of Guilthwaite. Some of the stiles on this stretch proved to be tricky as she had to be on lead for most of it as there were horses and a couple of sheep in some of the fields, and the stiles were quite high with no gap at the bottom for her to squeeze through.

Stiles? No problem sir!

We always managed though as she is very agile (and determined!). A horse in a field at Spa Farm trotted over to us, and heedless of my fears that is was going to kick Sybil it instead dropped its nose and touched her gently on her head. Leaving the farm via some more fields, we then headed over to Treeton where the path dropped down to the River Rother.

Welcome to Treeton

Relaxing at the River Rother

Our old friend the M1 passed over our heads this time as we walked under the bridge. Our next destination was Canklow Woods, but just short of reaching it I once again took Sybil to one side as this time a group of four horses and riders passed us on the bridleway. And once again she pretended to be a well-behaved dog with only a few excited jumps once they had safely passed. We jogged across the busy dual carriageway and headed up the steps into Canklow Woods.

Canklow Woods

All we had left to do now was walk down Moorgate Road into the town centre, which we managed to do without too much difficulty. We passed through the official start/finish point of All Saints Square, and decided that we were well justified in getting the bus home.

Howl Dale, Scalla Moor and Newbridge

This week's walk was done whilst dog-sitting for a friend in North Yorkshire. The walk is 6.5 miles long and begins from Ruffa Lane in Pickering.

A gate at the end of Ruffa Lane leads onto a path which in turn gives access to Howl Dale Wood. The dog, Kia, brought me a stick with an interesting mushroom on it which could possibly be Scarlet Elf Cup:

 Sarcoscypha coccinea?

Not entirely sure, but nonetheless quite pretty. We walked through the wood, the path of which is set in a little valley with trees rising up each side to form a V. The path became rather muddy after a while and I gave up trying to avoid the worst bits as my trousers were already filthy. We eventually met a wall running down from our left and headed up alongside it to meet a stile.

Drystone wall

With my usual walking companion Sybil, stiles are no problem as she leaps over them. Kia however, is a Rottweiler so if she couldn't leap them I wouldn't be able to lift her either. Luckily it seems a lot of dog walkers use this route as all the stiles we encountered had holes in the fences next to them to allow dogs through. We headed up the side of the field towards Scalla Moor Plantation. A tree stump had been used as a table for a squirrel, it seemed, as it was littered with the remains of several pine cones:

Squirrel table

Another stile at the end of the plantation led to the Whitby Road where a sign indicated the boundary of the National Park.

Whitby Road

Another yomp along a field edge took us into Little Park Wood. A path led steeply down towards Pickering Beck, which we followed downstream through the wood until we came out into a long field. This was a particularly enjoyable part of the walk, with woods on one side and Pickering Beck on the other. Beyond Pickering Beck was the North York Moors railway, where we were just in time to see a steam train heading back to the station.

Little mushroom in the field

We joined a woodland path via a kissing gate which eventually brought us out into Newbridge. Crossing the railway line, we walked past several cottages and through another field, coming out near the railway station where the 2 o' clock train was just leaving. Walking through the town centre covered in mud, on a Saturday, was not something I'd like to repeat in a hurry!

RSPB Wombwell Ings, Gypsy Marsh, Old Moor and a booming bittern

Today was meant to be spent as a simple visit to RSPB Old Moor; however a "Royal Visitor" at the reserve meant that Old Moor was closed until 1pm. A helpful lady at the entrance handed me a couple of sheets to do an alternative walk of 3.5 miles which would take me nicely up to about the time the reserve opened again.

Wath Ings

The walk headed up the Trans Pennine Trail (TPT) and around the boundaries of the Old Moor reserve. A couple of viewpoints gave nice views of Wath Ings and the surrounding wetlands, which aside from several noisy flocks of black headed gulls seemed to be rather quiet today.

I turned left onto the old railway line past Bolton Ings nature reserve and said hello to a friendly Labrador and an energetic spaniel. Walking alongside the River Dearne I turned into Wombwell Ings and watched a grey heron flying low over some fields. A flock of lapwing were in the next field.

River Dearne

The next stop on the tour was Gypsy Marsh nature reserve which was nestled at the end of Broomhill village. Nothing much to see here at the moment but the information tells me summer is the time to visit, when the reserve is home to four different orchid species and Dingy Skipper butterflies.

The path then rejoined the TPT back towards Old Moor, which was now reopened. The visitor centre assistants told me to head towards the reedbeds, as a bittern had been booming lately. I listened out for it, and it was to be heard but unfortunately not seen. Not tempted to wait around any longer in the bitter cold I visited the Garden Bird Hide, which was a flurry of activity. I walked towards Wath bus station via Manvers Lake, where I was hissed at and hurried along by a goose.

Rotherham Roundwalk Part I

The Rotherham Roundwalk is a 25 mile route that goes through the best of Rotherham's countryside. I decided to split the walk into two sections, as I haven't quite built up to that mileage yet.

The walk starts from All Saints Square in the town centre, and leaves via a number of streets until entering a wooded clough up to Fenton Road. Up past the Ring O' Bells and onto a footpath from Simmonite Road, and we turned into a small woodland where I heard a woodpecker drumming. We passed through Wingfield and entered another wood where things got a bit confusing. The map directed us across a field where there wasn't the faintest hint of a footpath; the field had been seeded recently and the mud was very wet and sticky. I decided to take us towards the distant but visible Keppel's Column, only I couldn't decide whether to take us back on ourselves and through the woods parallel to Town Lane or to carry on down and head towards Wentworth Woodhouse and then turn left. This resulted in us walking back and forth a few times, much to the amusement of several dog walkers in the woods, who gave us several quizzical glances.

Of course taking us away from the footpath meant we had to find it again, but I've walked through Scholes' Coppice several times recently so knew that we would rejoin the footpath if we carried on towards Greasbrough Dams. Walking alongside the stream I was dismayed to see a small rabbit heading towards me, followed by two lurchers and a spaniel. Luckily the little rabbit spotted me and dashed left into the undergrowth, where the dogs then lost it. Walking on, we turned towards the fields where I knew the footpath led upwards then left towards the Dams. Not as easy to tell when the fields are bare, though. Last time I walked this way the mud was terrible and stuck to your boots, weighing them down until you got to sturdy ground to knock it off. This time however the recent lack of rain and today's glaring sun had baked the earth quite firm.

Towards the Dams

We headed past Wentworth Woodhouse and onwards towards Cortworth House. Sybil was very funny walking past the grass verges, where the long grass had folded over to conceal small mammals. She would stare into the grass with a bemused expression on her face, then pounce like a fox to stick her nose in the grass where the movement or noise had come from and promptly take it back out again. No animals were harmed however, as they were far too quick for her.

On a track near Hoober Stand I let Sybil back off-lead and she promptly collapsed, leading to a much-needed refreshment break. Unfortunately I had discovered that one of my water bottles was leaking as the pet rats had nibbled at a corner, meaning we had to conserve water. Sybil was usually fine, finding water in streams or puddles but I made sure she had enough to drink, meaning I was parched by the time we got home!

A lovely cobbled path lead most of the way down towards Rawmarsh and we left via Aldwarke Road, which would take us most of the way home. A quick pitstop at Asda sated both our thirsts and we arrived back home none the worse for wear (mostly!). Part II of this walk to follow soon.

Elsecar

A six mile walk from Walking South Yorkshire, pages 119-122.

Today Sybil and I took a trip up to Elsecar on the train. Waiting at Meadowhall for the connection, I spotted my first wildlife creature of the day: a brown rat. Perhaps it was headed to M&S for some shopping. I was looking forward to walking past the reservoir in Elsecar Park at the start of the journey as there is usually some interesting birdlife to be seen. Several ducks, coots and moorhens were on the grass as we passed, and there were a couple of great crested grebes in the middle of the water. I really should start packing my binoculars for my walks; I usually don't bother as there is little wildlife to be seen whilst walking Sybil!

Elsecar Reservoir

Walking on, three buzzards were soaring over the fields. We crossed more farmland until we reached the road where I got a little confused, as the directions in the book weren't clear and the only signposts about were for drivers. Nonetheless I used my noggin and managed to find the track so we headed up the steps into Skier's Spring Wood, where luckily there were no skiers and the season was still very much winter. Sybil's attempts to get a Labrador to play with her failed, so we moved on to the flooded main road where the cars were playing "try our best to soak Natalie". A bit of a wash would have been welcome actually as by this point we were both covered in mud, but concerned for the camera hanging around my neck we ran to the grass verge and headed down the footpath.

Sybil playing with a stick 

Temporarily back in civilization (Harley village) we passed the pub and headed up towards Wentworth along the Trans Pennine Trail.Another farm track led us into fields where Sybil had a good run.

Above Wentworth

Through King's Wood and past the Heritage Centre (which we gave a miss due to our muddy state) and a look at the time told us we had fifteen minutes until the hourly train was due. This led to a stressed sprint up the aptly-named Hill Street, and we arrived in typical Natalie-style with ten minutes to spare.