The Cuckoo Way ~ the eighth day [part 1] ... Shireoaks ~ Worksop

Parking at Shireoaks Marina I walked past some of the narrowboats that were moored there ...

 

I turned left towards Worksop and almost immediately reached Shireoaks Top Lock ...

 

 

Before long the canal passes under one of the roads that links Worksop with Shireoaks ...



 

The canal runs parallel to the road for some way as you walk towards Rhodesia but before you get there you reach Doefield Dun Lock ...

 

Then you enter Rhodesia ...

 

That's the railway line crossing over the canal by a bridge in the picture above. Underneath it I turned round to look back at Doefield Dun Lock ...

 

There are usually one or two fishermen [or are they anglers ? I've never worked out the difference ...] on the canal. I know there have been problems with some newcomers to our fair land taking fish which they shouldn't have taken. I think this notice is explaining the position ...



... or it may just be saying 'don't forget you need to buy a rod fishing licence'.

 The old canal is then crossed by the A57 ... 

 

One encouraging modern feature hereabouts is the provision of 'dog waste bags'  by the local authority though I'm not sure that every dog owner makes use of them ...



I was now walking between the canal on my left and the A57 on my right ...  and approached an 'A' frame barrier ...

 

I believe their main purpose is as a 'motorcycle inhibitor' !

There were no motorcycles anywhere to be seen the day I was there or indeed anybody ...

 

I passed under the bridge beside The Lock Keeper [a pub] ...





 I was now heading towards the centre of Worksop ...



 Milestone No. 20 was reached ...



 ... and I was able to study some modern housing on the far side of the canal ...

 

As I reached the hustle and bustle of Worksop itself I was at a slightly lower level ... canal level and Worksop Town Lock ...



 

This is where today's blog ends but this is less than half of the walk ... and I had still to meet someone I knew online but who I'd never met in the flesh, completely by coincidence.

The Cuckoo Way ~ the seventh day ... Shireoaks ~ Thorpe Salvin ~ Chesterfield Canal

Just over four weeks after my last walk on Chesterfield Canal I was back there again ... and there had been no other walks in between.

I parked at Shireoaks Marina and followed Thorpe Lane to the south-west to come to Netherthorpe ...

It wasn't a very bright day.

My route involved following a number of lanes. My idea was to get onto the Chesterfield Canal as soon as I could whilst at the same time getting some exercise. This is why I was on Back Lane between Netherthorpe and Thorpe Salvin, with no verge, as cars [from time to time] hurtled past. I stood in every time ...

 

I got into Thorpe Salvin in one piece ...

 

I enjoyed looking around the church in Thorpe Salvin and there will be a separate blog about what I saw there ...

 

 Ladyfield Road runs down the side of the churchyard ...

 

... and as I looked at the map I realised that Lady Field, is an enormous field compared to the usual sized fields in this part of the world. But what is its significance ? 

Before I walked beside Lady Field though I was surprised to see the ruins of mid to late 16th century Thorpe Salvin Hall ...


  

I continued along Lady Field Road [that's Lady Field itself over the hedge on the left] ...



I reached Packman Lane which I had last walked a few weeks earlier. Packman Lane which I now learn may have been a Roman road. I turned right to reach the Chesterfield Canal at Kiveton Park railway station ...

 

At Albert's Dock a narrowboat was moored against the far bank ...



According to a nearby information panel after the "old Houses of Parliament" were burnt down in October 1834 stone from a quarry at nearby North Anston was earmarked to rebuild the Houses of Parliament. The stone had been chosen "after a nationwide survey. Each block of stone was carried from the quarry on a low wooden platform which had a number of small but strong wheels. Each platform was pulled by several horses. On arrival the blocks were shaped so stowage would be compact in the narrowboats and sloops which would take them to Westminster." 

Albert's Dock is much quieter now ...




I passed a post marking 15 miles from Chesterfield. I'd obviously missed one or two.

 

The canal was so quiet ...

 

 

I strolled along, not a care in the world.

A stone post stands beside the canal with 'CCC' on one side ...

 

... and 'DL' on the other ...

 

The names of respective landowners ?

More of the red brick bridges ...



   

and an overspill ...



The water in the canal provided some perfect reflections ...

 

... and on reflection this place needs tidying up !



Interesting looking house though.

Milepost 17 [but how had I missed number 16 ?] ...



I reached Brickyard Double Lock.




Turnerwood is an attractive small group of houses ...

  

You can get a nice cup of tea or an ice cream at the house on the left in the photo above assuming their little cabin is open. It's a lovely ice cream too, made locally.

The towpath runs right in front of the terrace of properties ...



I was getting nearer Shireoaks now ...

 

 

On the edge of Shireoaks amongst the mallards was a Mandarin Duck ...

 

Finally I was back at Shireoaks Marina ...

This walk was followed on the 4th March 2011
 
Length of walk ~ 7.48 miles *
 
Total mileage walked so far in 2011 ~ 46.97 miles
 
Total mileage between the 1st September 2009 and the 4th March 2011 ~ 575.02 miles
 
12 of 2011
 
* distance calculated on Ordnance Survey's Getamap

Along the Cuckoo Way ...

The sun was shining brightly as I parked beside Shireoaks Marina, near Worksop, last Saturday to try and finalise a walk around Worksop for my next Pocket Pub Guide ...

Initially I walked along the Chesterfield Canal towards Worksop itself and passed the Lock Keeper. Just beyond this I swung right to cross the Worksop bypass. I managed it but I wouldn't want to ask walkers to do it regularly or in a group. Crossing the dual carriageway [even near a roundabout] should be avoided wherever possible !

I continued west towards Manor Lodge and Lady Lee, walking alongside the River Ryton ...

Near what used to be a pub, Manor Lodge, I turned north towards Lady Lee and Rhodesia. Just as I entered Rhodesia, I noticed this on a gate ...



There's been quite a lot of trouble with these noisy irritating vehicles on the edge of towns. I would imagine some of the local kids have been racing them along the bridleway I had just walked along. If a horse and rider had been coming the other way just think what could have happened.
Now it seems the Police can seize the vehicles [and destroy them ?]. Hurrah !

Almost as soon as I got into Rhodesia I was walking out of it, towards the Chesterfield Canal.

Just before I reached it I crossed this wooden stile ...



It just struck me as such an English scene.

I walked up the embankment to the canal and had a look along it, towards Rhodesia and the lock before the railway bridge ...



I skirted Shireoak, walking around the southern side of it. I passed Shireoaks Hall ...



I rejoined the canal half a mile east of Turnerwood and walked through some of the loveliest countryside you could imagine. The sun seemed to encourage the fish to rise near the surface much more than when I had walked through this area a few weeks ago.

Then there was the piling that British Waterways is undertaking, to shore up the canal bank here and there ...



  It's obviously much more mechanised than it used to be ...



It was getting so warm that I was kicking myself for not wearing my shorts though there was the shade along the side of the canal from the trees. This was welcome ...



When I reached Turnerwood I called at the last cottage on the right and had another ice cream from the little redbrick kiosk there. Apparently they only opened 'Orchard Teas @ Turnerwood' four months or so ago. It's a nice idea and I hope it goes well. They just sell local ice cream, tea and coffee but an ice cream in particular was very welcome on this hot day.

In the next photo the 'last cottage on the right' is out of picture to the left ...



With ice cream cone in hand I walked away from the canal towards Brancliffe Grange. The path follows the canal feeder all the way to the Grange.



Once you get to the Grange the canal feeder keeps straight on, rising gently all the time of course, before it wheels through 180 degreees to enter the woodland of Moses Seat to the north of the grange. I turned right on reaching the bridleway into the wood and then left, in front of Dove Cottage ...



Just beyond Dove Cottage I turned southward along a bridleway towards the railway line ...



A couple of fields later I was back beside the canal and walking east ...

The Cuckoo Way runs along the Chesterfield Canal for its entire journey except where the canal no longer exists ... and where the canal passes through Norwood Tunnel. Here's one of the Cuckoo Way signs in Shireoaks ...



So then it was back to the marina ...

 Date of walk ~ 26th September 2009

Length of walk ~ 6 1/2 miles.


Total since 1st September 2009 ~ 31 1/2 miles.