Doncaster Ramblers - "We don’t let obstacles get in the way of a good walk"

My satnav took me wrong, the postcode’s over there, and that’s before we took one step.

With a newbie on board first impressions count and it proved to be hard building back.

Having checked safe parking with the locals, we set off along Sixrood Lane, a bridleway of one mile, which as far as we could tell had not been trod by man nor beast.

We managed to wade our way through the long grass to reach New Close Lane and relieved to be on asphalt.

Little did we know what lay ahead.

It was described as “Route with public access” on the map, but the farmer obviously wanted to make the most of his acreage, as the path was completely obliterated by knee high barley.

It was a struggle taking several hours and a severe battering of legs but eventually we made it through.

A well-earned rest was called for.

The route continued under more favourable conditions at least for a while as we skirted around Campsall Country Park, then headed towards Askern Fields only to find the route blocked by potatoes.

Luckily a detour was found which brought us back on track, but it wasn’t long before we hit our final hazard, a chest high barrier of nettles.

Having breezed through Instoneville and with only one and a half miles to go we thought home and dry.

Thankfully the nettles were not that deep and the stinging led to tingling and eventually immunity.

Back at the cars we knew we’d been on a ramble alright.

Rules continue to change regarding outdoor exercise and group activity so please visit our website Doncaster Ramblers for latest, including future activity.

Also follow us on Facebook Doncaster Ramblers for details of past Rambler outings.

Remember while out observe social distancing, carry a mask, hand sanitiser, and gloves. Obey the Countryside Code and give way to other walkers.

Doncaster Ramblers have had a programme of Tuesday and Saturday walks, mostly between eight and eleven miles in length, for about 30 years.

The location of these walks varies from walks local in the Doncaster area like Tickhill, Sykehouse or Askern, to walks in the Derbyshire Peak District, Nottinghamshire, Lincolnshire and West Yorkshire, etc.

From April, 2019 we introduced a programme of Thursday morning walks, a series of about two to three 3 hours in duration to widen our range of walks. All the walks are led by Ramblers leaders and we always have a backmarker. Most of us take a flask for a hot drink mid-morning, followed by a packed lunch, usually in the vicinity of a pub or a cafe.

A photographic record of most of our walks can be seen on the website.