A local walk from Denaby Ings with the Doncaster Ramblers

You always know you’re in good hands when Tony M’s in charge, he chats a lot, puts everyone at ease, and gives like he’s no idea where to go next.I knew we were in for a cracking walk, writes Peter Rowsell of Doncaster Ramblers.
A local walk from Denaby IngsA local walk from Denaby Ings
A local walk from Denaby Ings

Before setting off along the Trans Pennine Trail Tony offered us the choice of “a short four and a half miler or maybe extend it a bit later.”

We looked at the blue sky and then our watches, “there’s no rush” he says and off we went along the raised embankment of the River Dearne.

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The River runs for 19 miles from the West Yorkshire border to where it flows into the Don.

A local walk from Denaby IngsA local walk from Denaby Ings
A local walk from Denaby Ings

It was in this area major flooding occurred in 2007.

A mile up river we turned left over a foot bridge and Tony was quick to point out two finger posts which he and his volunteers erected some years ago “still rock solid” came the boast .

A bit further on Tony mutters “take care down here” as we slide a foot or two and enter a jungle of bramble and nettles on our route back to the Dearne.

There is always something exhilarating about walking a raised river bank and all too soon we were back at the cars.

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But this was not the end of our adventure as we began to circumnavigate Denaby Ings Nature Reserve in a clockwise direction Pasture Road, Pastures Lane then right along the southern edge of the lake.

At this juncture Tony says “long or short route?” and all nine of us retort “long.”

So relying only on his memory, no map or footpath in sight, we did a u-turn and headed back on an adjoining track eventually hitting Pasture Lane turning right towards Cadeby.

As the road swung left we headed right.

“Yes” says Tony “it doesn’t look a footpath”.

We had no way of knowing, so just followed.

It wasn’t long before we were back on the TPT heading north west, when suddenly out of the blue Tony darts right down a muddy track and back into the brambles and nettles.

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No one cared, we had lost all track of time and space, and were having a whale of a time. It came as a bit of a shock when after 15 minutes we were back at our cars.

Thanks Tony for a smashing ramble, turned out less a figure of eight but more of a double helix. Two and a half hours, 5.5 miles, ten familiar faces.

For more information about the Doncaster Ramblers and future activity please visit our homepage and download full copy of our walk programme https://www.doncasterramblers.org.uk/walks/walks-programme-printed-version.html

And follow us on Facebook https://www.facebook.com/doncasterramblers/ where GPS Maps of many of our past walks can also be found.

See next week’s Doncaster Free Press for another walk report.