Doncaster Ramblers: Going for Osberton

Originally two medieval estates, Scoften and Osberton, they were brought under

one ownership in 1784 by Francis Foljambe and have remained in the Foljambe family ever since.

From the car park we headed downhill along a good track and entered the grounds of

the estate through some woodland.

A good road then took us past the site of RAF Worksop (built in 1942 and operated, mainly for training purposes, until 1960) and on to Scofton village.

Originally part of the Scofton estate, in 1822 it was turned into an estate village with

workers’ cottages, a keeper’s cottage, a school and a large stable.

The weather was very pleasant and we took our lunch in the grounds of the church, built in 1833 as a private chapel by George Foljambe as a tribute to his wife, Harriet who died giving birth to their only child.

After lunch we continued past Osberton Hall and headed uphill alongside the golf course and back to our cars.Thanks to Jeremy for back marking and Stephen for the photos.

*Belton and Church Town

Ten Ramblers plus the leader assembled at Belton Kitchen & Visitor Centre car park on a rather cloudy Thursday morning.

Following the leaders briefing we headed south from the car park before taking a right turn heading into the countryside.

A windmill in the distance was noted at this point.

A good track was followed for quite a distance before entering a residential lane in Belton.

A combination of minor roads, tracks and footpaths took us into the hamlet of Church Town where refreshments were taken near All Saints Church.

Leaving in a northerly direction we used a series of field footpaths which allowed the group to cross the busy A161 using a Pedestrian crossing.

Next was a right turn along a residential road which gave us access to a former railway line now converted to a leisure trail.

This line was the Lancashire & Yorkshire Railway between Goole and Haxey Junction.

This is a pleasant walk, with a few dog walkers noted and more interchange points as we made our way south.

There was a downhill gradient just after an embankment where we met the A161 again.

After crossing the road we were back in the car park soon after midday.

Point of interest

The Lancashire and Yorkshire Railway (L&YR) was a major British railway company before the 1923 Grouping.

It was incorporated in 1847 from an amalgamation of several existing railways.

It was the third-largest railway system based in northern England (after the Midland and North Eastern Railways).

The intensity of its service was reflected in the 1,650 locomotives it owned.