Doncaster Ramblers: Goole’s out for winter, minus Alice Cooper

We were blessed by a break in the recent bad weather and enjoyed a dry and at times almost warm day.

Pete briefed us about the terrain, what roads we had to cross and the lunch arrangements etc.

He could not however brief us about one or two pleasant surprises that we would encounter on the way.

We set off and were soon on the flood bank alongside the River Ouse.

Water to our right and the backs of large well to do houses to our left as we followed the Ouse all the way round until we turned left alongside the River Aire towards Airmyn.

On the way we saw the rail swing bridge just outside Goole itself, went under the M62 road bridge and passed a second swing bridge taking the Boothferry Road over the Ouse.

Just outside Airmyn was our first surprise. A black squirrel.

They are a melanistic sub-group of the greys and quite rare (1: 10,000 ).

At the time we didn’t know just how lucky we were. They are apparently considered to be a symbol of prosperity and abundance for anyone who sees them!

In Airmyn we looked at the village clock tower. The clock still showed the right time. Paid for by the grateful villagers it was built in 1865 to honour the memory of the 2nd Earl of Beverley who had funded the village school.

Lunch was taken on the outskirts as we re-entered Goole.

About a 50/50 split between a pub and the grounds and cafe of West Park.

From there it was on to Goole docks. We passed rows of terraced houses that had presumably once housed the dockworkers and saw numerous dock basins and then, just before reaching the cars, a less than salubrious area that looked as if it was best avoided on Friday and Saturday nights.

Thanks to Pete for leading and to Steve for backmarking and the photos.

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Remember while out observe 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 the Doncaster area like Tickhill, Sykehouse or Askern, to walks in the Derbyshire Peak District, Nottinghamshire, Lincolnshire and West Yorkshire, etc. We also have a programme of Thursday morning walks of about two to three hours. 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.