Doncaster Ramblers: Pole to pole (without the ice)

The weather forecast was awful. That is probably why only eight brave ramblers turned up for this walk.

Barwick in Elmet is an attractive village close to Leeds.

You cannot miss the maypole as it stands 86 feet tall slap bang in the middle of the road. It was from here that our small and wet (but remarkably cheerful) group set off through the village and were soon in the surrounding countryside in the direction of Scholes.

Swinging left before actually reaching Scholes we crossed Garforth golf course and then left again towards Aberford. It was still raining.

A very short coffee stop before crossing Long Lane and reaching the edges of the Parlington estate where we followed the route of a now defunct railway.

The once prosperous estate apparently fell largely into disrepair when its supporting mines flooded and the money ran out.

We also passed ‘Nellies Tree’. A testament to the love of Vic Stead for a local girl whom he wooed and wedded approximately 100 years ago.

Coming into Aberford our leader began looking for a replacement lunchstop.

the original idea of the kiddies playground deemed too open and wet.

The rain was

still coming down hard at this point. We found shelter in the porch of St Ricarius Church. And very grateful we were.

A larger group would not have fitted in but the eight of us did.

The church is apparently the only one in England bearing that name. You can choose between it being named after a French saint who visited Aberford in 630 AD or Richard the Pilgrim of Wessex who appears in one of its stained glass windows.

Out of Aberford along Becca Banks; an ancient earthworks. From there on it was rolling fields and lanes until we reached the outskirts of Barwick once again.

A lovely walk somewhat but not entirely spoiled by the weather. Thanks to John S for leading and Steve for the photos.

Point of Interest: Barwick-in-Elmet is a village in West Yorkshire, and is one of only three places in the area to be explicitly associated with the ancient Romano-British kingdom of Elmet, the others being Scholes-in-Elmet and Sherburn-in-Elmet.

Aberford was where the ancient Great North Road crossed over the Cock River (now

reduced in volume as the Cock Beck).

Aberford was the midway point between London and Edinburgh, being around 200 miles (320 km) distant from each city.

Aberford was in the ancient Kingdom of Elmet, the name given to the local parliamentary constituency.

An Anglo-Saxon gold ring, inscribed with the name of King Alfred the Great’s sister Æthelswith, was found in a ploughed field near the village in 1870.

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