Adwdon two

Verified Slow Way

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The route from Adwick Station began with a small detour to pass St Lawrence’s Church and a rather lovely display of cyclamen in a garden. We then walked 1.3km along the B1220 which had a wide pavement and cycle track.
Access to the Doncaster Cycleway was from just before the roundabout, and had a cycle barrier restricting the available width. The cycle track was very pleasant and featured a chunky metal “Flying Scotsman” bench, as a nod to its railway history.
The track continued past the back of some houses and eventually brought us out by a retail park on the north side of Doncaster centre. From here we walked between the big shops and out next to St Mary’s Roundabout. This involved walking through some gates which stood open, but had the potential to be padlocked closed. However, looking at the bent metalwork, and at pictures of the location on Google Street View back over 14 years, this seems unlikely to ever happen. Also there is ungated vehicle access from the other side, so there would be no point in locking these gates, so I am happy to accept this as part of the route. The road would also be an acceptable alternative.
From here we had to cross the roundabout, including the busy A19 dual carriageway, and the railway, and the River Don. However this was enabled by a series of pelican crossings, footbridges with a choice of ramps or stairs for access, and decent pavements. It looks complicated on the map, but it was okay on the ground.
We stayed on the north east side of North Bridge Street over the railway, and used stairs to get down into the car park, in order to cross underneath the road through arches, and into the bus station. (It would be possible to stay on the pavement to the far corner of the car park for ramped access.)
It felt strange walking through the bus station and a small corner of the shopping centre as part of a Slow Way, but I think it would be accessible all day from early until late, if not all night. The only alternative, from the north, would be to detour through some of the open shopping area and come in to the station square from the east.
The fiddly-ness of the end was unavoidable, but the bulk of this route was the very nice cycle track.
The three of us had walked three routes from Conisbrough to Doncaster, and three others concurrently walked a different set of three routes from Conisbrough, and we all met up at the station pub for a six snail celebration at the end before we each made our way home.
A grand day out!.

A mix of roadside and off road cycle route all on tarmac no stiles or cattle but there are steps.

A short pavement walk from the station via the attractive stone church leads to Doncaster Road, which tells us we are heading the right way. A newly segregated pavement for cycles, less riders, and walkers gives us a little more space from the endless traffic.

A large pub/food outlet stands at the junction with the Great North Road although this is now less important as the A1 is along a bypass. The link to the cycle track heads off just before the roundabout, it's well signed so easy to locate.

I missed sight of the Motte and Bailey but as the modern map shows it hidden among trees that's hardly surprising. After a minor road crossing the route picks up another disused rail line, plenty of choice in an ex-mining area. We fork left from Sustrans route 62 and after passing through a retail park, hopefully gates never closed we arrive at a major road crossing. The OS map records subway perhaps that's reference to a sandwich outlet because we cross the roads by lights and a large bridge which has ramps but steps are more direct. The plot looks complicated but is accurate.

The road from here is busy outbound but a bus gate inbound. We cross water and rails then take steps to the lower level which allows us to pass under the bridge and enter the subterranean bus station which may not be accessible 24 hours so the road tunnel might be the only midnight route.

Our route follows signs to the trains unless your onward journey is by bus. Doncaster station has an attractive 1938 facade and is blighted by the 2006 Frenchgate development, who says the 1960s was the only period of poor architecture? It's an open station so access is available to a period bar, 'The Draughtsman', on platform 3b. Doncaster along with seven other UK stations has a platform zero.

A functional, direct Slow Way, almost wheels friendly.

Walked from Adwick to Doncaster. An easy direct route, mostly on well signposted cycletracks, and entirely on hard surfaces. A few steps above Doncaster bus station which can be avoided by a bit of a detour.

From the meeting point outside Adwick station, we cross the road and head down Church Lane, turning left at the church to rejoin the main road. We cross at the pelican crossing to the left/east side of Doncaster Lane, where there is a good wide surfaced pavement and cycle track (though at times bramble shoots forced us to step into the cycle path).

Just before the roundabout we leave the road to turn left along the signposted cycle track, then left again onto an old railway. The cycle track signs take us most of the way into Doncaster, though there is a short section through residential streets and across Jossey Lane. Where the path divides at a former railway junction we take the left branch, which leads to Centurion Way.

Our route takes us right along a pavement into a shopping area - there are lockable gates here but in the unlikely event that they are locked you can go straight on and turn right at the main road. The route across the roundabout junction is a little complicated but the GPX plot is a good guide, The footbridge over the A19 can be accessed using steps or longer ramps. Beyond the bridge we turn right a short distance to reach North Bridge Road, where we follow the left/east pavement over the river Don, Don navigation and railway bridges. There is a choice of staircases down to the square below - if steps are a problem, a longer route is available following the roads round. Either way we cross through an archway under North Bridge Road and into the bus station, then follow signs for Trains to reach the meeting point outside Doncaster station. The Draughtsman Alehouse micropub on platform 3 is well worth a visit (no train tickets required).

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