Conmar two

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Near the start of our walk we passed the intriguing Conisbrough Holy Well, and then we headed steeply downhill on a narrow tarmac path through a park, with brief views of the viaduct and the castle. I suspect this path could be slippery in cold, wet weather. The footbridge over the railway had ramps as well as stairs. Next we passed the Kingswood Dearne Valley outdoor activity and residential centre, with its solar panel canopy. The footpath was initially muddy with puddles, but soon became a decent cycle track.
On leaving Denaby Nature Reserve we had a short road walk, which had a pavement except over the River Dearne bridge. At the corner we reached a gap in the hedge which was the start of a field crossing which, after a bit, had sticky mud (there had been heavy rain overnight). There were stiles and a narrow bridge.
We arrived at a road, at High Melton, where the pavement/footpath was protected by a wall. We soon turned off into a lane which became a track through another field, this time a nice easy track into some lovely woods.
From here we emerged onto another muddy ploughed field crossing, with no visible footpath at the time, but it improved after a bit. The last section of road into the hamlet of Marr was not fun. It was quite busy with traffic, and a fairly narrow verge, but at least it was short.
This was mostly a good walk, with only short road sections. I think the state of the field crossings, which will be season-dependent, will influence the enjoyment of this route significantly, but the nature reserve and Melton Wood are both probably more reliably pleasant.

A very mixed route, cycle tracks through post industrial sites, field paths and a busy road. A pleasant woodland section. Many paths not clear on OS maps so GPS is recommended. No cattle but stiles. No services along the way. Best view of the castle was in the library.

From Conisbrough the route descends along a surfaced but at times steep path into the valley of the River Don where we passed the railway station. Interesting buildings here formerly the Earth Centre, one of the millennium commission projects It was transformed into a state-of-the-art activity centre in 2012.

The essential path over the river bridge is signed as a 'Permissive Right of Way' a contradiction if ever there was one. Cyclists are provided with a long gentle slope but we took a steep climb to the Trans Pennine Trail which follows an old rail route alongside a large colliery spoil heap of Cadeby Main Colliery now greened over.

Crossing the River Dearne the green hill on the left is the spoil heap of Denaby Main Colliery. The short section of Pasture Lane has a pavement except for a very short section before departing onto a footpath.

A real bit of countryside follows as we climb to High Melton, it's all in the name. The cross field path was unmarked and the surface was sticky mud after rain. Melton Park was offering premises for a restaurant, cafe or bar so if someone takes it up there could be services here in the future.

Hangman Stone Lane leads onto a bridleway which was well defined and left unploughed across a large field with views east to Doncaster. The woodland walk was good with wide paths but the majority of visitors don't use the path to Marr as this again was unmarked across the ploughed field although we did have a yellow topped post, provided by Doncaster Rambers, to head for.

The next section of road was not ideal and the two green dots on the OS map, which offer a route with public access, failed to show on the ground and also appears not to lead anywhere. Marr did offer a roadhouse inn and bus shelter alongside the road along which every other vehicle was a huge lorry. We took refuge alongside the churchyard.

Walked from Conisbrough to Marr. The south end is fine and very pleasant, but I can't go higher than three stars because there are a couple of places where road walking on fairly busy roads is needed, both unavoidable, and one field path where we had to cross a waterlogged ploughed field.

Having arrived in Conisbrough by train, I investigated the alternative path up to the town that slants through the wood from the top of Windsor Road - this is a good surfaced path but there are a couple of steps and some slippery stones, so when we started out group walk I was happy to go with Mary's plan. We start down Church Street (best to cross earlier rather than later) then left onto Westgate past the fenced off well. We start on the surfaced path, then beyond the houses follow another past a playground (views of the castle and the Don valley railway viaduct) then steeply down to Station Road. We use the public station bridge (steps or ramps on both sides - take your pick) and continue down a surfaced path then take an industrial lane straight on over the Don.

Our route takes a steep but semi-surfaced shortcut to join the tarmac cycle track (part of the TransPennine Trail) which offers a quick and scenic route over the Don to Pasture Road. Here we turn right on a good pavement, which unfortunately stops short of the junction, so take care on this section as the road can be busy. A footpath sign takes us through a gap in the trees into an open field. There were footsteps across the first two fields but no cut path, and the second recently ploughed one was quite waterlogged, and sticky clay. Eventually we cross a stile into a small pasture and another stile to reach Doncaster Road.

We turn right along the pavement (which is separated from the road by a wall in places), then cross with care and head up Hangmanstone Lane. This starts as a residential street and becomes a good wide farm track. Where the farm track turns left, we go right on a narrower path then follow it left into Melton Wood, a pleasant area of woodland. The field beyond the wood had been ploughed recently but the sign on the far side was clearly visible, and beyond it the path is a good track. Unfortunately the track leads us to Blacksmiths Lane, which is quite busy, and though it has a narrow verge, it isn't flat enough to march on. Fortunately this section is fairly short, and when we reach Barnsley Road the meeting point is a short pavement walk to the right (at a bus shelter).

There are no facilities in the middle third at present, but this isn't a long walk.

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