Mansrai one

Verified Slow Way

Verified by 100.00% of reviewers

Walked from Rainworth to Mansfield. An excellent route - direct and surprisingly green and quiet. The only slight concerns are a couple of road crossings where care and patience are required.

Leaving Rainworth, we follow Southwell Road East west up the hill, turning right into First Avenue, then left at the end and right again on a path that leads onto the old railway. The path here is unsurfaced but well compacted. We leave the trackbed briefly to cross Ransome Road, then follow the railway path until it emerges on the A617 Rainworth bypass. Cross with care and follow the cycle track around the roundabout and across the eastbound carriageway. The GPX file is a little misleading here - the way forward onto the signposted cycle path is at the junction, not right of it. We follow the old railway across a couple of small side streets to Oak Tree Lane. This part of the route has some rather impressive sandstone cuttings, and passes a number of drive-in fast food and coffee shops.

Crossing Oak Tree Lane, we go right a short distance then left. It is possible to go wrong here and emerge on Wharfedale Gardens - if in doubt take the right hand paths. The surfaced track descends into a railway cutting and crosses Big Barn Lane to emerge on Little Barn Lane, where we go right a short distance to find the track continuing on the left, down past an area of parkland onto Selwyn Street, where we go left a short distance, crossing the main road using the central refuge and taking the path that goes up opposite. We leave the old railway at Windsor Road, which we cross and go right a short distance to find a surfaced track following the edge of the park down to the left. Stay on the path until it emerges on Littleworth, where we turn right and follow the road past the river Maun and up the far side to St Peters Way.

Cross using the pelican crossings and go straight on onto Albert Street, taking the left fork along Quaker Way to the bus station and the meeting point. Only pedants would try to find this meeting point exactly - the bus station building would be a better choice!.

This is mostly an easy walk to follow using pavements and tarmac cycle tracks for all of the route from Mansfield to the crossing of the Rainworth bypass and then a disused railway line with good surface. There are several wide roads to cross but these all have proper crossings.
Starting from the bus station in Mansfield the first 800m is all along pavements in the town centre and then residential streets. You then join the Timberland Trail and Mansfield Way along a cycle track climbing steadily for 1km in parks and tree-lined narrower paths. You reach a nice area of sandstone and as you leave Mansfield more trees and bushes, notably gorse with bright yellow flowers for much of the year.
After crossing the bypass follow the narrower path along the old railway line under trees at the back of houses as you descend into Rainworth. You turn to join the main road down to the centre of Rainworth.

This is a good route. I walked from Rainworth. The first section along a wide pavement and residential street to reach the old railway. Here it becomes a quiet tree-lined trail, crossing a few quiet roads. After the edge of Rainworth it is known as the Mansfield Trail - well signposted. Within the Mansfield suburbs it is tarmacked and easy to follow. Where the trail ends, after crossing Fisher Lane park, the route is on quiet roads with pavements.

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