Skenew three

Slow Way not verified yet. Verify Skenew here.

Although just over a mile longer, this is a much more pleasant route, mostly off road. Unlike all of the other routes between Skelmanthorpe and places to the east, it avoids going through the village of Emley, traversing the contours rather than climbing the hill. This does mean there is no access to refreshments until about 2/3rds of the way through the walk – but there are shops in Skelmanthorpe at the start.

Note: OS maps won’t let me plot the route accurately in a couple of places – details are highlighted below in the two sections marked ****. This means that the route is showing as 12.4 miles whereas it is actually closer to 11.5 miles.

Leave Skelmanthorpe down Elm Street and along the start of Pilling Lane. Turn left down a green lane (photo 1), under the railway and into fields. The paths are all fairly clear, with footpath signs on stiles and gates. Reaching a small wood, keep outside it initially, ignoring the first (improvised) stile, and enter over the wooden stile with an Emley Boundary Walk sign.

Cross the stream on a bridge then head uphill through the fields, passing close to a farm before turning right on a well trodden path and going on through several more fields. On reaching a track turn right, then soon left back into fields until reaching another farm. There were a couple of loose dogs here, which barked, but were otherwise friendly and appeared to be more pets than farm dogs. A final field (where there were cows) brings you to the road (Kiln Lane).

Right and soon left (photo 2) onto an even smaller road to a farm – take the footpath to the left before the buildings and follow the path uphill to another farm and the road (Woodhouse Lane).

Turn right then almost immediately left next to a house and bear right where the path splits (don’t follow signs to Kirklees Way). Cross the field, turn right then watch for a left turn at open metal gates (the sign is unhelpfully on the back of the gate post going in this direction) to cross the footbridge into woods.

There are a couple of yellow wooden pointer signs in the woods (photo 3) and reasonably clear footpaths – don’t be tempted by the larger logging roads. You should come out of the woods into a field, which you follow the edge of, uphill, to a stile. Be careful (and quiet) here as the stile takes you immediately onto a golf course. Keep to the path straight ahead to the club house, then right along the main road (on a pavement) before turning left down a track and to the edge of the Stocksmoor Common Nature Reserve. Turn right opposite the Wildlife Trust entrance gate (photo 4).

Follow the paths and tracks (photo 5) , until you reach the main road (A636). You should come out at the bottom of the woods, but if in doubt, head for the sound of the traffic as you can always walk down the pavement if necessary. Cross carefully to go over a stile and round the edge of the field to a wooden footbridge (photo 6). Then straight across a large field heading towards trees you can just see the tips of over the crest of the hill (photo 7). This brings you out on Bretton Lane.

Blacker Hall Farm shop and café is a short detour down Branch Road on the left and is highly recommended. The route also takes you past the Station Pub – turn right just after it up Dennington Lane to cross over the M1 motorway.
Turn left down Woolley Low Moor Lane and keep an eye out for a stile and footpath sign hidden in the holly hedge on the right (photo 8).

**** Follow these written directions at this point – not the OS map route, which must be out of date, as it will not allow the route to be correctly plotted despite the paths being clear and obviously well used.

Go over a couple of stiles, then either keep to the left hand edge of the field or (the nicer route) go over a stile into the woods (photo 9). Follow the path, keeping close to the field boundary. At the end of the wood, where a wooden bridge goes left, turn right into the field (photo 10) and follow the fence to the access road (Hollingthorpe Lane). Turn right and follow this road until it reaches a mini roundabout (at Stoney Lane). [Bizarrely OS maps insists you turn left along Hollingthorpe Lane and then takes you on a convoluted route through the housing estate – if anyone knows how to get round this, please do re-draw the route] ****

Turn right up Stoney Lane (part pavement, part verge), then left onto a footpath just beyond some houses into woods. There is a stretch along the edge of fields before entering larger woods (photo 11) - don’t turn left over the footbridge . This area is well-walked and the paths are clear and permissible (despite what OS maps would have you believe).

**** As above, follow these directions rather than the route, which OS maps would not allow to be plotted.

Follow the wide and well-used path through the Seckar Wood. Turn left at the track to reach a gate at the road (photo 12) = A61, Barnsley Road.

Turn left and cross the road. Turn right into Patch Wood View. The footpath between houses into Newmillerdam Country Park is obvious ahead of you (photo 13). Once in the woods, turn left, along on a smaller path above the old railway line. Turn right and follow the path (photo 14) that brings you down to the top end of Newmillerdam lake. ****

From here, follow the edge of the lake (photo 15) round to the car park (and bus stop) where refreshments (including ice cream!) are usually available

Although just over a mile longer, this is a much more pleasant route, mostly off road. Unlike all of the other routes between Skelmanthorpe and places to the east, it avoids going through the village of Emley, traversing the contours rather than climbing the hill. This does mean there is no access to refreshments until about 2/3rds of the way through the walk – but there are shops in Skelmanthorpe at the start.

Note: OS maps won’t let me plot the route accurately in a couple of places – details are highlighted below in the two sections marked ****. This means that the route is showing as 12.4 miles whereas it is actually closer to 11.5 miles.

Leave Skelmanthorpe down Elm Street and along the start of Pilling Lane. Turn left down a green lane (photo 1), under the railway and into fields. The paths are all fairly clear, with footpath signs on stiles and gates. Reaching a small wood, keep outside it initially, ignoring the first (improvised) stile, and enter over the wooden stile with an Emley Boundary Walk sign.

Cross the stream on a bridge then head uphill through the fields, passing close to a farm before turning right on a well trodden path and going on through several more fields. On reaching a track turn right, then soon left back into fields until reaching another farm. There were a couple of loose dogs here, which barked, but were otherwise friendly and appeared to be more pets than farm dogs. A final field (where there were cows) brings you to the road (Kiln Lane).

Right and soon left (photo 2) onto an even smaller road to a farm – take the footpath to the left before the buildings and follow the path uphill to another farm and the road (Woodhouse Lane).

Turn right then almost immediately left next to a house and bear right where the path splits (don’t follow signs to Kirklees Way). Cross the field, turn right then watch for a left turn at open metal gates (the sign is unhelpfully on the back of the gate post going in this direction) to cross the footbridge into woods.

There are a couple of yellow wooden pointer signs in the woods (photo 3) and reasonably clear footpaths – don’t be tempted by the larger logging roads. You should come out of the woods into a field, which you follow the edge of, uphill, to a stile. Be careful (and quiet) here as the stile takes you immediately onto a golf course. Keep to the path straight ahead to the club house, then right along the main road (on a pavement) before turning left down a track and to the edge of the Stocksmoor Common Nature Reserve. Turn right opposite the Wildlife Trust entrance gate (photo 4).

Follow the paths and tracks (photo 5) , until you reach the main road (A636). You should come out at the bottom of the woods, but if in doubt, head for the sound of the traffic as you can always walk down the pavement if necessary. Cross carefully to go over a stile and round the edge of the field to a wooden footbridge (photo 6). Then straight across a large field heading towards trees you can just see the tips of over the crest of the hill (photo 7). This brings you out on Bretton Lane.

Blacker Hall Farm shop and café is a short detour down Branch Road on the left and is highly recommended. The route also takes you past the Station Pub – turn right just after it up Dennington Lane to cross over the M1 motorway.
Turn left down Woolley Low Moor Lane and keep an eye out for a stile and footpath sign hidden in the holly hedge on the right (photo 8).

**** Follow these written directions at this point – not the OS map route, which must be out of date, as it will not allow the route to be correctly plotted despite the paths being clear and obviously well used.

Go over a couple of stiles, then either keep to the left hand edge of the field or (the nicer route) go over a stile into the woods (photo 9). Follow the path, keeping close to the field boundary. At the end of the wood, where a wooden bridge goes left, turn right into the field (photo 10) and follow the fence to the access road (Hollingthorpe Lane). Turn right and follow this road until it reaches a mini roundabout (at Stoney Lane). [Bizarrely OS maps insists you turn left along Hollingthorpe Lane and then takes you on a convoluted route through the housing estate – if anyone knows how to get round this, please do re-draw the route] ****

Turn right up Stoney Lane (part pavement, part verge), then left onto a footpath just beyond some houses into woods. There is a stretch along the edge of fields before entering larger woods (photo 11) - don’t turn left over the footbridge . This area is well-walked and the paths are clear and permissible (despite what OS maps would have you believe).

**** As above, follow these directions rather than the route, which OS maps would not allow to be plotted.

Follow the wide and well-used path through the Seckar Wood. Turn left at the track to reach a gate at the road (photo 12) = A61, Barnsley Road.

Turn left and cross the road. Turn right into Patch Wood View. The footpath between houses into Newmillerdam Country Park is obvious ahead of you (photo 13). Once in the woods, turn left, along on a smaller path above the old railway line. Turn right and follow the path (photo 14) that brings you down to the top end of Newmillerdam lake. ****

From here, follow the edge of the lake (photo 15) round to the car park (and bus stop) where refreshments (including ice cream!) are usually available