Stothu one

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Walked from Thurgoland to Stocksbridge. Enjoyable but hard work for such a short route, lots of steps and stiles and one steep section that may need a little care especially when wet.

From Thurgoland, we head south through the park, crossing the A631 with care and continuing down a good though partly unsurfaced track through fields towards Huthwaite Hall. The right turn into the horse pasture above the farm is not clearly marked, and nor is the route through the field, but the exit point is waymarked. We cross a small slightly overgrown and muddy area with a couple of stiles then follow a field edge right and a path through the wood to reach Old Mill Lane, where we turn left down the hill.

We follow the lane around the corner, and take the path right that descends steps into a field, crossing the Don on a sturdy footbridge. Beyond we start climbing on a well marked path - a short section through a wood, then a grassy field, then the steepest section past an old quarry where care may be needed as some of the drops to the east are quite steep. This soon leads us into fields, where the paths are a little overgrown but quite passable. There is one stile with steps below it.

We reach Green Moor Road, where we turn right, then left up the hill and right at a T junction. The view south over the moors and down to Stocksbridge appears quite suddenly, and we descend the road steeply for a while, going straight on into Park Lane where the road bends right. The path down the hill is quite good, but has a lot of steps and a few stiles. It starts through a grassy field, then crosses the busy Stocksbridge bypass (as Ken says the sight lines are good, so this is quite safe as long as you are patient). There are metal staircases on both sides of the cutting. Further down the track has an old stone surface, with handrails on the steeper parts.

We emerge on Hunshelf Park (a roughly surfaced residential street) where a few steps right reveal a slanting path with more steps that takes us down to Hunshelf Road. From here we descend to the main road and follow it round past Fox Valley to the centre of Stocksbridge (the top corner can be short-cut slightly on a path with more steps).

Overall quite an enjoyable walk, but not one to be underestimate.

In memory of David Hurrel who worked and lived in Stocksbridge and introduced me to the delights of the upper Don valley.

This is a hilly walk, it reminded me of my early Slow Way plotting when I was allocated South Wales. For those new to the project, we were given an area and a cloud spread sheet to select routes from, we didn’t necessarily get an area we knew well. We were also told to plot the route with care and accuracy including any services along the way. I believe some of this may explain strange features in the routes now uploaded by a ‘Slow Way Volunteer’.

This route climbs steeply from Stocksbridge, out of the Porter or Little Don valley which is filled with the massive site of the steel works perhaps the final extension of Steel City into the surrounding flat countryside. A breather and turn around soon offers a view over the rooftops as we head towards the mast at the summit. We started with some very attractive stone flagged paths and steps, a handrail helps on the way down as the flags can be slippery.

Pensto uses a rough piece of ground for the final ascent but Stothu takes to the quiet road which I felt was the best route. We pass by access land with gritstone outcrops and a sign which I expected to read no climbing but instead was an invite from the parish council to explore. We leave the tarmac by the Eucalyptus trees at Hunshelf Hall and head down along a field edge to eventually reach a footbridge across the upper River Don.

Mill Lane, another quiet road starts the next climb and we could continue along this to Thurgoland but our route is off road so at a crossing path we continue the climb to pass over the top of the hill on which stands Hurtwaite Hall under which passes through the Trans Pennine Trail using a disused railway tunnel.

The path continues to climb away from the hall alongside a stone wall then a track across cropped fields to arrive alongside the school. Crossing the main road we enter a park with a bonded surface path which quickly takes us to the meeting place at the Horse and Jockey opposite the village hall.

The paths are well used and signed so easy to follow no cattle seen and no paths ploughed across cropped fields. A most enjoyable country walk.

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