Worhoy two

Verified Slow Way

Verified by 100.00% of reviewers

I walked this heading north as part of a trio from Chapeltown to Barnsley. As noted by others, most of the route is fine except for Blacker Hill. Being May the stile into the sawmill was the most overgrown of the year so far! Plenty of hacking and long trousers required against brambles and nettles. The rest of the path over the hill can be confusing since it wanders. I didn't stop to explore Worsbrough.

Walked Hoyland to Worsbrough on a clear day, but directly after heavy rain. Wet underfoot, needed good waterproof footwear to manage the mud and puddles.
Mostly a very good route, well plotted, largely off road.

Good start point at Hoyland, coffee, pastries.
Nice footpath heavy route out of town, up the hill to the A6195 just before Blacker Hill.

I didn’t especially enjoy the section at the top of Blacker Hill where the path was a bit overgrown and then popped out in a saw mill yard, partly blocked by a tractor. The route isn’t signposted, but it’s accurately plotted here, it eventually leads to a machinery depot where care must be taken to cross safely.
(And at the bottom of Blacker Hill there are likely to be some cows, and then stiles on the way up.)

The rest of the route was fine, easy to follow, a bit wet in places, but that’s to be expected the day after storm Ciaran.
At Worsbrough it was uphill to the meeting point, which is oddly out of the way, but at least has benches.

There is scope for an alternative route which bypasses the awkward and -to me- slightly off putting ‘saw mill and machinery’ area; for example at the A6195 crossing, instead of turning right and walking up Blacker Hill, turn left and take the path alongside High Royd farm, and then continue past Barrow Farm (this was recommended by a local man out walking his terrier); or from the same path, turn right onto the disused railway track between High Royd and Blacker Hill - this option would make a stile free (and cow free) route.

However, this route as it stands is plenty good enough and deserves its snail.

I walked from Worsbrough, seats at the meeting place but nothing else. A shop at the main road if you need to stock up as there not much on route. The Boat Inn suggests a long gone canal. Now It's a steady climb up a green lane then double back onto another old lane. There's a good surface on both and traffic is excluded. A link would be good to avoid the wood yard at Blacker Hill where the path needs signing so attention to the plot is required. Some nice grass fields them a bridge over a busy road. Road and urban paths from here to a good meeting place at Hoyland.

Note that I have not walked all of this route - I created it after failing to follow WORHOY 1 from Hoyland to Worsbrough, and I wrote a more detailed review of that one with a few pictures. I am fairly confident that this route is easier to follow, but can't vouch for the quality of the paths on the section I didn't do.

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