Apologies for not being at Sutton Bonington Farmers’ Market. A family member came off their bike and are in hospital. It’s all minor things, fortunately but we needed to be there to give support.
This was an attempt to walk from Clowne (yes, that’s it’s name) in Derbyshire to Bolsover along the Clowne Greenway and south ending up in Bolsover. I didn’t quite manage this, as you’ll see.
I’ve walked some of the Clowne Greenway before, so have a look here. It’s well worth a visit.
It was early and the sun was coming up in the east. It’s a shame I couldn’t get a better view and hence a better picture but I do like the autumn sunshine.
Once you’re in sight of the warehouse developments at Markham Vale, it’s time to head south. Note that it’s not well signposted and the going is rough, with stone added to make it walkeable. It’s very uneven:
There’s quite a bit missed out on this walk because most of it is recently built warehouses that aren’t terribly exciting. Like this:
Once beyond all the new build and new roads, it gets more challenging. It’s hard to believe that there was a railway line here at all. Most of the infrastructure has been destroyed and there’s a lot of brickwork and spoil left scattered about. So mind how you go! There’s no pictures of the M1 at rush hour either…
Here’s the river Doe Lea running under the M1 motorway and once the most poisoned river in the world thanks to the Coalite works – more about that later!
I think it’s till toxic but nothing like it was?
Here’s my usual blue sky and clouds picture…
Once you cross over the Doe Lea, the terrain turns to rubble and it can be confusing to find the location of the former railway line. occasionally there mnight be a signpost but nothing is joined up.
There are still some beautiful flowers, berries and plants in October:
I loved the spiky teasels, stripped of seeds by the birds:
And I enjoyed the berries, with their shapes distorted by the dewdrops and the starburst, reflecting the strong sunshine:
It is hard going and very overgrown and I was soon damp from the dew dropping from every available branch and leaf. There’s still something beautiful here with nature gradually overtaking the area…
More growth and some remnants of the former railway:
The trail ends at the wonderfully named Buttermilk Lane, to the north-west of Bolsover. I tried to walk further but the former railway line is now bogland. I ended up to my ankles in stinking mud and turned back.
You can see from the Google Map that the trail is still marked as a railway line. That clearly isn’t true.
As far as I can gather, there is no direct route to get into Bolsover that hasn’t been built over and access (probably ‘informal’) blocked. That’s a shame, as it would have made a good circular walk, except:
This area was once the site of the Coalite factory, which turned coal into coke and coal gas but also produced a range of useful chemicals but also toxins including dioxins and arsenic. The whole area, including the River Doe Lea was hopelessly contaminated and a considerable amount of money was spent on remedial work.
There’s no trace of the factory left:
Above picture is by By Michael Patterson, CC BY-SA 2.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=9231806
If I understand correctly, the area is still contaminated but at a much lower level. Perhaps it’s blocked for a good reason?
An interesting walk but confusing to navigate and there’s no current reliable maps. It’s hard to know what ‘official’ walks and how much of it has been made by people cutting across land.
As I’ve already said, slightly frustrating as I would have liked to have got into Bolsover for something to eat, a look at Bolsover Castle and a bus back to home.
Above picture is by Stephen G Taylor, CC BY-SA 2.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=9306088
This was a different walk from Creswell Crags to Worksop and worth trying when the other route (you can find it here) is busy with lots of people.
There was an autumnal feeling about, with drooping leaves just starting to turn but the sky was blue with fluffy white clouds and bright sunshine, which made the trip so pleasurable. I’m a sucker for clouds…
It’s also an enjoyable round-a-bout sort of walk crossing fields, streams, sometimes busy roads, muddy messes and up and over styles. Stout waterproof boots are a must!
Paths weren’t very well signposted but you can usually see the trails people have made for years across what must be private property.
It was at this point the clouds began to darken…
And the rain began to fall, quite heavily but luckily for a short while. Fortunately I’d got a fleece and hat but a proper overcoat would have been welcome!
Rain or not, the skyline looked wonderful and I took far too many pictures of the horizon. Here’s a few:
Then out of the fields and on to what might have been an entrance to one of the estate houses, at a guess? It looked too ornamental to be just a farm track?
Then a crossroads of sorts, where I got slightly lost. Thank goodness for satnav…
Yet more blue skies and clouds:
And finally a familiar rough trail from my previous walk, heading towards Worksop:
Worksop Manor in the distance:
More clouds:
Then it’s over the stile and then over the A57 which was suprisingly quiet for early rush hour and I didn’t have to take my life in my hands to get cross.
There are no pictures of Worksop itself. There are some interesting buildings but they should be captured by a photographer who has more interest in the urban environment than I!
We’ve got some restocks of lovely prints, greeting cards and notebooks from from Ali Chappell-Bates:
Beautiful greeting cards inspired by Scottish wildlife and landscape from Jane Cornwell Studio:
And lots of greeting cards, prints and coasters from Aidan taken based on his photography (and long walks!) in Derbyshire, Staffordshire, Lincolnshire and Yorkshire:
Not to ignore a couple of books of poetry and prose from Aidan and his Mum.
We’re back at The Garage Chilwell Nottingham NG9 4AJ on Sunday 6th October 2024 with unique art, prints, greeting cards and notebooks inspired by the natural world.
We’re back at Hull Vegan Market on Saturday 5th October 2024. It takes place in Trinity Indoor Market in Hull where they’ll be lots of other stalls too.
We’ll have the usual art and photography inspired by nature and the natural world: greeting cards, prints and coasters!
Plus some new cards, mostly of nature but also some that are a bit different from usual… what do you think?
