Discover Goldthorpe

Walk: Darfield Circular

The wonderful village of Darfield, near Barnsley in South Yorkshire, is one of contrasts, and this walk takes in the traditional mining heart, the new areas and the impressive All Saints Church. The Route Start Point: Snipe Hill Road, Darfield, Barnsley, S73 9LP Finish Point: Snipe Hill Road, Darfield, Barnsley, S73 9LP Distance: 3 Miles GPX Route Map walkshire-darfieldDownload Walk Description From the bus stop on Snape Hill Road near Darfield Fish Bar, walk towards Havelock Street, which should branch out on the right. Carry on along Snape Hill Road, and if you are walking on the left side of the road, look to cross over when you can. Continue past Darfield Primary School on the left, and Valley Methodist Church on the right, until the road turns sharply to the left. On the right side of the bend, there’s a snicket branching off to the right - take this, and come out onto Margaret Close. Cross over Margaret Close, and follow the path as it continues straight ahead, cutting between the houses, to reach Upperwood Road. Close over, and turn left, then right up Milano Rise, but keep to the pavement on the right as it leaves the road into the playing field. Follow the path, with the houses on the left and continue down the snicket between houses to find Barnsley Road. Turn right, and follow the road to turn left down North Street, then continue until the crossroads with Illsley Road. Turn right onto Illsley Road and follow it until the reaches Nanny Marr Road. Turn left and just before the metal barriers, cross over Nanny Marr Road at the dropped curb. Turn left, cross over School Street, then turn right to walk along the A635 Doncaster Road. Continue to follow the A635, until just after you cross Pinfold Road, turn right down the steps of the public footpath, to walk through the play area. The path is clear as it enters the small wood, and exits through the churchyard of All Saints Church. Walk down Church Street to reach Vicar Road. Cross over, and head right, then left around the corner, to be walking along Church Street. Turn left down St Mary's Road, then right down Doveside Drive; then left, and following the road around to the right, but remaining on Doveside Drive. Follow this road until a road called The Willows branches off to the right. Follow this and you reach the main road of Snipe Hill Road again, and here, turn left to walk back to the bus stop.

Barnburgh and Barnburgh Crags Walk

This is a joy of a 3-mile walk that starts and ends in the pretty village of Barnburgh, 7 miles west of Doncaster. You will find views, rocks and open countryside to enjoy. The Route what3words for start point: ///prevented.dignity.exist Start Point: Barnburgh Finish Point: Barnburgh Distance: 3 Miles GPX Route Map barnburghandbarnburghcragsDownload Walk Description The best place to start is right in the middle of Barnburgh, by St Peter’s church. Across the through road from there is a side road, which heads along with the quaint looking Coach and Horses Pub on your right. At the end of this road, follow the bend to the left. After a few hundred metres, there is a signposted bridleway track off to the right. This track then carries straight on, gently going uphill to the top. There is nothing too strenuous here, though the climb allows the views to get bigger and bigger all the time. As the path at the top swings right, you head into the woods. These woods have a secret inside. To your left is a wall of rock, Barnburgh Crag, that you follow all the way along. If you look closely at sections of the rock, you will see mysterious faces that have been meticulously carved into the stone at some point in time. Some look like grumpy old men, while others resemble cartoon characters. In the summer, you need to look carefully as the trees and ivy can hide the secret faces. In winter, you could walk this and see the crag in more glory for sure. With the crag on your left, you mustn't forget to look right with the huge views over South Yorkshire towards Derbyshire. Upon reaching the end of the crag, you turn right down a road for a couple of hundred metres before turning off right onto another track. Here you get a fantastic view back down towards Barnburgh. Crops sway in the breeze over the land before you. There are a few paths from here that all meander back to the village. The one I took was less of a road and more around the edges of fields, but you can easily keep on the main track and along the road to the village and your start and end point. This is one of those short walks and climbs that really surprised me. I hardly met a soul en route, yet what it offers is absolutely stunning for a walk of this length. The secret crags and faces add a whole new interest too.

Barnsley Boundary Walk