On the start line

 

 

Photos from Anne.

 

The walk started from Woolley service station just above junction 38 on the M1, and nobody could remember starting a walk in a motorway service station before. It is something to consider for future walks as the manager Ivan could not have been more helpful and we were allowed a full day free parking, we just needed to collect in registration numbers and hand them in at WHS. An inspired idea by our group secretary Jane.

Thirteen walkers plus Stripe the dog set off on a glorious spring day. We had identified that the Woolley area had not featured in our walk programme as much as the villages of Cawthorne, Hoylandswaine and High Hoyland on the opposite side of the M1, and it was a much lesser walked area.

 

We set off through woodland and up through farmland to gain distant views of Black Hill and Holme Moss. We passed through Woolley scout camp, and thought it would make a great checkpoint and perhaps one to consider for the 2021 100. Down to Darton, and then up to 'Mucky Woolley' as it is known locally, the site of the old Woolley colliery where Arthur Scargill started his career at the age of 14. 

 

More woodland and farmland and on to the more affluent Woolley village for morning coffee enjoying the sunshine in the grounds of Woolley church.

We then went cross country to Notton following parts of the Barnsley Boundary walk, and onto the trans-pennine trail to Newmillerdam. Norman had a collision with a cyclist on this path and it reminded us all of the need to shout 'bike' as a warning, luckily neither were hurt.

Lunch break was at Newmillerdam, the sunshine had brought out the world and his wife and it was a little too busy for our liking. We noted how the crowds gathered around the water, and after only a few feet of climb on to the path to Seckar woods we again had the paths to ourselves. We emerged from Seckar woods to a panorama of the City of Wakefield, bathed in sunshine.

 

We then crossed back to our starting point with the usual discussion of how the distances on our Garmins were not consistent, but the general consensus at the end was that it had been around 18 miles.

 

Thank you to all who joined our walk, I very much enjoyed your conversation and cheerful company.

 

Lynne