Our next walk: The Peak District
The main point of interest: the plague village of Eyam.
Historical significant, beautifully preserved, yet full of life with a warm welcome.
Pub: The Crispin in Great Longstone.
This area is less well-known, so we should miss the crowds.
Date: September 12th
Route: 10 miles or 6.5 miles.
Pub: The Crispin, Great Longstone
Come and join us - it's fun.
Contact Viv at doncaster.outsiders@gmail.com to book your place.
Phil led the shorter walk and I led the longer on our August trip to the western edge of the North York Moors.
Phil's group started at Oswaldene, by a wheelbarrow full of multi-coloured flowers. Immediately that made everyone feel happy. They walked into the ancient buttercross in the entre of Osmotherly. A narrow stone-paved snicket took them past traditional village houses and Osmotherly Methodist Church dated 1754. From there, they took a meandering route which included Lady's Chapel, Cod Beck Reservoir and the Cleveland Way.
My longer route started at Swainby. We climbed up to the Cleveland Way. "It gets easier," I promised. Sure enough our route levelled out. We were rewarded with views of Osmotherly Moors to the east and the Vale of York to the west. We passed Arncliffe Wood Trig Point at 299 metres then started our descent to Osmotherly.
July 12th - Howardian Hills
In July, we enjoyed a walk in the Howardian Hills Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty. It lies nestled between the Yorkshire Wolds, the North York Moors, and the Vale of York. This area is known for its gently rolling hills, charming villages, and elegant country houses. The day was bright and hot, with a cloudless sky. Our shorter walk began southwest of Malton gently descending through woodlands to join the Centenary Way. We crossed the River Derwent at Kirkham Bridge, where the ruins of Kirkham Priory, dating back to the 1120s, offered a perfect spot for our first break. Continuing uphill on the Centenary Way, we reached beautiful Firby Hall. We veered off to the picturesque village of Westow. Just beyond Westow, a gap in the hedge revealed stunning views of the countryside, providing a lovely setting for our lunchtime snacks. Afterward, we headed to our first pub, The Bay Horse at Burythorpe, adorned with climbing white roses. Inside, we found an array of intriguing memorabilia and enjoyed a refreshing pint of beer. Unfortunately, this pub was not accessible to the coach, so we set off to The Farmer's Arms at Leavening, another fantastic pub. The other group commenced their walk southeast of Malton at North Grimston. They followed a longer and hillier route that included the deserted medieval village of Wharrem Percy, the largest and most renowned of its kind. Today, Wharrem Percy serves as a focal point for historical research. Like Kirkham Priory, it is managed by English Heritage and free to enter.
June 14th - the Rochdale Canal
The Rochdale Canal opened in 1804. It was the first canal to successfully navigagte over the Pennines. It is special because it ascends directly over the mountainous landscape rather than tunneling through.
We started at Littleborough Station and headed for the canal. Immediately all was serene and peaceful. Walking by a country canal is the perfect way to re-charge your batteries. There were multitude of wild flowers:- spikes of foxgloves invasions of rhododendrons, fragrant meadowsweet, and bright pink geraniums. My biggest surprise was tyrannassaurus rex, brontosaurus and diplodocus perched on a tree stump high above my head. We had a quick snack, then started our ascent across Walsden Moor to Gaddings Dam. Lo and behold, there was a beach - golden sand high on the moor at the edge of the reservoir. We flopped down on the sand and had lunch watching the cows in the distance. It all felt rather bizarre.
From there we made our descent into Todmorden and The Pub now known as The Fox. It was obvious that the other group had got there first from the sounds of laughter that greeted us. The Fox offers an excellent and extensive range of real ales. I was very happy to stay there and chat. Others set off on the afternoon walk to the Beer Necessities, which also had a wonderful selection.
I am already looking forward to the next one. Maybe I will see you there.
A big thank you to Colin and Sarah for planning and leading this walk.
May - Swinsty Reservoir and Sandwith Moor
In May our walk was on the western side of Harrogate. One group started at Blubberhouses. We walked through woodland by the side of Swinsty and Fewston Reservoirs. The trees were now in full greenery. Clumps of gorse were in flower infusing the air with their coconut perfume. The other group started a little further on at the Sun Inn at Bramelane. We took our lunch on Sandwith Moor among bluebells nodding in the breeze. We sheltered near a dry stone wall to escape the light showers. Luckily the rain didn't last long. It never does. We continued onwards on quiet country lanes and footpaths, pausing for a second break at the tiny hamlet of Beckwithshaw. Both groups rejoined at the Squinting Cat in Lundhouse Green, a fantastic country pub.
Those more energetic walkers upped the pace to find The Roosters Brewery & Taproom Company on a Harrogate trading estate. This place was a real treat, offering a wide range or craft ales to suit every taste.
A great day was had by all. A big thank you goes to Phil and to Mark for planning and leading this walk.
April - The Harewood Estate and Leeds Country Way.
In April we started our walk at Harewood village. My group entered the Harewood estate through a small wooden door reminiscent of a secret garden from a childrens' story. Beneath the trees were sweet smelling bluebells, stretching as far as the eye could see. The magnificient 18th C Harewood House could be seen in the distance. The house itself is in the diary for another day. We continued round the estate with views across the rolling North Leeds countryside. We crossed over a stream, then past deer grazing in the park. The apple trees were in blossom and you couldn't help but feel enlivened.
Coming the other way was Phil's group. They looked in high spirits. Someone had obviously cracked a joke. Soon after that we met the C Group, doing a shorter stroll. They had breakfasted in the Muddy Boots Cafe and hastened towards their onward taxi..
At lunchtime we stopped in a park for sandwiches and coffee. Our walk carried on along the Leeds Country Way then across Gill Beck Ford and steeply up Spear Fir. There was one final ascent from the village of Bardsey before reaching The Inn At Scarcroft, a very relaxing place to end. Phil's group were already at the bar.
The more energetic of us then set off again along Leeds Country Way to the Bingley Arms, small and cosy. Perfect day. Thank you to Phil and Viv for leading these walks.
For photos please see out Facebook page, Doncaster Outsiders Group.
March Walk - The Beautiful Peak District
A fantastic walk in the beautiful Peak District. We started at Hope Station and walked for a time on The Steel Cotton Rail Trail. We continued up the Edale Valley broadly following the River Noe to Nether Booth. All the way Lose Hill drew the eye, grassy and green and pleasingly symmetrical. At Nether Booth the view changed, exposed craggy strata of millstone grit and mudstone.The climb up looked quite intimidating, until Colin showed us the stone path. It's always better with a group and a leader who knows the way. There were grand views at the top.
Lose Hill (476m) makes up the eastern end of the Grand Ridge. That looked like a great walk for another day. It is also one of the 95 Peak District Ethels. There were glorious views in every direction. Over the valley to the south east, was Winhill. We took a few photos at the top (see Facebook), then we descended. We stopped at the 16th C. Chesire Cheese Inn for a bevy, then carried onto the village of Hope.
Another fabulous day. Thank you to Colin and Sarah.
February Walk - The Reservoirs
After weeks of continuous rain, Doncaster Outsiders enjoyed the best day of the year so far. The shorter walk started high up on the edge of Deepcar. We had a very pleasant stroll over Townend Common. The sun had encouraged the flowers to bloom - snowdrops, daffodils and delicate cowslips. We took our first coffee break at Bolsterstone, on some benches near troughs of bright pansies.
The other group passed us here, waving cheerily. They had started down in the valley. Their route continued on Heads Lane and across the moors, a little more challenging than we wanted.
Suitably refreshed, we followed them on Heads Lane. We had fine views of Morehall Reservoir and Broomhead Reservoir. Our route followed the boundary of the Peak District National Park. That meant that we had superb views without the crowds. It was beautiful. I thought it bizarre that the views on the left were worthy of protection and those on the right were not.
We gathered around Whitwell Moor Trig Point for a group photo, then had lunch. We carried on down to Edge Cliff Brook then climbed up steep Edge Cliff. From the top we could see Midhope Reservoir. We heard the crashing outflow long before we saw it. When it came into sight it shimmered like jewels in the sunlight.
The last and the largest of the reservoirs was Langsett. Crossing over the dam was a fitting finale. We headed for the Waggon and Horses to finish our walk.
The other group appeared about half an hour later. They had gone just a little bit further and a little bit higher.
A big thank you to John for investigating this area for us.
See our Facebook page for photos.
January 25th 2026
January 25th 2026:- Belvoir - Woolsthorpe-by-Belvoir - Barrowby
We started at Belvoir Castle (pronounced Beever) on the outskirts of Grantham. We headed across Old Park Wood and over Blackberry Hill. Such lyrical names, we felt like we were in an Enid Blyton story about the Famous Five. Bizarrely, we met our other group going the opposite way and waved. They had started at Belvoir Sawmill just a little further off.
After some time we found our way back to Belvoir Castle where we had our coffee break. Twinkly fairy lights hung from the cafe and shop. It was very pretty. From there we descended such a gentle slope. Here we got our first sight of Belvoir Castle, previously obscured by trees. We crossed a footbridge over a gurgling stream and into the conservation village of Woolsthorpe-By-Belvoir. We passed a row of candy coloured cottages, the stables and the hunt cottages. Soon we arrived at The Rutland Arms, affectionately known as The Muddy Duck. Guess what! The other group had beaten us to it.
The Muddy Duck had a huge marquis with more twinkly lights. The interior was beautifully decorated and they had CAKE! It made a perfect second rest stop. We watched the other group form a procession over Woolsthorpe Bridge while we sampled the beer. Shortly after we followed in their footsteps by Grantham Canal. Finally we ascended to The White Swan, outstanding in it's friendliness.
A great start to 2026 and a big thank you to Crawf and to Ann for leading.
Christmas Walk - December 7th
A classic Winter walk in an area of Nottinghamshire known as The Dukeries. This area appealed because it is fairly flat on good paths with lots of interest, perfect for December.
The first group started at the village of Creswell. It was just a skip and a jump and they were in Creswrell Crags. Creswell Crags is a magnesian limestone gorge with archaeological importance. Craggy white cliffs rose on either side. There was a small lake, seasonally low even after all the .recent torrential rain.. Along our path were lots of information boards about the life of nomadic Neanderthal man who sheltered here 13,000 years ago and the tools and cave art that he left behind. It was a very pretty and informative start to our walk.
We emerged onto the Harley Art Trail with its displays of contemporary art. To our delight there was also a temporary exhibition of the children's story "We're going on a bear hunt" by Helen Oxenbury. Enjoyed by all, it released the kid in us. We continued to Harley Art Gallery where we stopped for our first break.
The other group started at Hodthorpe. They found their way to Creswell Crags by a slightly longer, slightly hillier route. At St. Winifred's Church in Holbeck they stopped for a slurp of coffee from their flasks. The drizzle didn't entice them to linger.
The two groups continued along Robin Hood's Way, skirting the Welbeck Estate. By the time we got to Cuckney we were ready for an afternoon break. Luckily we had the choice of the Community Gardens or The Greendale Oak. Suitably refreshed our feet turned towards our final desination. The first group took a path by Cuckney Mill Pond. The second Group tramped through the autumn leaves spread upon Mill Hill and then up through Cuckney Hay Wood. We all met at the Jug and Glass in Nether Langwith, where we had a fantastic Christmas lunch.
Happy Christmas everyone and all the best for 2026.
