Our next walk is on 22nd March in the Peak District. This area is always popular. Contact Viv at doncaster.outsiders@gmail.com to book your place.
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.
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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.
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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.
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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.
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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.
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The other group appeared about half an hour later. They had gone just a little bit further and a little bit higher.
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A big thank you to John for investigating this area for us.
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See our Facebook page for photos.
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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.
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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.
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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.
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A great start to 2026 and a big thank you to Crawf and to Ann for leading.
Christmas Walk - December 7th
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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.
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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.
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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.
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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.​
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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.
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Happy Christmas everyone and all the best for 2026.
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Our next walk is January 25th 2026. We hope that you can join us.​
Please contact Viv at doncaster.outsiders@gmail.com for more inormation.
