The April walk was a five and a half mile ramble taking us, more or less, around the perimeter of the Yorkshire Wildlife Park and including the villages of Auckley and Branton along the way.
The weather was pretty dismal with drizzly rain all the way round and a below average temperature but that didn’t stop ten of our doughtiest members from turning up at the Wildlife Park for the start of the walk. One of our number was even wearing shorts.
We set off towards the back of the car park and entered Bell Butts Lane, a farm track and bridal path that brought us into the middle of Auckley. Heading north west towards Doncaster we crossed the river Torne and came into Branton, turning right onto Whiphill Top Lane until we reached the end of the houses on that road. A farmer’s field on the left has a (rather muddy) permissive path around the perimeter which takes in a wood and a less aesthetically pleasing view of the M18 motorway before emerging on Mill Lane on the western side of Branton.
Crossing the road we entered Black Carr plantation which is now owned by Doncaster Council and is a popular spot for walkers and horse riders. Apparently the wood is said the be haunted by the ghost of a woman who was killed in a carriage that overturned on Warning Tongue Lane. One of our members, who lived nearby as a child, had a different tale to tell. They were always told, as children, to stay away from the woods as it was a sleeping place for tramps who might….. The rest was left to their imagination. Tales of the bogeyman don’t seem to be used as a parenting technique these days, probably just as well.
Coming out of the woods we walked a little on Warning Tongue Lane before turning east to Hayfield Fishing Lakes. Usually a nice spot for a coffee or even a beer on a nice day but even the fishermen seemed to have surrendered to the weather today.
At the lakes we turned north onto a footpath that took us over the railway tracks and brought us back to the car park at the Wildlife Park. The walk took about two and a half hours and our intrepid heroes, feeling well pleased with themselves for successfully battling the elements, retired to the Cornerstone Café in the park’s ‘Hive’ for well earned refreshments of coffees, teas and an assortment of soup, sandwiches and cakes.
Despite the weather, everyone seemed to enjoy themselves. Probably even feeling a special bond for surviving it. Plenty of lively conversation both on the walk and in the café. It’s always nice to meet friendly and interesting people. And I learned something new as well. Apparently the wild plants that look like Brussels sprouts stalks with yellow flowers on top that I pass regularly while walking the dog are, in fact, purple sprouting broccoli.
Steve Kellett