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The night was misty and thick cloud
still filled the morning sky. I was away by 06:45 and was glad I’d
taken some photos of the Humber Bridge last night because this
morning it looked dull and dreary. The town of Barton-upon-Humber
was just waking up as I rode through. |
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Dreary
morning view of the Humber Bridge |
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Several people were waiting at various
bus stops and shops were opening. I followed the B1218 south which
wasn’t too busy at that time of the morning. After a quiet ride I
eventually reached Brigg and then I had to endure the horrible A18
towards Scunthorpe. I am always puzzled why major roads like this
don’t have a cycle track. Negotiating the busy traffic and
navigating the road works is not for the fainthearted. |
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Crossing the River Trent at Althorpe |
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Scunthorpe is
a place to rush to and leave even quicker. I rode through Ashby and
on to Burringham where I crossed the River Trent. By now the cloud
and mist had lifted. I joined the minor road south that follows the
west bank of the River Trent. I’d been looking forward to cycling
along it and wasn’t disappointed. It was a delight. The embankments
are a linear park and I stopped at one point to sit on a bench and
enjoy the views and sunshine. |
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Church
in West Butterwick |
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I saw few cars as I cycled between the
fields of barley. At Owston Ferry (which didn’t have a ferry) I left
the river and headed west towards Doncaster. I was dreading the road
as I’d assumed it would be packed with traffic. Fortunately it
wasn’t but I didn’t get the chance to enjoy the easy riding for
long. When I reached the B1396 it was packed with traffic and
nowhere was there a cycle track. At Blaxton there was a ‘Road Ahead
Closed’ sign and I decided to risk it to try and get through. |
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It paid off as the road was quiet and
after a mile there were a couple of contractor’s vehicles digging a
trench which I was easily able to pass through. I continued to reach
the centre of Doncaster. As I negotiated my way through the busy
traffic I was impressed by the magnificent view if Doncaster Minster
ahead. |
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Doncaster Minster.
The Church was rebuilt inb 1858.
The architect was Sir George Gilbert Scott. |
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Doncaster Parish Church and 1853 fire |
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Doncaster Parish Church after the 1853 fire |
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Doncaster Minster interior |
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Doncaster Minster great east window |
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I wheeled my bike across the road to
have a closer look. The present church was rebuilt in the 1850s
after a fire destroyed it in 1853. The architect was Sir George
Gilbert Scott. I continued my journey in warm sunshine and headed
out of the town on the A638 to the NW. |
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I
had several miles to ride before I could leave the main roads and
reach the quieter ones. Riding through Hooton Pagnell I was very
impressed with the picturesque village. It had more of a look of
villages in the south and midlands than the north. |
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Grimethorpe colliery was one of the
deepest pits in Britain. It employed 6,000 men at the time of its
closure in May 1993. |
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In South Kirkby I
stopped at an Asda supermarket to buy some water then continued to
Grimethorpe. The first thing that I noticed was the large number of
names on the memorial plaque to those who died in the coalmines. At
the north end of Cudworth I kept a lookout for a bridal way path
that runs along the old railway route. I found it and began to cycle
south. Somewhere along here was my planned camp for the night. After
half a mile I noticed a hill to my right that looked like an old
slag heap. I wheeled my bike up to find somewhere out of sight to
pitch my tent. I found a good spot where I put the tent up in the
shade by a bush. |
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In
memory of the men who lost their lives
at Grimethorpe Colliery (1894 - 1993) |
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Return to
Whittle Wanderer
