Bike Route: Heading south for bit of history

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I parked up in full view of Conisbrough’s medieval castle and took a few hours to explore it before rolling out to the south west of town towards Hooton Roberts. The initial drag got my heart-rate up to speed pretty quickly and I really enjoyed the wide, sweeping bends into that village before continuing on to Swinton and then north through Wath upon Dearne. I skirted the Dearne Valley – Old Moor nature reserve and finally made it off the ‘A’ roads at Middlecliff. Up to this point the route had been pretty busy but it was still easy enough to navigate and the cycle path along Manvers Way provided a welcome bonus.

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The road continued to rise very gradually for the next few miles as I passed through Great Houghton and I was rewarded for that with an equally gradual descent all the way into South Elmsall. I’d recommend taking a right turn on to Broad Lane as you pass through South Kirkby as it’s far more rural. The subsequent climb out of South Elmsall was easier than expected after I managed to sneak into the slipstream of a local tractor, although it did eventually distance. Hooton Pagnell greeted me at the summit and that small village is as pretty as any I’ve experienced in our great county. Its 13th century Hall only compounded that fact as I caught a glimpse of it by peering over its perimeter wall, and I was surrounded by more beautiful views as I turned left on to Butt Lane.

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Brodsworth Hall was the next attraction to tick off my list and it didn’t disappoint. The road down to it was fast and fun I took a detour into the grounds to take in one of the most complete Victorian country houses in England. A few photos later and I was back on my way, passing through Marr and on to the intriguingly named Hangman Stone Road. Four giant wind turbines greeted me there, and not surprisingly, so did a tricky headwind which temporarily slowed my progress as I forged through two huge wheat fields sitting either side of me. I was soon back up to speed though as I flew down Melton Mill Lane and my speedometer easily exceeded 40mph before I crossed over the River Dearne.

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Instead of venturing into Mexborough I took a left turn on to Doncaster Road and then opted for the smaller, more cycle-friendly route past the Dearne Valley Leisure Centre before completing my loop back in Conisbrough. The castle – which can be seen from afar – provided a welcome reference point and I was able to find my car easily enough after a varied and interesting day in the saddle. If you fancy travelling to Conisbrough to take this ride on but don’t want to drive, the town has a railway station which provides an equally good start point and can be accessed directly from Sheffield and Doncaster.