Rockley Dike

This area of the country is a pleasant patchwork of woodland fields, with the footpaths and bridleways seamlessly linking them. The wildlife seemed to thrive in this environment with plenty of birds and squirrels about. My route took me to a caravan park at Rockley Abbey Farm. The site was closed for the season, but the inhabitants of the nearby pond were much in evidence. The grassy banks were as crowded as a Benidorm beach in the middle of summer. There was a large variety of wildlife using the pond, including a Heron and Red Breasted Geese. There was so much going on, that I spent around 10 minutes watching all the activity. The Heron flew off and then returned to a tree on the other side of the pond. It stood on one leg, on a branch, surveying the minions below. Eventually it was time to leave, and I followed the farm track to the main road.

Rockley Engine And Furnace

Looking at the OS map I could see that there was a footpath leading alongside the woods on the opposite side of the road. The footpath then seemed to head directly into a large embankment that was supporting the M1. I needed to get to a footpath on the other side of the M1 and I wondered whether there would be a tunnel to allow the traverse. It seemed unlikely, but I decided to investigate anyway. The path didn't lead to a tunnel under the M1, but it did lead to two historical sites that I wasn't expecting. The first was of Rockley Engine House. It looked more like a castle, than an engine room. It was used to house an engine based on a design by Thomas Newcomen and was used to pump water from a deep mine. Rockley had an ironstone seam and the mine was sunk in 1810 to reach it. The mine only ran for 14 years before the owners became bankrupt, and the engine was moved to Chapletown, north of Sheffield. Apparently there is a Newcomen engine that still survives in its original engine house at Elsecar Heritage Centre. I made a mental note to pay it a visit.

The second historical structure was about a 100 metres away and was the remains of the Rockley Furnace. It was a massive cube built of stones, with an entrance to the furnace area. The furnace was used to service the iron ore. The surrounding wooded area provided a source for the charcoal, that was the main source of fuel.  Water from the nearby dike was used to turn a larger water wheel that powered bellows, pumping blasts of cold air into the bottom of the furnace. Graffiti vandals had been busy on the inside walls of the furnace. I wondered how they had found out about the place. Both the engine house and the furnace are secreted within woodland. I'd only stumbled on the engine room and furnace by accident. Maybe they research the internet for places to vandalise.

The traffic roared on the M1 above me. My slim hope of a tunnel to the other side had been dashed. There was nothing for it but to do a short stretch of road walking. This  would take me under a bridge to the eastern side of the M1.

Birdwell Wood And Pigeon Decoys

After walking under the bridge I joined a footpath that ran northwards underneath the embankment to the M1.  I was astounded at the litter and fly tipping down near to the bottom of the embankment. I guess a lot of it was M1 detritus, but it looked like some people had made the effort to dump sacks of rubbish from the road I'd just walked along. I welcomed a track that diverted off up into Birdwell Wood. The trees masked the noise of the M1 somewhat and took me away from the litter. It was only a 15 minute diversion though and I made my way back down again to the path alongside the M1. This brought me out alongside Rockley Old Hall, although a high wall prevented me from seeing any aristocracy in the grounds.

As I walked through the fields on the other side, I could see a flock of pigeons on the ground at the other side. Two of them seemed to be flying fast in an impossible 10 foot diameter circle, and another seemed to be flapping its wings but not actually taking off. I then saw a man in a camouflage jacket walk out of a hide at the side of the field, pick one of the birds up, and walk back. He was obviously attracting pigeons using decoys and then despatching them. Later research revealed that you can pickup a flapping pigeon decoy for as little as £50. One glowing customer review said that they were so realistic that he'd actually shot one by mistake. The next hour was punctuated by shot gun blasts echoing around the area.

Worsbrough Reservoir

Worsbrough Reservoir turned out to be quite a gem. A woodwark artist had made some wonderful carvings depicting the surrounding area's industrial heritage. Lines from an an old mill song was inscribed on one of the benches. There were plenty of songbirds in the accompanying trees and wild fowl in the reservoir. It was a very pleasant walk around the edge of the reservoir and plenty of people were out making the most of it. The footpath went across a bridge over the spillway. Looking over the reservoir, I could see Wentworth Castle on the hill.  The trees blocked the view of the M1. A fingerpost promised that their was a hide on the reservoir's northern side, but I never found it. Maybe I turned off too soon, since I left the reservoir path and headed off to join the Trans Pennine Trail. They've tarmacked this part of the trail and I found it a little hard on the joints. I looked at the OS map and saw that I could head off the TPT on to a footpath that would take me to a bridge that crossed the M1. I headed off towards the drone of the M1.

Return To Checkpoint Charlie

The footbridge over the M1 was much more pleasing than the graffiti strewn bridge, used by the TPT, a little further north. I reached a compound on the other side that seemed to enclose a collection of junk. A sign on the gate warned me of guard dogs that roamed free. I could hear their excited call too and so I promptly continued along the footpath away from the place. In a field near Brough Green Brook, I saw some Lapwings chasing each other, and I watched their swirling dog fights for a while. I think these were the first ones I'd seen this year.

The footpath joined Round Green Lane and I walked along this to the road up to Wentworth Castle. At the junction where you leave Wentworth Castle by car, I noticed a sign on the other side of the road pointing to a nearby farm offering venison for sale. No wonder the deer at Wentworth looked jumpy. It is a long road up to the carpark at Wentworth Castle and I wondered whether the NT Greeters were watching me on CCTV and had concluded that I'd escaped from the castle earlier in the day. I was as jittery as a lame Red Deer as I approached my car in the carpark. Much to my relief, nobody came out to arrest me, but it was a nervous few minutes, before I drove out of the grounds and back to freedom.

The walk had been superb for wildlife watching. The unintended visit to Rockley Engine and Furnace was a bonus too. Of course, I must say, I don't condone breaking out, and definitely not into, National Trust grounds, even if you are a member. Wentworth Castle and its gardens  is a stunning place to walk around and worth a day's worth wandering on its own merits.