Cusworth Hall - River Don - Sprotborough Circular

Richard Dodd

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This is a fantastic walk with much history, countryside, views, canal, river and bridges and you pass an old derelict mill by the canal. It is well worth spending a few hours in the Cusworth Museum (a Grade I-listed jewel), which was well worth the small entrance fee, to see all the social and local historical items set inside this gorgeous house, built in 1740-1744 and thankfully opened to the public in 2008. The kitchens and old household gadgets are fascinating! It also has temporary exhibitions (link shown in Additional Info' below), café and shop.

A lot of the walk is on good flat paths, cycle tracks, canal paths and pavements, with one set of steps. There are lots of benches along the canal and overlooking lakes in Cusworth for a picnic (spare some bread for the ducks!) There are tremendous views.

Read about the amazing Sir Douglas Bader, whose home you pass and who lost both his legs before WWII in a flying accident, but managed to persuade the RAF to let him fly again in the war (June 1940). He headed up a Canadian unit for just over a year (to Aug 1941) and shot down over 22 German planes before spending much of the rest of the war from 1941 as a POW. He was transferred to Colditz as he kept trying to escape; his story is in the BBC link below and well worth reading.
http://www.bbc.co.uk/dna/h2g2/A8248241

Further links for more information on the River Don, canal, locks and Cusworth Hall are under Additional Information.

England - North England - Yorkshire - Countryside

Features

Ancient Monument, Birds, Butterflies, Cafe, Church, Flowers, Food Shop, Gift Shop, Good for Kids, Great Views, Industrial Archaeology, Lake/Loch, Mostly Flat, Museum, National Trust, Nature Trail, Play Area, Pub, River, Stately Home, Tea Shop, Toilets, Wildlife, Woodland

10/23/2017 - Paul Cuffling

A lovely walk with clear instructions. The start point (Cusworth Hall) is now £6 to park for more than three hours so free alternatives are the car park by the canal lock near the Boat Inn or by the Ivanhoe pub (point 17). Enjoy!!

9/16/2016 - Sheena Ballard

Sorry, forgot to say in my last comment: It says the walk is 4.4 miles. According to my phone pedometer and my ordinary pedometer it was between 6.1 and 6.3 miles.

9/16/2016 - Sheena Ballard

We had trouble with the second instruction! At the information board for the Shrubbery Walk take the left path which takes you to the gate. We took the right hand path and had to backtrack - uphill! Instruction 6 mentions a dilapidated old house. This is currently having a complete renovation and is certainly no longer dilapidated. Further instructions are needed between 8 and 9. You follow the trail which at one point runs alongside the train line. You then come to a point where the Pennine Trail splits into two - one signed Doncaster and Selby, the other to Barnsley. You in fact want to take the track to your right which then leads to the bridge shown in image 9. Instruction 17 is very misleading. Walking down Spring Lane there is a right turn into Stone Cross Drive, but the author means that you take the SECOND turn into Stone Cross Drive which curves in a half moon. The willow tree is no longer in evidence. I hope this helps others.

3/12/2012 - Bruce Turner

A very pleasant walk on a warm spring morning with excellent refreshments at "The Boat Inn" by Sprotborough lock.