Darton to Wakefield

[yorkie]

My route started just east of the site of Darton station, on an old line to North Gawber colliery. The colliery itself closed in 1987, but I am unsure when the line closed. The next photo shows it looking quite dry, however parts were very muddy. I was fine on my mountain bike, but I wouldn't want to try to walk through it or use a road bike. It had rained a lot in the preceding days, but was glorious weather when I did it.

It was actually hard to find, but surprisingly I wasn't the only one looking for it! Hopefully the people I met will find this post, if so, it was good to meet you!

I then took a rather convoluted route to try to get onto the Barnsley Coal Railway Extension, which I attempted at Smithies Lane, but without success. The photo below shows the bridge still in existence but not looking in a very good state of repair. Just beyond the bridge is a "Public footpath" sign, but it's not easy to actually use it, as it's very overgrown, and not shown in OpenStreetMap.

I was finally successful in getting onto the trackbed where the line crossed under the junction of Wakefield Road/Bar Lane:

From the image above, you can see the trees along the trackbed and cutting. Below is the view from the trackbed, looking north towards the road junction:

The next photo was taken near the site of the junction of the line towards the Wharncliffe Woodmoor Colliery branch. I continued straight on (which is not shown as a footpath in OpenStreetMap, but it is definitely there!)

Just after crossing Lee Lane, on the edge of Royston, I took this photo showing the alignment clearly:

Then followed a pleasant wooded section, being on an embankment this was dryer than previous parts:

There is a missing bridge where the line crosses Station Road, the road named after the long gone Notton and Royston station.

Unfortunately after this, it was only possible to ride alongside the alignment, not on it.

I did briefly - very briefly as it was only about 10 metres - ride along the Trans Pennine Trail, at the site of Royston Junction, but I chose to take the right fork towards Newmillerdam and from there to Wakefield.

Beyond this point I didn't take photos on this occasion, but I did take some on a previous walk I did with yorksrob, Starmill and JakeF, which I really should get round to posting one day soon! When I do, I will try to remember to put a link here...

 

[FQ]

Old railway line? Looks like a good one too!

 

[yorkie]

Old railway line? Looks like a good one too!

A collection of lines yes. The good bits were very good, but some parts were rather muddy!

 

[yorkie]

Here's an old map of the former Royston junction. I was previously here with yorksrob, Starmill and JakeF a few weeks ago.

Once the site of a major junction of various lines, including a 4-track main line, it's now reduced to a single line. Not sure how much freight uses this line these days, but there's no fence between the path and the running line.

 

[Kite159]

Shows how old lines return to nature once closed, and places once served by multiple lines like Royston Junction is reduced to a single (freight only?) line.

 

[yorksrob]

Quite sad really to think how a four track main line can decline to almost nothing.

 

[Blindtraveler]

Whilst I cant cycle or sadly appreciate your photos I find this sort of thing facinating and your writeup and descriptions were excilent. Please share more in future

 

[J-2739]

Nice pictures you've got there! I actually recognise some of those bridges! When I was younger, I used to wonder to myself 'Why no trains on them?'. I like the way vegetation is growing on the disused areas, thus adding more life to them!