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Silkstone Circular & Cannon Hall Country Park

South Yorkshire Walk

County/Area - South Yorkshire - Barnsley

Author - Andy Chaplin

Length - 10.4 miles / 16.9 km    Ascent - 850 feet / 258 metres

Time - 6 hours 0 minutes    Grade - moderate

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Walk Route Description

Photo from the walk - Silkstone Circular & Cannon Hall Country Park
Click image to visit gallery of 3 images.

The walk starts in Silkstone where there is plenty of on-road parking. The highlights are the old waggonway from the centre of Slkstone (see www.visitpenistone.co.uk/walks/silkstone_waggonway.pdf) - which still has some of the old stone sleepers, a renovated wagon and reconstructed rails - and the Cannon Hall country park (see www.cannon-hall.com/) - which has a museum, walled garden, parkland and gardens. Part of the route is on the Barnsley Boundary Walk and the Penistone Boundary Walk.

Pick up the waggonway at grid reference SE289054 at the junction of Barnsley Road and High Street then follow it past the back of the Bells Steakhouse pub and onto the Pot House Hamlet craft/café buildings. Cross the Barnsley road and continue on the waggonway over Banks Bottom Dike and along the side of the Silkstone Beck.

When you get to the Royd Lane track at Furnace Bridge turn left in front of the house named Beechwood and take the farm track. Follow the track to the right at the first junction so that you come out on the A635 (grid ref. SE295081). Cross straight over and continue on to Cawthorne Lane. Turn right on the road and just after the bridge over the Cawthorne Dike take the farm track off on the left.

Pick up the path going west past Cinder Hill and go left over a footbridge as you pick up the Barnsley Boundary Walk (BBW) then continue past the cricket ground and into the parkland of the Cannon Hall country park. It is well worth a wander around the gardens, walled garden and house perimeter before coming back down to the Cascade Bridge car park and picking up the BBW again

The BBW goes past Jowett House and Spring House Farm - some of which can be very muddy if churned up by cattle or tractors - and then comes out on the A635 again. Follow it westwards to Coach Gate Lane then take the footbridge at the side of the ford over Daking Brook and take the track up the side of Rons Cliff Dike valley. This is a charming wooded valley that comes out onto the rolling farmland of South Yorkshire around Gadding Moor.

At the top of Gadding Moor turn right on the BBW across the fields and then down to Mill Farm. Take the road out to Gunthwaite Bridge over the Rons Cliff Dike then leave the BBW and follow the Penistone Boundary Walk (PBW) along New Lane. The PBW goes off on the left across fields to Gadding Moor Road then crosses over to follow Cross Lane and Haigh Lane to Cooper Lane.

Before Glen Cottage it takes off up a track then across fields to Within Moor Lane. Follow this to the south then, leaving the PBW, take the first footpath on the left that crosses Whin Moor before picking up the path that goes at or amongst the trees between Noblethorpe Park and north-west Silkstone. The path comes out either on Manor Park or High Street, depending on where you parked.

Other walks nearby

Walk 2086 Stainborough Castle, Wentworth Castle & Worsbrougheasy/mod8.9 miles
Walk 2238 Thurgoland Boundary Walk Oxspring easy/mod8.6 miles
Walk 2328 Penistone to Shepley lineareasy/mod8.0 miles
Walk 2726 Penistone Circular from Scout Dike Reservoirmoderate8.3 miles
Walk 1545 Wortley circular including Wharncliffe Crags easy/mod8.1 miles
Walk 2943 Newmillerdam Country Park from Nottoneasy5.7 miles
Walk 3401 From Langsett to Crowden via Woodheadmoderate11.0 miles
Walk 1581 Langsett Reservoireasy3.0 miles
Walk 1582 More Hall Reservoireasy3.4 miles
Walk 1401 Hordron Road and the Little Doneasy/mod5.0 miles

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