Christmas Eve along The Cuckoo Way

Woke up early, there was frost on the ground, everyone else was lazing around, so what do you do? You put your boots on, grab your camera and get out.

I had two options :-

Kiverton Community Woodland or

Tommy Flockton's and The Chesterfield canal.

For a change, I opted for Tommy Flockton's or Pennyholme Marsh which forms part of The Cuckoo Way and is 46 miles long (74km). It follows the Chesterfield Canal through Nottinghamshire, South Yorkshire and Derbyshire from Chesterfield to West Stockwith and passed 36 locks and 11 bridges en route, plus it goes over the locally famous Norwood Tunnel which runs for 2,884 yards (2,637 m) from Kiveton to Killamarsh.

Pennyholme Marsh is an area of seasonally flooded shallow wetland between Kiveton Park and Harthill and sits above the blocked off Norwood Tunnel which carried the Chesterfield Canal. It can still be traced and is marked by a succession of spoil mounds from the construction shafts. It is planned to re-open the tunnel and, in time, complete the entire course of the canal for boat navigation. Tommy Flockton has long departed and the current owners of the field are now four legged.

Once past Tommy Flockton's you are at the eastern entrance of the blocked tunnel and this is where the canal towpath restarts, Going this way, the next major town is Worksop some eight miles away. I've walked parts of this section on numerous occasions and it is a real joy. First it passes Hawks Wood with its snowdrops and wild garlic and then Old Spring Wood with it's carpet of bluebells and yellow woodland anemone. Add to that the closeness of The Parish Oven pub and what's not to like?

On Christmas Eve I only did a small section of the path before turning back as breakfast was calling me. Also I had to retrace my footstep as the only other option would have been going back via the main road. The conditions were ace for photography as well. There were some super reflections on Pennyholme Moss and the thin layer of mist was just starting to break as I walked along the canal.

I do wish I had a canal as close to home. I know I have the Leeds-Liverpool Canal at Bingley but that is a car ride away whereas this was more or less on my doorstep.

What a refreshing way to start my day and start my Christmas break.