Leader: Colin Howes

Meeting place: Newton Lane off Sprotbrough Road (SE557031).

Route: From Newton Lane, proceed in a southerly direction to the 18th/19th century farm/hamlet of Newton with its limestone walls and historic farm buildings. Turn right and follow the Don Valley Way (follow the Kingfisher signs). The track shortly splits, the vehicular track to the right, passes the old quarry (SE555027) which used to house the ferryman’s cottage (there used to be a ferry from Newton across the Don to Hexthorpe here … what a good idea. There were also proposals for a road bridge here … another bright idea). We follow the narrow footpath to the left which proceeds through an interesting but treacherous path through the river-side flood woodland which we exit via a stile at (SE555024). This gets us onto the flood bank of the ‘Hexthorpe Reach’ of Sprotbrough Ings.

The Ings contains wet grazing land and up to five rushy water-bodies, the number depending on how wet the season’s been. The main water body, which sports both Yellow and White Waterlilies, is Bell’s Pond [Lady Isabelle’s Pond], a Local Authority Site of Natural History Interest. There is a network of drains, three of which lead to the River Don, exiting at three sluices which facilitate the management of the Ings as floodland, part of Doncaster’s strategic flood defences. The Sluices are worth visiting for views of fish or aquatic invertebrates.

Proceeding up stream along the flood bank, there are two stiles to negotiate. Looking east, the route overlooks Hexthorpe Allotments; Hexthorpe Dell; the Rowing Club & Hexthorpe Flatts. Looking west we overlook the Sprotbrough Ings wetlands (look for water birds. To make our visit a round trip, we leave the Don flood embankment between the two impressive Sprotbrough Ings Railway Viaducts at (SE550014) and join the footpath/National Cycle Network at the metal turntable gate No.62 and proceed north along the track between the steep railway embankment on our left and the re-wilding rough shrubby grassland on our right. After ¼ of a mile we merge with the disused railway track heading north toward Richmond Hill/Sprotbrough Road. After ½ a mile (SE554027) we cut east into a disused limestone quarry (with interesting limestone botany), cross the live railway line via the brick footbridge (25 steps up & 25 steps down – look out for colonies of Wall-rue ferns) and re-join the newly hard-cored agricultural lane leading back to Newton Farm and our parking place on Newton Lane.

Geology: Most of our trip is on River Don alluvium but our return path brings us up onto the laminated upper Magnesian Limestone, part in a railway cutting (look out for ferns) and part in the disused quarry (look for rock exposures) to the rear of Cromwell Road.
CAH.