The village of Darton is located on the banks of the River Dearne, and sits on the border between South and West Yorkshire that was established in 1972. It is an old village, recorded in the Domesday Book as Dertone, and with a name that may be derived from “Dearne” and the Old English "ton”, but may also not (according to the Darton village website, opinion on the etymology is divided. It is too small and too innocuous to be of significant historical note, despite boasting a twelfth century church that we will pass on the walk, and like many of the villages and villages-turned-suburbs that we have visited thus far, it only really achieved local significance when the village of Woolley Colliery was built on its doorstep to provide housing for workers at a colliery also named – unsurprisingly – Woolley Colliery. But rural villages such as Darton are a quintessential feature of the English countryside and whilst it may not be widely known outside of the West Riding, it is pretty enough and forms the starting point for a scenic circular walk, nearly half of which follows the banks of the River Dearne.
Darton Railway Station opened in January 1850 and is a happy if unlikely survivor of the Beeching Axe; the original station buildings were demolished in 1970 and the station is another unmanned, basic, twin platform affair. From here, we begin with a tour of the historic village centre. First, walk to Mill Lane and follow this to Church Street, then turn right to cross the bridge over the River Dearne. Turn left opposite the old Scout Hut and follow a track into Darton Park, a basic village recreation ground with a playground, bowling green, tennis courts and football pitch, although sadly no café or toilets. Stay on the path as it eventually turns right and follow it to Barnsley Road, then turn right and follow the road to the junction with Church Street, passing the Liberal Working Men’s Club on the right. This was originally a sixteenth century Coach House called the Malt Shovel Inn.
At the junction with Church Street, look left to see the Rose & Crown, which is the third pub on the site, the earliest believed to have been built in the sixteenth century. Turn right along Church Street, passing the Church of All Saints, another of South Yorkshire’s collection of twelfth century churches, dating from at least 1150.
The Church of All Saints.
Its solid, square tower dominates the village, and the churchyard, which contains Medieval grave slabs and Darton War Memorial, is also worth exploring. From the church, follow Church Street, passing the Old Vicarage on the left, which was built in 1716 to replace an early vicarage that dated from 1484. Continue along Church Street, shortly passing the Anvil Arms, a recently opened micro pub that was formerly the Old Co-op Ale House. Just after passing the old Sunday School (a fine stone building constructed in 1818) on the right, turn left along a public footpath, bearing right to cross a footbridge over the River Dearne, then turn left into Longfields Community Green Space.
Follow the path along the bank of the River Dearne for approximately one and a half miles to Haigh Lane.
The River Dearne.
This rural stretch of the walk is easily the most scenic, as the river meanders gently between fields, and forms another section of the Dearne Way, which we briefly followed on the Bolton upon Dearne walk. On reaching Haigh Lane turn right and walk uphill, shortly passing under a railway bridge; to the left across the fields, the former station of house of Haigh Railway Station can be seen. The station opened in 1850 on the same line as Darton station, but unlike its neighbouring station fell victim to the Beeching Axe, closing in 1965; thus, whilst Darton station lost its original buildings but kept its services, Haigh station did the opposite and got the worse part of that bargain Just before reaching the Old Chapel Care Home (which as its name suggests was originally the village chapel, but has been heavily extended and modified) turn right along Moorhouse Lane.
Follow Moorhouse Lane past Near Moor Farm and continue as it becomes a very muddy track and turns left to run uphill alongside fields to Woolley Edge. Here, we have briefly joined another long-distance footpath, the seventy-three mile long circular Barnsley Boundary Walk. Follow the footpath through the steeply slowing hillside wood to Woolley Edge Lane. Turn right and just after passing the junction with The Grange on the right (a road leading to the Woolley Grange housing estate) turn right and follow a public footpath downhill through trees, along the edge of a field, and then into Windhill Wood. At a junction, bear right and continue downhill along a tarmac drive, which shortly becomes Woolley Colliery Road. Continue straight ahead, passing Woolley Colliery Village and a steel memorial sculpture erected to remember the workers at Woolley Colliery. Unlike most of the mining memorials we have seen so far in South Yorkshire, this doesn’t incorporate an old pit wheel, but is instead a scale model of a colliery pit head bearing a plaque.
Stay on Woolley Colliery Road, passing the cricket ground of Barnsley Woolley Miners Cricket Club on the right. Finally, when the road bends to the left, turn right along a path and follow it downhill through more trees to reach the Darton station car park.
From Darton, the Hallam line continues further into the West Riding towards the City of Wakefield; we will follow it later. First however, we return to Barnsley and then head west along the Penistone Line to another former mining village turned suburb…
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