On the first Sunday in December, we all woke up to 2-3 inches of snow in Newbold and Hasland. As we live on a hilly estate, Julie and I decided that we would not be able to drive to church so ‘Church Walk Sunday’ became a Sunday walk to church for us.
Once we had trudged through the snow from Hasland, the main roads into and through Chesterfield had been kept clear and salted. It took us just over an hour to get to church, where we joined the other 18 in the congregation.
Bob and Evelyn were there so we discussed what we were going to do about the walk. Nobody else arrived at noon outside church so we agreed that Bob would drive the four of us back to Hasland and we would do a local walk there.
Parking on Storforth Lane, we started our walk. As we walked towards the railway bridge on Storforth Lane we noticed under the bridge was flooded, cars were getting through carefully by mounting the raised pavement on one side. Luckily the footpath on the other side was raised by over three feet so we were able to continue our walk without getting our feet wet.
We continued up Storforth Lane before turning left onto Derby Road. Leaving the road, we crossed a field on the left before entering The Avenue Washlands. This area was the site of the Avenue Coking Works which was decommissioned in 2005 and turned into a wetland reserve consisting of reedbeds, marsh, ponds and grassland. The River Rother also flows through the reserve. The area is important for its water voles and great crested newts. There are also farmland birds such as skylark and yellowhammer, wetland birds including lapwing, tufted duck and little grebe breed on the reserve and, as the reedbed and marsh develop, it is hoped that reed warbler and sedge warbler will become regular summer visitors. The scrub and tall herb areas of the site attract other birds such as grasshopper warbler, linnet and whitethroat.
Today we did not see any wildlife, with a covering of snow everywhere and the fog; white was the dominant colour.
The path snaked around the pond and reedbeds before meeting a length of boardwalk. There were fishing platforms here although no fishermen on this bleak, cold, murky day. After crossing under the railway line in a low tunnel we walked up a frozen farm track before joining the B6038 and turning left onto Churchside. The road took us past St Paul’s Church Hasland which was opened just seven years before St John’s.
We soon entered Hasland before turning left onto Storforth Lane. Here we left Bob and Evelyn so that they could drive back to Newbold, we continued our walk half a mile across Hasland to return to our home.
If anyone wishes to join us, then meet us outside church at 12pm with a packed lunch on Sunday 7th January 2024. You will be made very welcome.
Steve Franks