This was a recce of a 7-mile walk from Rufford Mill, through Rufford Country Park and along the Robin Hood Way to the River Maun near Edwinstowe, returning beside the High Marnham Test Track originally used to deliver coal from Thoresby Colliery to High Marnham Power Station. The route could be extended to 10½ miles by going north into Sherwood Forest and visiting the Major Oak and the Edwinstowe Visitor Centre before rejoining the railway.
The route was unsatisfactory due to excessive road walking and dangerous crossings. Better options are to use the RSPB car park in Edwinstowe to access Sherwood Forest or to use a route from Rufford Mill to Ompton and Wellow but this depends on whether you can access the Robin Hood Way from Rufford Country Park.
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| Rufford Mill, once a corn mill for the Rufford Abbey estate |
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| Rufford Abbey, originally a Cistercian abbey founded in 1145, it was converted to a country house in the 16th century after the Dissolution of the Monasteries |
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| Bronze sculpture in Rufford Country Park |
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| Rufford Gardens |
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| Attractive piece of industrial archaeology - Thoresby Colliery Junction Signal Box |
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| Distant view of theThoresby Colliery site and tip now being redeveloped |
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| Rufford Mill Ford - for more exciting images see YouTube |
