Huthwaite and Nottinghamshire's Three Peaks, 2nd August 2026

Dave led twelve members on a 7.7 mile walk starting at the Brierley Forest Country Park in Huthwaite. The park takes its name from the former colliery on the site, officially known as Sutton Colliery but known locally as Brierley Pit after the Staffordshire miners who came from the area of Brierley Hill to sink the pit in the early 1870s. After a pleasant walk in shade round the park and a diversion to a disappointing Hardwick View (an alternative peak at 190m - see later), we turned north to cross the River Meden and reach the Teversal Trail and the Teversal Visitors Centre for refreshments. We then climbed up on good tracks to our second peak (204m) at Silverhill with its iconic Testing for Gas sculpture with views in all directions. Returning to the Teversal Trail via Fackley, we lunched at Teversal Station and then followed the trail to Chesterfield Road which we took to reach our final peak at Strawberry Bank (202m) before dropping down to the start.

Commemorating the 20 miners who were seriously injured by fire and the five men that died of their injuries in the Sutton Colliery (Brierley Pit) disaster on 21st February 1957

Teversal Trails Coal Garden, incorporating a variety of artifacts from the local colliery, marks the entrance to the trails - coffee stop

Teversal Colliery plate.  One of many in the Visitor Centre

Climbing up to the second peak - originally a mine spoil heap on the site of the former Silverhill Colliery which closed in the 1990s.

The bronze statue, Testing for Gas, shows a kneeling coal miner with a Davy lamp.  It was created by artist Antony Dufort as a tribute to the miners of the Nottinghamshire coalfields and commemorates coal mining at the 85 Nottinghamshire collieries (see below)

The names of the principal collieries in the county, 1819–2005

Views of Lincoln Cathedral (perhaps) to the east and Hardwick Hall to the north (with a bit of help from AI)

The site at Newtonwood Lane (not visited this time due to overgrown paths), although unmarked (and unremarkable!) at a location on the edge of a service reservoir, like Strawberry Bank is considered to be natural and at 205m is now officially the highest point in Nottinghamshire

As seen in Fackley
Q - What's the connection between Teversal and King Tut? 
A - The 5th Earl of Carnarvon owned Teversal Manor.  He led the famous 1922 expedition with archaeologist Howard Carter which discovered the tomb of Tutankhamun.

Lunch at Teversal Station

Strawberry Bank (202m) - the highest habitation in Nottinghamshire

Brierley Forest Country Park Visitor Centre - more refreshments at the end

Showing both today's route and an earlier one to the Newtonwood Lane peak

Car Colston and Screveton, 28th July 2026

Three welcome visitors (and nine regulars) on Dave's 3.7 mile stroll from Car Colston taking us across very dry fields to Screveton for a short break inside the pinfold.  Then we walked up Lodge Lane to Red Lodge near the A46 before dropping down to visit St Mary's Church before ending up back at the Royal Oak for a welcome drink.

Thanks Rab and Bill for the photos.

The start in the car park behind the Royal Oak

The Smithy in Screveton, a well-preserved example of a rural blacksmith’s workshop, dating from the mid-17th century

The Pinfold appeared on the 1882 Ordnance Survey map.  Zoom in to read about all the trades that existed in the village

Taking a break inside the pinfold

Red Lodge Antiques formerly The Red Lodge Inn (1811), situated on the old Fosse Way

Shakerdale Farm, home to a number of businesses including Belvoir Home Care

Approaching Car Colston in a field of buckwheat and lacy phacelia, used as a cover crop

St Mary's Church, Car Colston

An alternative church

Fine brickwork on The Green in Car Colston

Classic 1947 Riley - same as my first car but in better condiion (what did I expect for £35)

Bingham, quiz and tea in the garden, 26th July 2026

Sue and Dave organised this 4-mile walk through Bingham taking in the Linear Walk, the Cemetery, Crow Close, Butt Field, St Mary's Church, the Market Square and Wynhill Playing Fields before serving 20 ramblers with tea and cakes in their garden.  Over 30 questions were provided as well as painted rocks distributed along the route, the winners receiving a  prize at the end.

Thanks Sue and Dave, and others, for the quiz, tea and cake.

The rules explained in the garden

How many carriages are there on the bridge on the Linear Walk?

Where was the original site of the Roman well?

When was the lychgate rebuilt?

Who was remembered at The Buttercross?

Harby, Dove Cottage and the Grantham Canal, 22nd July 2026

Starting at the Harby Village Hall, Angela took eight members on a 4-mile walk through the village and across fields to reach Canal Lane which we took to reach the Grantham Canal near Dove Cottage.  We then followed the very overgrown canal to Colston Lane and back to the start after a diversion for some to the Nags Head.

Harby Village School

Wildlife in Harby - mural on the village school wall

More wildlife?

Bridge 45 near Dove Cottage

Sunset over the allotments in Harby

Retford,the Chesterfield Canal and Babworth, Pilgrim Fathers' Walk, 19th July 2026

Paul's 9.2 -mile Pilgrim Fathers' Walk started in the New Street car park in Retford and took six VBR members and a similar number from other groups including five from Ratford, over the River Idle and through Kings Park to reach the Chesterfield Canal. We then followed it for 3½ miles to Green Lane (once known as the Great North Road), a green lane heading back towards Retford. A diversion across fields took us to Babworth Park and the famous All Saints Church with its connections to the Pilgrim Fathers.

James Brindley's Chesterfield Canal, completed in 1777, runs for 32 miles from the Trent at West Stockwith, through Retford and Worksop to the now-collapsed 1.5 mile Norwood Tunnel near the M1. There is a clearly signposted route though all the way into Chesterfield, the Cuckoo Way, named after the old horse-drawn boats unique to this canal. The canal was built to export coal, limestone and lead from Derbyshire, iron from Chesterfield and corn, timber, groceries, etc. into Derbyshire and was used to transport stone from North Anston Quarry for building the Houses of Parliament.

Map of the Cuckoo Way showing routes of past VBR walks

First view of the Chesterfield Canal in Retford

Canal lock and towpath

A joint Retford Ramblers and Vale of Belvoir Ramblers group - perhaps this how small groups will operate in future

Drinks stop

Forest Lock

All Saints Church at Babworth.  This church is famous as the community start point for the Pilgrim Fathers who left Nottinghamshire for Holland before sailing from Plymouth to the New World in 1620

River Idle in Retford, source of water for the canal

These wharves near the centre of Retford were important trading centres for two centuries until the arrival of the railways

Narrowboats in Retford Basin

A reminder of when Brenda met Robbie Cumming, who was making an episode of BBC Four's Canal Boat Diaries, last time we were here in 2022