Towards Roche Abbey

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A round walk starting from Maltby to Roche Abbey through Hooton Levitt and Laughton-en-le-Morthen. Part one.


All adventures must start somewhere and this modest one started in Rotherham, having caught a train from Sheffield only to find that the bus to Maltby had just left, I found myself with almost an hour to fill.
Rotherham has a fascinating bridge connecting the train station to the bus interchange and I might have been tempted to investigate but it was Sunday morning and a local football match was drawing in fans to the pubs in the city centre. I feel self-conscious walking about with my camera at the best of times but especially amongst larger crowds. The shopping precinct is overshadowed by the brooding hulk of Rotherham Minster actually called All Saints Church and I sat in it's shadow and watched the local people and early football fans mingle. I resisted the urge to get out my camera from my rucksack for a good 20 minutes but the Minster is such a fine building I felt it would be a shame to pass by without trying to capture an image.
Rotherham Minster, All Saints Church. Origins in the 14th Century.

I returned to the bus interchange and caught a bus to the former mining town of Maltby, retracing my commuting journey that I made daily from Sheffield.
How is possible to pass through somewhere everyday and yet know so little about it? The town has a number of Roman roads passing through it and is mentioned in the Domesday Book, a survey of England and Wales completed in year 1085 for William the Conqueror. The town was a small farming village mainly until coal was discovered in the late 19th century but still only had a population of several hundred at the start of 20th century. A massive increase in the population happened after World War II and interestingly enough, I used to work for a company based on an industrial estate built on the site of a World War II munitions factory at the far end of the town in the shadow of the last remaining open colliery.

My walking route started at St. Bartholomew's Church tucked away from the main road at the junction with Blyth Road. I had hoped that the vast fields of rapeseed would be in flower but unfortunately it was too early. I spent a little time sorting my kit and getting ready to start the walk, checking water bottles, adjusting straps, attaching my camera bag to the belt support of my rucksack where I can get at it, readjusting straps and finally setting off, walking guide in hand.


St. Bartholomew's Church, Maltby. The tower dates from the transition between late Saxon and early Norman architecture between the 10th - 11th century. The main body of the church was rebuilt in the 15th century.
A characterful tree stump in St. Bartholomew's churchyard. 
I enjoyed the peaceful atmosphere of the churchyard inspecting the gravestones before consulting my walking guide and crossing Maltby Dike and heading off in the direction of the village Hooton Levitt.
The village itself is tiny, isolated and when I passed through there wasn't a soul around, it felt like a small hamlet way out in the countryside, not quite picturesque but still pleasant. This part of the walk opened up on top of a ridge with the level ground dipping gently to my left but on my right falling abruptly away while looking down on Maltby, Wickersley and towards Rotherham on the far horizon.
Having just changed from a bridge camera to a Micro Four Thirds system I'm still getting used to a new camera but I just could not capture the big sky landscape rolling out before me.
Hooton Levitt, incidentally, is also mentioned in the Domesday Book as "Hoton" or "Hotune" from the Norse for hill- hoot, and enclosed farmstead- tun. Levitt is from the name of the powerful Norman "de Livit" family that rose to prominence in the area in the 12th century. Hence Hooton Levitt. 

The walk follows the footpath to Laughton-en-le-Morthen along country lanes over Beacon Hill, this section has some wonderful views with Maltby behind with the distant colliery towering up, "I used to work over there" I thought to myself and a rising spire on a prominence indicating Laughton-en-le-Morthen in front.
The transmitter tower on beacon Hill just before Carr Lane.
An Ordinance Survey Column which is a triangulation station and was used to measure and map Great Britain accurately. In clear weather you should be able to see two other columns from the first. Provided they haven't been overgrown, ploughed over or pulled down. This one is 150m above sea level.

Laughton-en-le-Morthen viewed from Bib Lane. Skylarks danced and sang above.
By now I had been walking for almost an hour and a half; I was looking forward to finding a choice spot for a sit down, a chance to get out my faithful flask and a have a bite to eat. The distance from the start of the walk should only have taken 30 minutes but a combination of directions open to loose interpretation from my guide book and stopping every 100 metres or so to pull out the camera and take a picture had slowed me down somewhat. However, the weather was warm, the sun was out from in-between the clouds, Skylarks danced above me and sometimes the journey is the destination. With these and other philosophical musings I descended down narrow steep-sided country lanes with banks topped with hedge and dry-stone walls. The type with blind corners where you're apprehensive about suddenly meeting cars or tractors in case you have to scramble for the verge.

I emerged out of the lane and found myself on the edge of the tiny village of Brookhouse. Directly in front of me beneath a painted wooden sign for the village was a seat, on to which I gratefully sat down. Tea or coffee when drunk from a flask does have a particular taste but I have to say it seems to taste better the more you work for it. And it went down a treat with my nutty chocolate bar.
The sign beneath which I enjoyed modest refreshment.
This seems a reasonable place to stop for now otherwise this post will go on forever, part 2 will cover Laughton-en-le-Morthen to Roche Abbey.
Location: Maltby, South Yorkshire, UK

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