Broomhill to Mexborough. The Dearne dawdling to the Don.
A shorter day, or so I thought, and I have time to enjoy a leisurely breakfast. Premier Inns do put on a good spread.
The TPT is busy with cyclists this morning; it is a Saturday. Underpasses have had murals painted on them by local schoolchildren, but unfortunately, the graffiti merchants have spoiled them. 
Brisk marching for me on the good surface. I’m walking through an extensive nature reserve, but without binoculars, I don’t see much. A lot of these flooded areas have been caused by mining subsidence. At one point, the exposed surface resembled a slag heap, which it probably was. 
As nature intended.
I suppose cycleways are designed for cyclists and a straight, hard surface that goes on and on eventually becomes tedious for walking.
As a distraction, I notice some of the wayside stones have been carved with a ‘nature’ theme, but they are not very obvious.
A flood relief channel and a regulator to restrict the flow were built at Bolton upon Dearne. During the 2007 floods, the washlands filled to capacity but the regulator could not be operated as it had been vandalised! 
I was pleased to escape the hard surfaces and walk along the grassy banking of the floodplain after Bolton. Looking at the map now, perhaps I was on the wrong river bank but that is of no consequence. I am making quick time today as there is nothing of great interest to detain me. 
The river is indeed dawdling as it approaches the River Don. I want to see the confluence, but thick undergrowth makes it difficult. 
The Don is a much larger waterway and navigable from the Humber to Rotheram. Just downstream from where the Dearne joins in is a large lock, and I use its access road to walk into Mexborough.
The Miners Inn, dated 1904, is now a bathroom/kitchen salesroom.
The local motte and bailey is set in a park and fairly obvious even to me. 
All looks fairly bleak as I enter the town. 
Things improve a little at the centre where there is a market and more shops, but all a bit run down. The loss of mining still affecting Northern towns.
The station is close at hand. The girls are setting off for a night in Sheffield, lashing down the booze on the train. I leave them to it and change for Preston.
It’s been a good trip to Yorkshire. A satisfying route with a logical beginning and end; in between, I think I walked about 36 miles. As I have mentioned, the waymarking is variable, and the downloadable guide, although informative not detailed enough for navigation. The GPX file on my phone saved the day in several places.
I never did see that flash of turquoise. But by popular request, here is a photo of Seth back from his holiday. 
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