Martyn's Blog

Previously on Martyn’s Blog…

From the [Worksop] war memorial, I headed back up the road to the railway station. I had another train to catch, but I wasn’t going home just yet.

Worksop post

See the Worksop post for the previous instalment of this gripping saga.

After arriving back at Worksop station, I caught the train and headed one stop east to Shireoaks station.

Shireoaks station was opened in July 1849 by the Sheffield and Lincolnshire Junction Railway. Some of the station buildings were demolished as the station became unstaffed, but some still survive and are used as waiting shelters. The station house is now a private residence.

Shireoaks is a former mining village, the pit having closed in May 1991. It is now mostly residential, with new housing estates having been built to the north of the village. On the site of the former pit is a country park, with a sculpture at the top. In order to get there, though, I had to go back onto the Chesterfield Canal.

Close to the canal is the Shireoaks Marina, for boaters to moor up while visiting Shireoaks. After about ten minutes walk, I found the road up to the country park. Within the park are several fitness training activities for people to exercise. Some of them are broken, though.

At the very top of the hill where the pathways converge is a viewpoint and sculpture created in 2013 with designs from local school children incorporated into the seating. The sculpture represents the old Shireoaks Colliery chimney.

After taking in the spectacular views, I headed back down the hill and across the pathway which leads back to the railway station, where I caught the next service back to Sheffield. I got a direct train back to Burton on Trent, although I had to stand all the way as the seats were all full.

That’s it for this post, thanks very much for reading.