Rotherham

Walk Details:
Date: 27/4/2007
Total ascent: 22m/ 72ft
Total distance walked: 0.81 miles
Walkers: Anth, Jim
Car Parking: There’s a lay-by at SK 498 794 (watch out for the pot-hole).
Accessibility: No official public access, but there’s a small gap in the roadside hedge around the reservoir just south of the entrance at SK 497 794

Top details:
Name: Harthill Field
County top number: 150 of 206
Grid reference: SK 49446 79734
Height above sea level: 157m/ 515ft
Description/Notes: The high point of Rotherham Unitary Authority is a reservoir (as that’s man-made, it’s probably actually somewhere on the level land surrounding the reservoir). The nearby trig point is visibly lower.

The Walk:

There was still no sign of Cat and Jus as we arrived at our seventh top of the day (Jim was starting to repeatedly ask “where’s the wimmin?). Jim hit a deep pothole when pulling into the lay-by, narrowly avoiding damage to his car whilst jarring my coccyx, leaving me a cripple for the next few hours.

We strolled (or in my case, hobbled) back up the road, frequently jumping up onto the narrow verge to avoid oncoming traffic. Finally we got a call from Cat, and arranged to meet at the next top. It was probably her ‘phone call that distracted us long enough to miss the entrance into the reservoir compound.

Quarter of a mile later we were forced to retrace our steps, looking for the way in. We knew from other baggers on the web that there was a way into this reservoir, and sure enough on the second pass we saw a clear gap in the hedge, just a few metres from the gated vehicular entrance.

Inside it was surprisingly pleasant. From the top of the covered reservoir there were views through pretty blossom to a huge yellow expanse of oilseed rape (EU subsidsed..?) stretching all the way to the M1. The highest manmade point was one of the small structures atop the reservoir, whilst the highest natural point could have been anywhere in the grass immediately surrounding the reservoir – we wandered around briefly with the GPS but couldn’t identify any one point that was definitely higher. The trig point in the adjacent field was visibly lower and we didn’t bother to visit it.

Verdict:
Pleasant enough, but for committed baggers only.