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Walk Summary: Hard 8.4 mile circular walk around the Little Don valley in search of the lost town of Penisale, starting at Midhopestones taking in 3 reservoirs of Midhopestones, Langsett and Underbank.
Start : Ye Olde Mustard Pot pub at Midhopestones.
Locality: Midhopestones
Area: South East
Start OS Grid reference: SK2370099582
Start What3words : bathtubs.playroom.bedding
Difficulty: Hard
Distance miles: 8.4
Ascent meters: 333
Estimated Walk Time hours: 4.7
Pub & Locality: Ye Olde Mustard Pot at Midhopestones
Parking: Pub carpark
Public Transport: Bus 25a Holmfirth Bus station to Penistone, stop Market Lane/Stottercliffe, then Bus 23 to Thurgoland, stop Manchester Rd/ Newtoon Avenue then walk 1.5miles to pub. Journey time circa  2 hrs.  Check bus times and routes.
Walk Description:  From the pub in Midhopestones,  turn right up Chapel Lane passed the church.  Before the bend into Midhope Hall Lane, take the track straight ahead up Stony Croft Lane and follow this to the junction with Mortimer Road. Turn right, follow the road over the hill then take a right through a gate to a fortpath along Edge Cliff Brook and then along Edge Cliff around Midhope reservoir (1).  Follow the path down the toe of the dam and turn left along Midhope Hall Lane, over Hagg Bridge then going straight on at the bend along a footpath heading north west across the fields to the Little Don River. Do not take the footbridge over the river, but keep to the southside path.  Follow this path up to Midhope Cliff Lane, turning right and crossing over the Langsett Reservoir (2) dam crest road into Langsett village. Turn left and walk with care along the A616 Stocksbridge Bypass road for 200m then turn right up a track (just before Gilbert Hill) leading  to the Langsett Trail along the disused Langsett railway line. Continue along this wooded trail and take the path on the left to Alderman’s Head Cote.  Follow it round toview Alderman’s Head  Manor (3), the likely site of the lost town of Penisale (4) and then head back to join the Langsett Trail at Uskers. Walk to the end of Trail, coming out past a large shed in Sheephouse Wood, crossing over the A616 and down the access road to Underbank reservoir (5) dam, walk along the dam crest road and round onto the footpath along the southern bank of the reservoir.  Follow the bankside footpath, past the water sports activities centre, and onto Midshopestones  where the walk ends at the Ye Old Mustard Pot pub.
Other comments and Points of Interest: (1) Midhope reservoir –  Built by Barnsley Coporation between 1897 and 1903 and now managed by Yorkshire Water
(2) Langsett Reservoir – ThIS large reservoir was constructed between 1889 and 1905 by Sheffield Corporation, and is now managed by Yorkshire Water.  A temporary village was built near Langsett village to house the reservoir construction workers. peaking at some 12,000 people – no remains left today. A railway was also constructed to transport materials from Stocksbridge to the site, now the Langsett Trail.
(3) Alderman’s Head Farm/Manor – this is believed to be only remaining property from the lost village of Penisale, built in the 13th century.  Sitting on the old salt roadalong which pack horses plied between the Cheshire salt mines and Doncaster.  Seven centuries ago, the monks of Kirkstead Abbey in Lincolnshire owned the Manor and the village that nestled in the low lying ground at its feet. Close to the house is a walled monastery garden where the monks grew vegetables, and a tiny chapel, no bigger than a cloakroom is tucked into one of the garden walls.  Now a private house.
(4) Penisale –  ‘ the town that time forgot’.  In 1290, Elias de Midhope, Lord of the Manor of Penisale was granted a charter to hold weekly markets in Penisale, a century before the same was granted to Penistone.  By the 17th Century the name Penisale had long gone out of use, possibly because of the ravages of the Black Death on the local populace, with the area being part of Langsett.  Local historians have long puzzled over the whereabouts of Penisale market town, with area around Alderman’s Head Manor being the favoured site. An old poem, ‘The Yew Tree of Penistone’ supports this link.
(5) Underbank reservoir –   the reservoir was completed in 1907 by Sheffield Corporation, submerging the ancient village of Midhopestones and is now managed by Yorkshire Water.

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