Will be looking for a hotel with a decent gym with training bikes so any suggestions? Once the spring comes I’ll be hoping to do some evening road rides so is the local area good for that?

crap for the mtb, but not too bad for road bike.
the area between donny, barnsley and rotherham on the west side of the A1 is made up of loads of quiet countryside, with loads of little lanes.
nice to explore.

Be careful in Doncaster.

I live about 8 miles away from donny, barnsley and rotherham and agree with ton that for the mtb the area is poor however there are some decent bridleways / footpaths that you can link together.

On the road bike i usually head towards boothferry bridge via sykehouse on relatively quiet (and flat 🙂 roads

cheekyboy +1. Not like us decent Barnsley folk 😀

oh aye.. the mountain biking’s crap in Donny..

🙄

Bloody hell, not seen an RTS for a while.

Ooooh, that is all the local beauty spots that is. 😉

Be careful in Doncaster.

& HMP Doncaster isn’t called ‘Doncatraz’ for nothing either!

If you’re going cheap and central for the hotel, Premier Inn shares a building with a gym and guests get gym for £4/day. Further out the Holiday Inn at Warmsworth has a gym and pool, and is probably less than half a mile from the locations of the photos above. Best hotel in Doncaster is probably Mount Pleasant to the south, but it has spa rather than gym.

Poor you.

Doncaster is fine for MTB if you like riding in straight lines. All the builders have a massive hard-on for building tracks straight down the hill and off some sort of huck-to-flat. The locals like falling through the air, that’s about it.

If you do end up at the hotel in Warmsworth, as midlife… recommend, you’d be only a few minutes away from some reasonable trails along the valley.

All those pics spacehopper posted are taken about 20 yards from each other 😀

Stay in Donny quite a bit with work, the town is not the greatest for anything but I really like the premier inn mentioned above, (fishergate)it’s clean, well managed as most importantly the staff are friendly.

Don’t know about any riding its get in ,get out for me.

And best part of 20 years old in some cases

Probably why their happy.

Spacehopper – where’s all that???!?

#doncasterisgreat

Wharncliffe and Greno woods 40 mins drive away, Clumber Park 20 mins drive down the A1.

Pook – It’s Nearcliffe woods/Steatley quarry (and along the valley towards town) between Conisbrough and Warmsworth.

interesting….

Unfortunately looks like Warmsworth isn’t ideal as I’ll be working on the east side in West Moor Park. So the Premier Inn might be the best bet though would prefer to be out of town so anywhere good out to the east?

Just found The Beverley Inn and Hotel in Edenthorpe which looks good, no gym but maybe convenient for country roads for cycling and close to the office.

Aye, Nearcliffe woods and Steatley are ok… but it’s about the long and short of what you get in Donny.
It being right next to Connisborough is a proper turn off for me, and I’m a Balby lad! (though I’m in Sheffield now)

Oh and while I doubt you’ll need the warning, avoid the town centre on a night. It’s an experience!

Ha, yeah, you learn to ride fast around here, mainly to outrun the chavs on nicked 125s demanding an answer to the immortal question “Oi mate, ow much is ya bike werf?!”

Is Doncaster really that bad nowadays? I used to frequent the town centre regularly 10 years ago and never had a problem.

there’s enough trails round steetley /conisborough to do some half decent trail rides,never had any hassle off the locals,used to do some trails out towards the barnsley road (cusworth area).
bonus as well pines is 30 mins away,wharncliffe the same and 50 minutes see’s you at lady bower.
so much for no riding…..

I see there are a few small hotels out to the east which would be best for where I’ll be working but maybe the Holiday Inn (which looks pretty good) would be OK as connected it’s mostly motorway driving over the 10 miles – or A roads through the middle for 8.5.

Doncaster is really a pretty small town linked to half a dozen or so expanded villages through sprawl. The position of the river and railways means getting into or through town at rush hour is a pain due to the pinch points, so while Premier Inn would be fine for rush hours as you’re working against traffic flow, if you pick any of the newer chains round the lakeside/M18J3 area it’ll be quicker to use the motorway to hop round to Armthorpe/West Moor/M18J4. Don’t think any of the other cheaper chains of hotels have a gym, or even any of the older hotels, Danum/Regent/Earl/StLeger.Can’t be 100% as I don’t stay in them as I live here.

The motocross park is at J4, and there is riding to be had at Sandall Beat woods and around close to your site. There’s actually lots to ride, just that the lack of height makes it all a bit meh. Enough bridleways and quiet roads to link up the various woods and former mines to make enough to ride from the door, plus the stuff you’ve seen above at the Don Gorge/Steetly’s quarry. East and south of town you’re into drained flatlands.

Have been working down that way a fair bit since October, here’s my critique of the places I have stayed in.
Ibis Rotherham not too bad, right on M18 it has a Bannatynes next door also McD’s, a carvery and a Morrisons all on the same park.
St Leger in Doncaster small but modern rooms, parking is awkward and the place is run a bit Fawlty Towers style. Handy for the Town Centre(15 mins walk)
Travelodge Lakeside is pretty much brand new, nice location. Beefeater, Asda and Lakeside leisure centre all close by.
As for biking I can’t comment, sorry.

We stayed here : Catesby Business Park First Point Doncaster , DN4 5JH its an Express by Hilday Inn pretty new decent location close to ther facilities and there is a pub across the car park where the food is spot on. Not sure about gyms nearby but I am sure there will be

Visit to On-One’s shop maybe?

Ok not Donny* any more but not far away.

*ok a warehouse on the edge of Doncaster may technically not have been a shop but I bought stuff there a few times.