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| The Pathway at Donovan Farm |
I mentioned
Norwell’s relatively new Pathway in an earlier article this year as something I
was planning to investigate for a more detailed report. Investigation complete,
I’m back with great news about all sorts of options for outdoor adventure and
fun!
“The Pathway” in
Norwell is a project that has been unfolding over the past few years. A network
of paved cycling/walking trails, sidewalks and boardwalks, The Pathway provides
an alternative to crossing town via Route 123. If you park near the Norwell
Middle School (328 Main Street), you can travel more than a mile in either
direction – west to the high school or east to the Norris Reservation. What’s
more, there are a number of conservation properties along the route, offering various
diversions.
Last month I had an
opportunity to jog the entire length of the Pathway. If you leave your car in
the lot at Gaffield Park, the playground at the corner of Forest and River
Streets, you’ll be perfectly positioned for a round-trip Pathway journey. The
Pathway is essentially a sidewalk along Forest Street, but it’s a nice new
sidewalk!
A short distance
past the playground, more or less across the street from 83 Forest Street, is
Miller Woods, a 45-acre conservation area managed by the Town of Norwell. There
is a small (4-car) parking area, and a network of walking trails through pine
forest and red maple swamp. You could take a short walk around the first loop
trail, or a longer one, going deeper into the property. All told, the average
visitor could walk all of the trails in Miller Woods in about an hour.
The Pathway crosses
Forest Street twice – before Miller Woods and a short distance after it. As you
approach the intersection with Circuit and Pleasant Streets, you arrive at
another town-managed open space parcel, the Donovan-Wildcat Conservation Area.
If you travel the back roads of Norwell at all, you’re probably familiar with
the Donovan property: acre upon acre of green fields, along with an historic
farmhouse. The farm’s fields are leased for agricultural purposes, but there is
a short trail around two sides of the perimeter – plenty of space to amble
along and enjoy the view.
Just up Circuit
Street, toward the Council on Aging, you’ll find an 8-car parking area on the
left. This is a great starting point if you’d like to explore the larger, more
diverse conservation lands around Wildcat Hill. Past the parking area and
across Circuit Street, just a little farther up the road, look for two wooden
posts with painted blazes in Norwell’s town colors, blue and gold. This is one
of several trailheads for the Wildcat Conservation Area.
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| A bench in Wildcat Conservation Area. |
For Wildcat, which
offers a number of intersecting loops trails, I recommend you download a
brochure and map from the Town of Norwell’s website (see link below). You’ll
pass along the back side of the Donovan farm, and then into the woods.
Route-wise, there are numerous options, and most of them are marked with blue
or white blazes. There are even a few wooden signs with arrows.
On the day of my
visit, the property was a sea of green, with the trees in near-full leaf-out
and ferns sprouting up everywhere. The woodlands are diverse – some pine, some
maple, some beech – and at a few of the trail intersections, you’ll find a
wooden bench for rest or contemplation. Eventually the trails connect with
Wildcat Lane, where there is another small parking area. The trails are rough
at some points. While they are relatively flat (with the exception of those
that climb Wildcat Hill), they can be rocky. There’s evidence that they can be
muddy at times as well.
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| One of many old stone walls in Wildcat Conservation Area. |
Getting back to The
Pathway, the intersection of Forest and Circuit Streets is where it becomes a
true cycling and walking trail. Wider than the sidewalk, with marked lanes, The
Pathway continues to the Middle School complex. Along the way, it skirts the
edge of the Donovan fields, and then snakes through woods and wetlands, and
even over streams (thanks to some beautifully-built boardwalks).
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| One of the aforementioned boardwalks. |
Eventually The
Pathway emerges at the far edge of some of the town’s soccer and lacrosse
fields, continues past the Transfer Station, and dips back into the woods for
its final leg. Additional boardwalks and paved sections lead to Cushing Hill
Road, a residential street that intersects with South Street. Across the road
and down a short distance is Norwell’s high school/library complex.
If you have young
cyclists in your family – children who are learning to ride a bike, who would
enjoy the adventure of leaving the neighborhood – I recommend the middle
section of The Pathway as an intermediate step before attempting larger parks
like Wompatuck. Park at the Middle School.
And if you enjoy
jogging (walking too!), I’m pleased to report that The Pathway is a great place
to run. Starting at Gaffield Park, you’ll pretty much be going uphill the
entire way, but that means on the way home, you’ll be heading downhill. It’s a
pretty path, safe underfoot, and an excellent way to explore the town of
Norwell.
Norwell’s Conservation
Commission’s website is an excellent resource for all of the town’s open space
properties. Now that I’ve found it, I’ll be exploring more of them in the
months ahead. Follow this link for more information, and to download property
guides and maps. http://www.townofnorwell.net/conservation-commission
by Kezia Bacon,
Correspondent
June 2016
Kezia Bacon's articles
appear courtesy of the North and South Rivers Watershed Association, a local
non-profit organization devoted to the preservation, restoration, maintenance
and conservation of the North and South Rivers and their watershed. For
membership information and a copy of their latest newsletter, contact NSRWA at
(781) 659-8168 or visit www.nsrwa.org. To browse 20 years of Nature (Human and
Otherwise) columns, visit http://keziabaconbernstein.blogspot.com
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