Hallaton - Slawston - Cranoe - Keythorpe Lakes Farm - Hallaton

Thursday 26 May . just under 2 hours and a half walking time - around 8 miles. Up to 600 feet. With Eddie and Barry. A 12 stile walk. 

Opposite the village centre with the war memorial and butter cross, a path leads through an archway between the houses.  You cross a footbridge and make your way up 'Hare Pie Bank',  across the track used on Easter Monday by the Hare Pie and bottle-kickers.  Continue along the path, passing the splendour of Hallaton Manor Rest Home on your right.  Across two fields and a stream, then another field into Slawston.

Turn right and walk along the main street until another footpath is marked to the left.Across the corner of the first field, then along the edge, a (long) zig-zag round two edges of the next field, through a hedge on the left and over a plank bridge, straight on then right until you reach the road to Cranoe.

At Cranoe Church

Where's the Pink Panther, then?

 A few hundred yards into the village, turn right up the hill to the church, and a few yards past it, there is a footpath sign on the right hand side of the road. Take the path up the hill and follow the wide ridge along until you reach a crossing of tracks, with signposts.  Don't turn right - this takes you directly to Hallaton down a quiet road/track.   Instead follow the Midshires Way, past Keythorpe Lodge Farm, then downhill to Keythorpe Lakes - a large dairy farm.  When you see the farmhouse turn sharp left and follow the bridleway, and then the path.  You climb gently at first, then more steeply to Hallaton Spinneys and Moor Hill Spinneys up to about 150 metres.
To you right is Issets' Lodge, a huge new house,  with a mysterious array of poles.  Are they lights, mini solar panels,  or beacons to guide a private plane down?

From the top you walk gently descending the ridge, with wide views over rural Leicestershire, down towards Hallaton.  Ignore any turn to the left,  emerging opposite the Fox Inn and its pond. Just as we arrived a heron flew off.  Walk through the village, past a pump, and ? village lock up, back to the central green and Buttercross.