Langham, Ashwell, Whissendine circular

Thu, 2013 Nov 21 9:36 AM GMT

Led by Barry, with Gordon and me. A few muddy sections. We missed any showers, and had glorious sunshine for most of the way, though the wind was cold. Just over 10 miles.

Beautiful sunshine, but a cold wind as we walk through Langham. 

An unusual wall decoration

 We take the road (no unauthorised vehicles) which leads past the sewage works, and carry straight on, along a walkway with anti-motor cycle gates. 

Now, I can appreciate the bit about damage, but wouldn't it be great if they'd put a boot-cleaner nearby. Whose mud is it anyway?

 We walk past a large house (Mickley Lodge, and then turn left and can either walk round a fenced outside some fields,  or follow the path over several stiles through the fields. We go behind Langham Lodge and follow the footpath way markers around the field boundaries.

Are you blocking our path or showing us the way?

We emerge on a narrow hedged path, where we can turn continue ahead, or turn left.  We do ahead and realise that this was not the way when we cross the railway at Great Tambourine Bridge, and arrive at the Oakham to Ashwell Road. About turn!  Retrace footsteps and take the correct route, which brings us out at the road between Langham and Ashwell, which is much quieter. Here we turn right and follow the road into Ashwell.

Some of these people were alive in the reign of Charles II

There is a bench in the churchyard, sheltered and sunny. With just under four miles under our belts, we award ourselves a snack break.

Ashwell church

 We leave the village on the Whissendine Road, crossing the railway again, and after about half a mile our footpath goes off to the right.  

The way is clear enough, but we make the mistake of going round a muddy field instead of across, and add an extra half mile to our walk.  One of those places where the marker is very clear when you look back, but was invisible from our original direction.

No matter, onwards! The path goes up a short hill,  and down and up again, then gently down into Whissendine, past the church, the pump and a couple of pubs.

St Andrews, Whissendine

The village pump

We come to the village green and the sign, and turn left over the bridge, then left again, to find our footpath. (Not the one near the children's playground).  It takes us through a wooded area - it's a little tricky underfoot after the recent rainy weather, but easy to follow. 

This part of the path is quite steep and tricky in parts since it is wet.

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Lone hollyhock

 Once we come out of the trees we have to walk through fields, and there's a good view of Whissendine with its windmill as we look back.

View of Whissendine from our path

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The windmill is still in sight

 After about a mile we reach the road from Whissendine to Langham, at the top of a hill, and walk along this until we meet the main A606.  We follow this for a short distance before turning left along Manor Lane.  We follow this round to Ashwell Lane and back to the car.

Langham church spire

Wildlife - two hares, a few long-tailed tits in a hedgerow, a buzzard.

Map and details