Hallaton to Cranoe circular

Monday 14 January, with Marion, Eddie and Maureen. Around 6 miles.

we followed the route of this walk from Market Harborough Living, pp32-33,  but with a little extra at the start and finish.The early sun didn't last, but it stayed dry.

We parked near the Fox Inn, and walked through the village to the buttercross on the green, then took the lane to the right of the church past the primary school. 

 We went through the gate and alongside the football ground, then through another gate, where we took the left-hand path down towards the brook. The remains of a twelfth century motte and bailey can be seen on the right.

We continued southwest across four fields, passing close to a modern house and crossing the lane to it.  After this we went downhill quite steeply to a spinney, crossing a small stream, then climbed up to the farmyard of Othorpe House. We went straight ahead here and behind a barn sheltering cows, and onward toward Cranoe.

Add

 After some fairly strenuous ups and downs, we decided that a very short diversion to  Cranoe church porch was a good place for a short break.

 A navigational error added a couple of hundred yards to the distance, but was soon corrected, and we were back on track. There are just too many well-marked tracks in Leicesterhire!!

Ready for anything after all that climbing?

 After this the route was clear and level, with fine views all round. The route heads north for almost two miles, along the Midshires Way.  A short distance after crossing a very minor road to Goadby, the path turns right and heads east across fields towards Hallaton. There was a  very muddy bits, going down to a footbridge. 

Another tricky mudslide cropped up just before we joined the lane to Hallaton. We followed this lane over the ford, and uphill briefly, before taking the footpath to our right and through a field and the football field and back into the village.

Sandwiches and coffee at the Fox rounded the walk off nicely.