Harringworth - Seaton - Morcott - Barrowden - Harringworth

 Thursday 21 March 2019, with Eddie. Around 9 miles. Fine and quite warm, with a small amount of mud.  Fine views of the viaduct, twice with a train crossing. Coffee and teacakes at Barrowden Community Shop.
We set out from Harringworth, close to the cross. We took the Wakerley Road for a few yards, walking down past the stables, and through the churchyard, resplendent with blossom this morning.

At the road we turned left for a few yards then took the footpath alongside the houses, to the right. We followed the path turning right rather than left to the village Hall. It goes along to the viaduct, but is a bit tricky to find in places. At the viaduct we turned left and went through a gate, then across the field making for a footbridge over the Welland. Across a couple of fields, the second one quite sticky. We were wiming for a footbridge to the right of the large farmhouse.
The footpath takes you round this house and on to the drive and the road. We crossed the road and took the steps up and over the dismantled railway, then onward to Seaton.

Looking back to the viaduct

A flock of sheep and lambs appeared to think we were good shepherds,  and followed us enthusiastically across one of the fields - alas they were disappointed.

Sorry, folks, no food for you!

We passed houses and the church in Seaton, turning right at the next road. We walked past the pub and took the road signposted to Morcott and Barrowden.

The viaduct again

Just before a bridge we took the footpath down into the valley, leaving the gate to the railway on the left. We came to the bridge under another dismantled railway.

Eddie working out where the railway lines went...

We kept the railway track on our right, and made our way along field edges (avoiding more ploughed land) up to the A47, not far from the motel, petrol station and cafe. We crossed - it's busy - then took the footpath northeast from the road junction near the motel etc. and into Morcott. We turned right along the road to the junction with the A6121 from Stamford, and crossed it to the footpath heading eastish. We skirted the field to avoid more mud, went through a short stretch of woodland and came out at the A47 close to the junction with the Barrowden Road. 

Barrowden windmill

After this it was simply a matter of walking downhill to the village and finding the Community shop and cafe for a welcome coffee and teacake. We probably stopped for half an hour or so, before making our way back out of the village, past the pub, the village green and the duckpond, along Seaton Road for a few yards, then turning left and finding the stile to join the Jurassic Way, which we followed across a couple of fields, then close to a dismantled railway. We turned left and downhill to Turtle Bridge and the Welland.

Borderlands - the sign over the bridge says "Rutland"

We turned right to follow the river as far as the field with horses, which we crossed to reach the road where we had parked.

And once again ...

I can't resist posting the charts for pace - mostly just over three miles per hour - and the elvation profile, which makes it look as though we have scaled mighty peaks!,