Illston and Rolleston circular

 Monday 19th August, with Harry and Norma. Just over 5.5 miles.

 

We set off from Illston, taking the footpath opposite Main Street, just across Illston Lane, and heading east. 

Not the most used path!

 We crossed three fields and followed the path past Barn Farm and The Farm to reach New Inn Lane. 

Across the road and a short distance to the right was the entrance to Rolleston Hall Estate. We walked down the avenue of trees, through fields of sheep, and turned right along a private road with no access to vehicles. 

This took us past the church, and down hill to the lake.

We stopped to admire the view, then turned back and found a convenient water trough to perch on for a short break.

We rejoined our path, leaving the metalled section shortly after passing a paddock. The path peels off to the left, and heads roughly northwest before turning southwest then west past Cranhill Farm Estate.

On the main road we turned right and almost immediately left on to Ashlands Road, the gated road to Illston. 

We took the second footpath/bridleway to the right and followed this. After a shortish distance it crossed the hedge on our left, and we took the path behind a farm and the grand house of Ashlands. 

A gate led into a wooded area, where the ground was still quite muddy in a few places.

When we came out of the wood, we turned slightly right to keep the hedge on our right and followed the path through three fields to reach the road between Illston and Gaulby. We turned towards Illston, and something under a mile of road walking brought us back to the village.

A pleasant and varied walk, with about 200 feet of ups and downs. We spotted a swallow, a muntjac and a buzzard while walking.

We had lunch at Buttercups, with its alpacas, goats and various stone and metal beasts.

Great Cransley, Cransley reservoir, Thorpe Malsor, Loddington, Great Cransley

 Friday 9th August

Cloudy, but pleasant weather.

Met Marta at her place at 10. We did the same route walk as I did on July 15th. We drove to Great Cransley, parking along Church Lane, and  followed the same route as last time.  This involves the path almost opposite the Three Cranes,  crossing the field to meet Northfield Road. We turned right and walked for half a mile or so. When we reached a double footpath sign on our left, we took the left hand path with a hedge on our right. This leads down to the sailing and fishing lodge on Cransley Reservoir.  

The path takes us across the dam, and when we come to a fancy we turn right and walk uphill. After some distance the path follows the field boundary round to the right, and takes us into Thorpe Malsor. 

We chatted to a local man, whose dog had a sore foot. He covered rural crime, farmers’ tractors or satellite guides being stolen, his son’s motorbike, the fact he was in his decorating clothes …and more.

We sat and had a coffee and oatcake on the bench outside the church, before continuing along the road to Loddington. 

This section is about a mile beside the road, which is just a bit busy for comfort. The foot way is too narrow and we decided it was safer to cross over and face the oncoming traffic.

We turned left along a public footpath shortly before the end of the village and walked over the fields, annd down hill slightly to cross the stream. The bridge was slightly to the right of where we expected it. We continued past Mill Farm, and through more fields back to Cransley, keeping on route slightly better this time than last week!

Near Cransley as we left the field where there are horses and sheep, the slightly overgrown alleyway provided us with some delicious blackberries.

Just over 5 miles.

As The Three Cranes wasn’t open for lunch we went to the Red Lion in Broughton, where the landlord offered to make sandwiches for us - we think he may have been sent out to buy the bread!  Tuna sandwiches with salad and mayo. We drank alcohol-free beer with it. Very helpful and cost only £7.15 each in all.