Uffington, Casewick, Barholm, Greatford

Thursday 27 April 2017, starting at 10.20.  With Maureen.  A cold grey day, with occasional drizzle, and a chilly wind.
This is the route we took in December 2013.

We parked on School Lane, and walked back to Casewick Lane where we turned left. We followed the road to the estate gates, 

From here the lane becomes a public footpath and leads past the house and other buildings. 

Lady smock flowers?

The hall

and its ha-ha

 The path crosses a couple of fields and goes over the railway line. Definitely a case for crossing with care, as the trains pass at over 100 mph. However, the right of way is still there.

Clearly marked paths along field edges lead into Barholm, where we turned right and then left immediately after the church.

The path is clear, over fields and a bridge over Greatford Cut.

Mobile phone mast and trees.

Inspired by Monet?

Inside Greatford church

An unusual stained glass window

After a quick visit to the church, we continued along Greatford Gardens and walked along to the end, where the gates and boundary of Greatford Hall are protected with some vicious looking razor wire.  The footpath turns right, and then left through the trees. Turn right at the end of the woods, then cross an arable field - easy enough at this time of year.

Cows and calves in the fields of Shillingthorpe Park

The path turns slightly left, keeping the wood on the right, and then follows the track through Shillingthorpe Park, over the River West Glen to the road. We turned right and walked for about a mile along this road. There is a level crossing at around the half mile mark.
At the next junction we turned left, and very soon joined the bridleway to the right.Shortly before the bridleway joins a road our path goes to the left, along field edges, over a footbridge and on for some distance. Eventually it turns right and we walk for a mile or so towards Uffington.

View of Burghley House across the valley.

When we meet the main Stamford - Deepings road we turn left, and walk as far as the church gates, turn left through the churchyard and out on the other side at School Lane.

Uffington Casewick Barholm Greatford

Thu, 2013 Dec 5 9:36 AM GMT

Led by Barry, with me Gordon and Maureen. Reverse of a previous walk. Weather very windy, and for the last mile or so a downpour. Good underfoot. Just over 9 miles. New problem with footpath crossing of mainline railway.

Previous walk in reverse.

We left Uffington on Casewick Lane, and followed the footpath along the main driveway with a winter view of the hall.

Casewick Hall

Dovecot

monument

Happy Christmas

 The railway crossing appears to have been closed. Memo to self - contact Lincs CC.

Can they just do this?

 After the railway we walked over fields to Barholm, where we paused at the church.

Lantern in the porch of Barholm church

 The path beside the church takes us directly to Greatford, crossing a dyke/canal/cut on the way.

Greatford

The ducks make a quick getaway

There are a lot of odd stone structures

 Greatford Church was open - well worth a look.

Memorial to Francis Willis, MD, who treated George III.  Greatford Church

 We walk through Waterside Gardens and turn right along a narrow path between fences, then alongside woodland.

We were pleased to reach the end of this section in the high winds.

Just possible to see the herd of deer

The path takes us through Shillingthorpe Park, and over the River West Glen.  Then we have a mile or so of road walking, and another crossing of the railway, before a left turn at the road junction.

 Then it's turn right along a bridleway, with trees each side - quite muddy, but very clear. At the end of it I turn round and see a dramatic rainbow.

Up to now we had stayed dry - but a rainbow tends to mean - rain.

 From here we take the path to our left, behind a farm and alongside fields and back into Uffington.

poplars in the wind

Ah - 'twas just a clearing up shower!

A wet last mile!





Map and details

Uffintgon circular - Greatford, Barholm, Casewick Park

Wed, 2013 Sep 11 10:01 AM British 'summer' Time

With Marta. Same walk as one on july 25 2013. Flat terrain. Overcast day, but dry - good underfoot - paths clear. About 10 miles - .25 ish switch-off after Greatford pub.

The same walk as I did on July 25 2013.  This time we found our way to Greatford Church, but we still couldn't locate 'Meg's Well'.  The photos show very grey skies.

Near Uffington church stand three redwoods.

Marta saw two hares when she looked through the huge gates of Uffington Manor on the main road.We turn right before the houses after West Hall Farm.

We believe this is the site of the mill mound marked on the OS map.  

Our path takes us over farmland, always clearly marked and following track or field edge. We come out behind Cobbs Nook Farm, and join the Macmillan Way,  along a wooded bridleway.  We join the road turning left and then right to where we cross the East Coast Mainline at a level crossing.  A short half mile takes us to our left turn into Shillingthorpe Park.

The cows and calves are gathered round the food here.

We cross the river West Glen, and make our way to along the farm road to the woodland, before turning right over fields.  These are no problem this time, as they have been harvested and waymarking is good.  We follow the path behind the very private Greatford Hall into the village. A local resident of 25 year's standing tells us how to access the church - there's a small white gate near the bridge over the small river.

In the church is a memorial to Francis Willis, who is reputed to have cured George III of his madness in 1789.  Dr Willis owned Greatford Hall, and ran an asylum there.   The church also boasts a Roman coffin, and many interesting plaques and dedications.

As we come from the church towards the road we pass the entrance to Greatford Hall.  It was destroyed by fire in 1922, but rebuilt.

The inn sign for the local pub, where we had an excellent baguette lunch, with friendly service.

A large stone cross near Bridge cottages

The crown commemorates the coronation of George VI.  There is more info and more photos (not mine)  here.

We cross the fields south towards Barholm.  On the way we spot an ambitious mobile phone mast trying to look like a tree.  We cross a bridge over Greatford Cut, which joins the West Glen River to the Welland and forms a flood defence system for Greatford.

Barholm Church . Click on the link for further information.  
From Barholm we take the road past the Five Horseshoes pub and the Old Hall. We turn left and make our way over several fields to the railway again. No level crossing here, but a warning about trains travelling at 100 mph.  The track is straight and the view is good. On the other side we walk over two or three fields before reaching Casewick Park, with its lovely buildings, high hedges and fine gates.

I need to identify this tree.

A look back at Casewick Hall as we leave the park, and take the road leading to Uffington.

Apart from the hares, we saw a few swallows swooping after the insects, and a lot of small speckled wood (?) butterflies.

Map and details

Uffington circular, via Greatford, Barholm and Casewick Park

Thu, 2013 Jul 25 9:25 AM British Summer Time

Led by me, with Maureen and Barry. Flat walk, some arable fields were awkward, but mostly very easy and clear. Distance just over 10 miles.

We needed a change from north-east Leicestershire, so I thought Stamford, and looked for somewhere with paths that would link. I chose Uffington,  and this walk that takes in Greatford, with its hall and smart houses, Barholm with church and another Hall, then Casewick Park and Hall with ha-ha.

We park near Uffington Church,

 close to the primary school,  

This house and school

the property of

George Augustus

Frederick Albemarle

Earl of Lindsey

were built

A.D. 1848.

then walk back to the main road towards Stamford.  
We pass a drinking fountain monument to celebrate Queen Victoria's Diamond Jubilee in 1897, and then the gates to the church are on the right

 and those of Uffington Manor on the left.

We continue past several buildings, and past West Hall Farm, until we find our footpath before the next series of houses. It's a narrow path and comes out into arable fields.

 It leads to Mill Mound, which we think is in the trees marked off as private, and for nature conservation.  The path goes along a wide track heading north, turns right for a short distance then north again.  We know we have to turn left after about a mile, and  after a quick grid ref check by Barry, we see the waymarker!   So, it's left, then left then right until we come out at a right-angle bend in the road from Newstead to Belmesthorpe. We should have turned right just before this, so back we go to pick up the Macmillan Way, along a wooded path going north east for about a mile.

I haven't identified these yet.

At the next road we turn left, then take the first junction on the right. Still walking more or less northeast, we follow the road for half a mile or so before meeting the railway line and level crossing.

Another half a mile takes us to our turn off - the footpath goes left opposite a private farm road to the right.  The path follows a wide track, which kinks slightly to the right - don't be tempted by the stile straight ahead, which gives access to the small building at the weir, and nothing else.

  
After crossing a bridge over the West Glen River - great name - the map says we are in Shillingthorpe Park.  We walk past cows, who couldn't give a damn, and have a break just before going into some woods.

The path is clearly marked as the Macmillan Way, and into the woods, but we could as easily have skirted the trees and turned right here, instead of a hundred yards further on. But then we'd have missed the group of boys on bikes, who were clearly enjoying the start of the summer holidays.

The next part is probably the least pleasant part of today's walk - the waymarks are there, but point straight across a field of rapeseed - and it's wet and has flopped over the path. 

The worst is over by now!

Intrepid walkers that we are,  we carry on regardless, and end up with wet legs.  Remarkably we are still on track when we reach the wooded path, fenced off from the land alongside.  We emerge into Greatford - a settlement of fine dwellings and gardens. 

The Stamford Giverny?

We turn right, and walk almost south, past the Hare and Hounds, and along a surfaced path to a stile. Then it's over fields, to a bridge over a dyke, across another field and into Barholm.  The church porch is just too tempting, so we pause a while.

Norman doorway in South Porch.

There's a cross in the churchyard, which commemorates Thomas Carew Trollope who was killed in 1915 during the First World War. Info from website linked above.

The church tower has the date 1648, when it was rebuilt to a large extent, during the English Civil War,  and the odd inscription:


Was ever such a thing, 
Since the Creation,  
A new steeple built,
In the time of  Vexation

The clock dates from 1919, and commemorates another World War I casualty, Charles Cyril Stapley.

We turn right out of the church and follow the road, as it goes round past the pub and the old hall. The wood pigeon below had twigs in its beak, and was so unworried by us that we thought it wasn't real, until it blinked.

The road becomes a track. At the far end, hidden away, is the footpath sign, directing us over four or five fields, southwest towards the main railway line - no level crossing gates here, but the view each way is clear.

One of the few butterflies I've managed to snap while on a walk!

Once across the railway we go over a bridge into a field full of potatoes. We follow tractor tracks to where the path should leave the field, and there's our waymark.  Through another field with a clear path and we arrive at Casewick Park. It's rather like an Alice in Wonderland fantasy, with lollipop trees and avenues and an army of gardeners sprucing it up.

Lollipop trees

Mysterious monument at end of avenue

dovecot

Welcome to the estate

Here's the ha-ha - difficult to see in pic below.

Lovely pad

1906

It's a beautiful house, and the setting is magnificent too.  There's a ha-ha to keep the sheep off the lawn without spoiling the view from the house.  We fantasise awhile.  According to wikipedia it is the site of a deserted medieval village as well, but only two houses remained by 1816.

It's only a mile back to the car, down Casewick Lane, past Meg's Well, which seems to be the stream in the wood to our left, according to a helpful driver passing by. The road leads directly into Uffington and we arrive back at the car after a walk of just over ten miles.

Map and details