Rutland Round 4 - Barrowden to Normanton

With Marta. Fine day, with a slightly chill wind. Sun mostly, a few spots of rain. Underfoot good. Lunch at Ketton, Northcliffe Arms. Just over 11 miles in all.

Leaving Barrowden 

We set off from Barrowden, with an unaccustomedly chill wind today. Walked through the village to the road towards Wakerley until we found the footpath going off to the left.  We walked with the hedge on our left through three fields, then when the path meets a bend in the river we went through a stile and along above the river for another three fields before entering Welland Spinney.
The path is clearly marked. When you come out of the spinney it is usually easier to follow the edge of the field, rather than cut the corner as the official path does. Turn left and right following the field boundary, then carry on, ignoring paths to the right, including the one to Tixover Church, which stands in splendid isolation away from the village.

Is this really a cairn? 

The path goes past Manor Farm, Pear Tree Cottage and other houses before turning to the right and downhill. After Tixover Hall and Lodge the road peters out and becomes a footpath, separated from the A47 by some shrubs.   Before long you arrive at the point where the road to Duddington leaves the A47, and you can see the bridge over the Welland.

Bridge and old mill at Duddington, seen from the path

Just before the bridge the path turns to the left - it is both Rutland Round and Jurassic Way for some distance here.  We walked this on 25 July 2012.  

The blue paint - anti-vandal paint perhaps - is still on the gate, as before, and still sticky, but this time the gate was open, so we had no contact!   We followed the path over a large field with sheep, and up to a stile into a strip of woodland.  While we were walking we heard a green woodpecker, then saw it fly and land on a nearby telegraph pole.  There were a couple of herons across the river, and a red kite.  We chose to have a break at about the same spot as last time, but today, instead of seeking shade, we looked for somewhere out of the wind.  

Next we crossed the playing field - or so marked on the map. The path goes straight across the middle of the field, and emerges on to the road near Tixover Grange.  Just after the drive the path leaves the road on the left hand side, and cuts diagonally over a field, cutting the corner off the road. The route continues directly opposite and there is about a mile of perfectly straight walking along the edge of arable fields. Near Kilthorpe Grange it has been slightly re-routed, but is clear and easy to follow.   It continues along a narrow path with fencing from large gardens on the left, and trees on the right, until it meets the Collyweston to Ketton Road.  At this point the Rutland Round diverges from the Jurassic Way again, so instead of turning downhill we carried on into Geeston and Ketton. Signs for the Hereward Way are also good for the R.R.

There was a convenient bench near here.

We walked along the road past the house in the picture until we reached a house called 'Newnham'.  Here we turned left and followed the track and path to the railway line. We crossed the footbridge.

You can just see the signal

We followed this to reach the bridge over the River Chater, and the old priory and church

Then we wandered along the main street in search of food. We had lunch at the Northcliffe Arms, which has a pleasant outside non-smoking area.

The Railway Inn was closed

The word Ketton was removed pre-world war II, in case of invasion

After we had eaten we found the path close to the Post Office. It leads past Home Farm, and climbs gently up towards the huge quarry. The path is clearly marked and easy to follow across a very strongly built bridge.

We had a little trouble working out the way just after this section, but with a bit of map work and aligning the cement works with our position we sorted ourselves out before we'd gone off track.
We went past New Wood Lodge and made our way to the road. It was straight over the crossroads, and in about 200 yards we turned right.  This road took us directly past Normanton village - we didn't take the turning to the right, but carried straight on.  We went past Oak Tree Farm, and  Rutland Water was  visible ahead of us.  When we reached the main road we crossed over and turned left into the car park.


Map and details

Jurassic Way 10 - Fineshade - Stamford

We parked at Fineshade, and walked from the car past the café, and round the wood - south, then east, then north.  Some of the Jurassic Way signs are hidden away, so it's worth having a close look at the map.  We came out of the woods on a track leading downhill towards the A43.  On its way it passes an electricity substation, and as you reach the main road there's a small cemetery.

Cross the busy road into Duddington. Go past the pub, and in a short while take the first turning left down a steep hill.   

You pass some splendid houses before coming to St Marys Church.  The path goes through the churchyard.

At the other side of the churchyard we turned left, down to the bridge over the Welland, which marks the parish boundary between Duddington and Tixover, and the county boundary between Northants and Rutland.

Just after the bridge the path turns right into a field by the river.

There was a gate which someone had smeared with some kind of blue paint - we climbed it instead of opening it - at the hinge end, well away from the paint.

The path took us across a field and into a strip of woodland. We picked a shady spot to have coffee - watched by shading sheep in a nearby field.

We crossed another grassy field to the road to Tixover Grange, then turned right and walked along for a short distance. Just after the buildings of the Grange the footpath turned off through a hedge on the left,  cutting off the corner of the road. We crossed the road when we met it again on to a long straight path - over half a mile - beside fields whose edges were full of poppies and marguerites.  This took us almost to Geeston, which is almost Ketton.    The footpath has been diverted at this point, but is clearly marked and fenced off.  It continued along a narrow path behind some houses with huge gardens, until it met the road to Collyweston from Ketton.

We had to walk along the road for a few hundred yards, before the footpath turns off just after Collyweston Bridge.  It heads uphill, and was a bit of an effort in the heat!  After the third field we emerged on a track which becomes Ketton drift and leads into the village of Easton on the Hill.   We spotted the village shop and the Bluebell pub, and it was lunchtime.  Sandwich and a mug of soup for me and ciabatta salad and chips for Marta.
We ate heartily, and it was as well that we had only a couple of miles left to walk.

When we came out of the pub garden we turned along Church Street, past the footpath at Park Walk, as far as the church. The path now has three identities - Jurassic, Hereward and Macmillan Ways.   Shortly afterwards we turned right  and followed the path through fields and a small piece of woodland until we reached the railway - you're advised to stop, look and listen - though there's so much traffic noise from the A1 that the listening part is not easy.  Once over the railway lines you go underneath the A1.

We were close to the Welland again, and crossed it by Broadend Bridge. The path led us straight into Stamford Meadows, past the plaque at the spot where Boudicca/ Boadicea chased the Ninth Roman Legion back across the river in AD61.

Time to drive back to Fineshade for a reviving and celebratory coffee, and we can say that we've walked the Jurassic Way.

Map and details