2024/07/01 Illston, Kings Norton, Gaulby

 Monday 1st July

The year is halfway through…

Kate drove Maureen and me out to Illston. We walked 5 miles, past Illston Grange, along the route of the Roman Road (Gartree Road).

This bridleway is very rutted by heavy farm traffic, and the mud has dried hard.  It was made more difficult by overgrown bushes and brambles this year. The track takes us downhill through a wooded section to the ford, crossed by a bridge.

Soon after this we take the signposted footpath

slightly uphill across the fields to Kings Norton,

where the church is being repaired,

and we had a snack break.

Along the road to Gaulby, into the church,

which was open, then down Front Street and the road back to Illston. 

We decided not to take the field and woodland track past Ashlands and continued along the quiet road back to Illston.

Illston, Burton Overy, Little Stretton, Kings Norton

Monday 03 April, 9.50 am. With Norma. Fine sunny weather, and very little mud underfoot.
8.3 miles in all.

This is the same route as this walk  and this one, but it's spring now, and feels different. 

Leave Illston by the gate at the end the no through road past the pub, and go up to the next gate on the left. Turn right, and at the end of the next field take the left-hand path. If you can't see it, take the right hand one, and you can join the correct route a couple of fields down via another stile.

Keep Illston Grange on your right, and follow waymarkers to a stile leading on to the metalled section of Gartree Road. Cross the road and follow way markers (easy to see at this time of year) through a few fields, coming out near a farm on a road with a cattle grid. Cross the road and follow the path over two fields to the road leading into Burton Overy.

Houses in Burton Overy.

 Turn slightly left then right, past The Bell, and over a small bridge, near which is an oak tree planted by the local WI in 1988. Soon afterwards there is a path leading off on the right hand side into a field full of sheep and lambs.

The path goes slightly uphill to the corner of the woodland and on to meet the road between Kings Norton and Great Glen.  It becomes a bridleway, and is easy to follow, behind a couple of houses, labelled on the map as The Cottage. Some way further on, at a field boundary there is a permissive path allowing you to take a short cut towards Little Stretton. 

At the road turn left, and look for a driveway and footpath. Public Footpath for 420 yards it says, but it leads past a pond, and a large house, then into a narrow path behind some barn conversions, and into a field behind the church, and round into Little Stretton churchyard.

The church is more visible in spring, through the trees.

 A bench near the church provides a good stopping place.

Little Stretton church

Almost too pleasant to move, but needs must. We walk out to the road through the village, and just outside the footpath goes off to our right, clearly marked, and made good through the growing rape crop. It leads us to Kings Norton, coming out very close to a farmhouse, on the road above the church. We walk down, past the church, turning back to snap this most photographed of churches - by me anyway.

Kings Norton Church showing off its best side in the sun

We take the road to Illston, and when the road bends to the left we carry on ahead on a byway. Today the cows are the other side of the fence, and one or two sidle up to say hi.

GPS is the latest fashion, darlings.

 From here it's straightforward. Follow the byway to the road, turn right and at the next junction look for a footpath sign in the hedge on the left. This takes you back past Illston Grange, which is on the right. There are lots of sheep and lambs here too.
In the opposite corner, a little way past the Grange is the path, through a series of gates near the horse area. Follow the waymarkers and the path goes along field edges down into a dip and then uphill and back to Illston.

Illston on the hill, Kings Norton, Gaulby

With Maureen.  Walked on Thursday 30 March 2017.
The same route as this walk from 2013.  Just over 6 miles, with around 300 feet of climbing.

From Illston on the Hill, through the village, downhill past the Fox and Goose pub. At the bottom, go through gate, and up to second gate. Turn right. in a while the path divides. Take the right hand fork which follows the hedge downhill, through gates and over a field (or round the edge if no path visible).
Keep Illston Grange on the left, and follow path through gates by a horse training area, then bear left across the field, heading for the opposite corner. The path comes out at a junction. Just opposite take the rough track labelled Gartree Road, Gated Road.

This takes you downhill to a footbridge over a stream. Shortly afterwards take the path to the right. At this time of year the waymarkers are easily visible. Follow them to Kings Norton, where the church is very prominent from this side.

Kings Norton Church.

Turn left and go past the church, then turn immediately right along the minor road to Gaulby.  The church clock here is one of several in the area with a single hand. There are several benches - handy for a comfortable coffee and snack!

The inside is very similar in style to Kings Norton, though smaller.
Turn right after the church and walk downhill on the Illston Road, turning left to take the footpath at a right hand bend. 
The footpath hugs the field edges, then enters the edge of woodland going uphill along a path which can be muddy.  The route is then through a couple of fields and behind the splendid Ashlands, with views toward Billesdon Coplow.

Through a gate, and turn right on to the quiet road past Ashlands and farmland, into Illston.

Horse chestnuts are close to flowering.

Illston circular via Rolleston, Gaulby, Kings Norton and Gartree road

This walk follows the same route as on 14 May, but is extended by about a mile.  Our first detour was to look at the Rolleston Estate's lake. Then later, from Kings Norton we took the path across the fields just downhill from the church. This took us to the Gartree Road track at the ford. We turned left and followed this back to the crossroads with Burton Overy Lane, and picked up the previous route past Illston Grange.

Leaving Illston

More campion

Rolleston Hall Lake

Billesdon Coplow

lemon and gold

Seat near Gaulby church

Kings Norton church

A fine sunny morning, with a coolish breeze. Just over 8 miles in all.

A profusion of wild flowers again.


Map and details

Illston-Rolleston-Gaulby-Kings Norton

With Maureen and Gordon. Weather much cooler and windier than the last couple of days. But no rain.

Something over 7 miles.

We set off from Illston village hall, walking back to the main road past the village, and taking the footpath from the junction over fields of lambs and a few cows. All clearly waymarked, leading us past Barn Farm and on to the B6047, near New Inn.

We crossed this road, walked a few yards to our right, and went past the Lodge into the Rolleston Hall estate, with its fine avenue of horse chestnuts - all in bloom, but lacking a fine blue sky backdrop today.  We passed sheep and lambs grazing in the fields, the stables and other houses, before turning to the left along a gated road to Billesdon. 

A couple of gates later our path headed off to the left, across one field, then along a second one, past a field full of young calves, eventually reaching Cranhill Farm, which is now a collection of rather fine houses.

At the road (B 6047 again)we turned right for a short distance before taking the gated road to Illston. This is a quiet road, and on our left was a fine bluebell wood. The smell was sweet and strong.

We walked past one footpath on the right and then came to another sign for two footpaths. We took the one going slightly to the left, through a gate covered in ivy, and sporting two horseshoes.

Billesdon Coplow 

This took us behind Ashlands, (more sheep and lambs) and then to a path downhill just inside a wooded area. At the end of the wood, the path goes right into a field, but keeps close to the edge. After another couple of fields with a hedge on our right, we came to the minor road between Illston and Gaulby. We turned right, and made our way uphill to Gaulby.  Luckily the benches were on the sheltered side of the church, and we had a very pleasant break - a drink and scones provided by Maureen.

From Gaulby to Kings Norton is a flat half mile or so on a quiet road. Then we turned left and downhill along the road to Illston. At a bend to the left we took the bridleway straight ahead, through more fields of sheep and lambs, and then one with masses of cows. 

We left them behind to complete this section on a track through arable fields, with a few dips and rises to keep the blood moving.

At the road (Burton Overy Lane), we turned right. Before long we reached the crossroads, and turned left, and almost immediately climbed a stile into a field (more sheep and lambs).

 The path leads behind Illston Grange, then downhill through an arable field, and up again toward Illston itself. We took the path which leaves the village street and houses on our left, and it eventually emerges via a "fat-man-squeeze" (kissing gate) not far from the village hall.

A few drops of drizzle decorated the car windscreen as we set off for home. 

Map and details

Illston circular via Kings Norton and Gaulby

Mon, 2014 Nov 3 9:14 AM GMT

With Eddie and Gordon. Not flat. Fine and sunny, but with a noticeably cooler breeze. There's something wrong with the elevation count here. Last time elevation gain was registered as 403 ft and max elevation 652. Definitely more accurate!  Timing and distance are fine - just over 6 miles.

This walk was easier to follow in this season the fields are clear and the hedges trimmed. Underfoot it was pretty good, though we did walk round the edge of one plaughed and planted field, and the ground is wet in wooded areas. Autumn colour this year is not spectacular, but still evident, although trees are dropping their leaves by now.  The same walk in July was very different. See this link

Illston Grange

Kings Norton church seen from near the Gartree Road track ( a distant shot cropped)

Chicory??

An unidentified fungus by the stile

Kings Norton Church

and again

The village of Gaulby

Billesdon Coplow from behind Ashlands

Eddie reaches Ashlands Road

Ashlands Road towards Illston

Gaulby again

One of the gargoyles on Illston church

Map and details

Walk instructions - use with the OS map! 

1. Start on Main Street - the one with the Fox and Goose. Walk downhill to the end of the road.

2. Go through the gate and follow the path through a small rough field

3.Turn right and follow the path along the edge of the field downhill.

4. Go through a gate. The path line crosses the field to a yellow waymarker.

We went round the edge as it was freshly planted and muddy.

5. At the waymarker cross a field and go through another gate. There are sheep and often horses here. The path goes behind Illston Grange.

6. Turn slightly left into the next field. Head for the corner diagonally opposite, keeping a small copse on your right. There is a waymarker post and a footpath sign slightly to the left of the corner.

7. Go through the hedge and turn right, then go straight on along the bridleway called Gartree Road (unsuitable for motors).

8. Follow this as far as the ford, cross the bridge and take the footpath signed on the right towards Kings Norton.

9. Turn immediately left and go over the stile into the next big field

10. Follow the path diagonally to the right and uphill. When you get part way there you will see the next waymarker post.

11. Go straight across the next field parallel to the hedge above. When we were here the next post was hidden by vegetation but it came into view as we walked.

12. Keep in the same direction, aiming to the left of a small wood ahead.

13. In the next field walk to the right of a dip in the ground, aiming for the church.

14. Come out of the field at a gate near the church, then turn left and walk past the church. Turn right along the road to Gaulby.

15. Walk along here for about half a mile, ignore the footpath to the right and go over the road junction and to the church.

16. Turn right after the church, down Front Street. Go past School Lane and follow the Illston Road until it bends sharply to the right.

17. On the bend take the footpath/bridleway off to the left and follow it with the field edge on your left, turning right with the hedge and then continuing past three field boundaries.

18. Walk uphill along the muddy track at the edge of the woods. Go through the gate.

19. Keep the hedge on your right and walk past Ashlands. The wooded hill with a notch in it, on the horizon is Billesdon Coplow.

20. Once past Ashlands and the other buildings, head slightly right, and the footpath goes through a gate to the left of a field gate.

21. Turn right after the gate and you soon reach Ashlands Road.

22. Turn right and follow the road all the way into Illston.

23. Go down Main Street - the road with the pub.