Foxton to Marston Trussell and return

Monday 21 May, 9.30 am, with Maureen, Kate and Eddie.
Just under 8 miles.
As previous walk on 26th April. 
we started from Foxton top car park, headed to Lubenham, then past Lubenham Thorpe Hall to Marston Trussel, returning to Lubenham and taking the alternative path over Mill Hill and back to Foxton.

Masses of red campion

One of the 33 stiles!

Lubenham church

Maureen, Eddie and Kate

Maureen, Alsion (me) and Kate

Pink hawthorn

The Welland

Sorting the sheep from the goats

The view from the fields near Foxton School

Foxton Locks to Lubenham and Marston Trussell.

With Marta. About 8 miles.  Weather sunny at times, with a few showers.The same walk as on April 19th, but starting from the Foxton Locks long-stay car park, then taking the path from the bridge, heading south east over the fields toward Holme's Farm and the fishing lake, with its horses nearby. (More detailed instructions in the previous post.) we crossed the road between Foxton and Lubenham and walked into the village via the path at the bottom of Mill Hill, through the recreation ground.

Rather a fine-looking beast

After we crossed the main road, our way through village took us along Rushes Lane, past the Tower House and the church, across the Wealland and under the double arched railway bridge.

 The Tower House was the home of BJ (Cherry) Angell, the owner of the horse which won the first National Hunt Challenge Cup, run in Lubenham and the precursor of the Grand National.

We had a quick look at the moat of Thorpe Lubenham Hall.

 Then we took the footpath across the field below the hall,  crossed the drive at the bridge and followed the Welland along to the road into Marston Trussell.

Although the sky was grey when I took the photo, we had some sun, and very little rain.

We retraced our steps through to Lubenham, crossed the road and took the path through the recreation ground, but this time continued straight up Mill Hill, leaving the beacon to our left.

As before we folllowed a clearly marked path, to the left of Gartree prison, eventually coming out close to the school in Foxton. We got slightly wet at this point walking through 
a field of wet oilseed rape plants.

We took the road into Foxton for a few yards, then the footpath on the right hand side, which took us behind Foxton church and into the village.

We turned left then right at the junction, in order to join the canal towpath at North Street.

It's about half a mile to the locks. We had lunch at Bridge 61, and were lucky to escape the heaviest shower of the day while we ate.  The walk up past the flight of locks and back to the car park completed our day.

Marston Trussell to Foxton Locks and return

Thursday 19th April 2018
With Maureen on what felt like the first day of summer - all in the past now!  
About 8 miles, and mostly on field footpaths which were not sticky with mud. Lunch at Foxton before returning via a slightly different route.

We walked from Marston Trussell church along the road towards the main road to Lubenham and Market Harborough. 

Marston Trussell church

 Shortly after a small bridge crosses the river Welland, a footpath leads off to the right, more or less following the river and county boundary.

View from the bridge

This section of the walk was idyllic, slightly wet in one or two places, but no sticky mud!

The beautiful Welland

The river goes under the drive to Thorpe Lubenham Hall. We cross this and pick the path up on the other side, where it heads across a field with cows and horses. The river is over on our left hand side.

We emerge on to the road into Lubenham, near the hall moat.

The railway bridge has two arches. Under the second one the road is lower, in order to allow high loads to pass through.

We walked past the church and the Tower House, and straight ahead to the main road. We crossed the road and took the small road to the left, and a footpath to Foxton via Mill Hill and the recreation ground. there's a short steep climb to the top of Mill Hill, and then you follow the well-marked footpath, or on one occasion the nearby field edges. Some of the route is enclosed between fences, which helps to keep us on track.

The fields are not far from housing close to Gartree prison, but the prison is not obvious from this route.

It was getting warm, so we decided to have a break, and took this selfie to send to my daughter who was bemoaning the fact that she was stuck at work, instead of out on her bike.

At a fork in the path we took the left hand option which comes out near Foxton School. There was a magnificent gate, but it looks a bit redundant.

Lovely situation for a school, with some open views. We turned left along the road to Foxton, and very soon took the footpath to our right, which runs along the edge of the field.

There's a view of Foxton church I haven't had before.

We turned left along Swingbridge Street, then right along Main Street until we joined the canal. A left turn took us onto the towpath and we headed northwest then southwest for a good half mile to reach bridge 61 pub at the bottom end of the flight of locks. Sandwich and coffee to fortify us - sitting outside in the sun, with parasols! 

Summer???

 We continued our walk south along the towpath beside the flight of locks, and along the upper section of the canal until it meets the road.

 After crossing the bridge, we took the signed footpath which heads southeast, diagonally across the field, leaving the car park over to the left. It's pretty easy to follow over a few stiles past what is marked as a disused camp on the map, and a fishing lake. We walk with the lake on our left.

 Just after this was the only place we had to look around for the path. There's a farm type track which bends to the right and forms a sort of cross roads with the field edges.  The stile was slightly to the left of the crossing point, and then the path keeps to the left along the field boundary. Once we'd found it all was clear again. Footpath markers and stiles led us over the fields to meet the Lubenham to Foxton Road.

Spring springing

We didn't count the stiles, but there were a few! 

Our footpath continued on the other side of the road, but it turns left near some farm buildings, and then heads towards another stile. All of the time we were going south east, until we reached Lubenham again.

A break near the church - it was hot! and then the final stretch, retracing our steps past Thorpe Lubenham Hall and along the Welland to Marston Trussell.

Lubenham to Harborough via the Judith Stone.

With Gordon and Maureen. A fine, very cold morning. Some muddy sections. Around five miles (estimate).
We covered  the same ground as this walk from November, but in reverse.  I found my way to the Stone more easily this time.

We started from Rushes Lane, heading towards the Tower House and the church, then past the Verger's Cottage and Eden House, with its A-frame and cruck beams. 

We crossed School Lane into Old Hall Lane, and took the footpath to the right shortly before the road bends left. The path is fenced off here and crosses the Welland, then the minor road to East Farndon, before heading slightly uphill across a field, through the hedge, then alongside the hedge of two fields. In the second of these fields is the Judith Stone, easy to see today in the ridged and furrowed field, especially since there were no sheep to distract us.

 The Judith Stone was probably deposited by a glacier and in the 11th and 12th centuries was a boundary marker for the estate of Countess Judith, a niece of William the Conqueror.
We walked back to the lower edge of the field and decided to turn left along the bridleway which leads to Harborough, since most paths promised to be a little muddy. The bridleway was not an exception. 
It crossed the Lubenham road and grew even muddier, with giant tractor tracks. They were cutting back the hedges today. At the end of the bridleway is a new housing development. We turned left just before it and found our way across a ditch and then walked with the Welland on our left. When the river met the disused railway we turned right parallel to the embankment. The footpath soon turned left under a bridge and we walked along the path between houses until it came out on Welland Park Road. We turned right, then left at the mini roundabout, crossing over to the entrance to Welland Park.  The information board about the Battle of Naseby is worth looking at too.

 We were pleased to find the park cafe open, and stopped for a coffee and snack, before making our way back to Lubenham. We walked along Coventry Road for a while, turning right into Gardiner Street, then taking the public footpath to the left to Brookfield Road. At Brookfield Road we turned left then into Spinney Close and picked up the footpath to Lubenham. This is a permissive path leading straight uphill through a field, then down on the other side to the main road. There are wide views from the top.  

Snow on its way?

Looking back to Harborough

and down to the main road and Lubenham

 The path comes out at the A4304, and continues on the other side, a little to the right. It is clearly marked as it makes its way back to Lubenham and Old Hall Lane.

Part of a moat by the footpath 

 We walked back past the church and saw the double railway bridge with the lower carriageway on one side for laden farm carts. A short distance further took us to the moat at Thorpe Lubenham Hall.

The (different) moat near Thorpe Lubenham Hall

Signs of spring?

 Finally we walked back along Rushes Lane to the car.  A few drops of sleety rain didn't last long.

The Tower House