With Marta. 8.5 miles. Dry, warm - cloudy. Muddy in the woods. Quite hilly.
The CPRE's book on the Rutland Round is easy to follow, though we made sure we had a map as well.
We started from Braunston church, with its large clock and sheela-na-gig.
We walked along Wood Lane opposite the church and followed the road out of the village. At a left hand bend in the road, our path carried on into a lane. Just past the farm buildings the footpath turns to the left crossing straight over the field and down to the hedge. It crosses a small stream, then goes across another field to the corner of Prior's Coppice. It follows the western edge of the coppice, going south. As we reached the road at the south western end of the wood, we looked back to a stretch of water.
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| Looking back from the end of Prior's Coppice |
We crossed the track and went south along the left of the hedge. At the field boundary there are a few trees, then the path goes diagonally downhill towards Leigh Lodge.
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| Marta. The way marks point to the way we have come. |
We walked past the magnificent Leigh Lodge, keeping it on our right, as we followed the tarmac track downhill to the right.
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| An orchard of fruit trees in training - look at the wall at the back |
The track climbs uphill for about a mile until it meets a stony track by some farm buildings. Here we turned left, and in about 50 yards turned right down a rough bridleway. This was quite uneven and muddy, but eventually turned into a tarmac road leading into Belton-in-Rutland. We had to climb a short section before arriving in the village.
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| The bridleway |
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| Belton church. |
We came out of Belton, past the village green with its lime tree, and took the footpath soon afterwards. This goes to the left, through a gate, then right through another one immediately after it. it crosses the field to the far right hand corner, where there is a stile.
Then you walk along by the hedge on your left, and cross the stream by a small bridge. Walk parallel to the hedge on the right to the next stile. Keep the hedge on your right when you cross the bridleway. There is a short step downhill section, and a bridge, then the path goes up to a stile. Through the hedge you join the old A47, the Leicester Road. Turn left then right to walk to the present road. Cross with care - there is a traffic island in the middle of the road opposite the bus stop. Across the A47 is the road into Wardley, a small village with a tiny church and a few houses.
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| Wardley church |
At the bend in the road near the church we turned right along a track which goes behind a big house, then south through the hedge, turns left (west for a short distance before heading south east towards Wardley Wood. The path turns right, left, right left (marked and clear) before entering the wood at its south western point. From there the path goes uphill through the wood - very muddy at the moment, but it would be a great place to walk on a hot sunny day, with plenty of shade. We carried on in this direction, following way marks through the main wood and between two smaller sections of trees until the path crosses a couple of fields and a stream. The way marks are not always obvious, but the path climbs up hill to the old Leicester Road, slightly south of its junction with the A47. From here it's about a mile along this road into Uppingham. We had a jacket potato lunch at the Crown pub.
Map and details
Rutland Round posts will also appear
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