Rutland Round 3 - Seaton - Morcott - Barrowden

4 miles almost. With Marta - a late start because of uncertain weather. Lunch in Barrowden - Exeter Arms.

One of those showery days with possible thunder forecast. Seemed like a good idea for a much shorter leg than usual - cue for a cartoon?

Seaton church

We left Seaton along the high road to Barrowden, where you get great views of the viaduct.

The footpath leaves the road on the left, via a stile and you quickly turn right, ignoring the stile straight ahead.  Once over the stile you follow the edge of the field and the waymarks down to the disused railway at the bottom of the field.

Culvert/bridge under the disused railway

From here the path was clearly marked across fields and up the hill to the A47.  It emerges opposite a minor road into Morcott.   We had to cross the A47.  The path goes to the right from the road opposite, soon after the junction.  We veered too far to the left as we approached the village, misled by a fance that looked like a gate.  If we'd consulted John Williams's  Rutland Round book (pub CPRE),  we would have done this:

Take the path aiming for the electricity pole to the left of the house in front. Continue across this field and, at the stile,  go down Mount Pleasant Road turning right along High Street to reach the White Horse Inn.

Once we were back on track,  we went past the White Horse Inn, and crossed the road to steps to a footpath into the field opposite. The path took us diagonally tot he left, then through a small wood back to the A47.  We had to cross this again, and take the road into Barrowden. The windmill is on the right hand side of the road. The view is obscured from this angle at this time of year.

We reached Barrowden and had lunch at the Exeter Arms - our plan to sit outside was scuppered by the rain.

Map and details