Empingham - Tickencote - Gt Casterton - Pickworth - Clipsham

Led by me, with Barry and Gordon. Fine with a chilly wind. Muddy underfoot in places.  Just over 11 miles in all, including the ritual progress along the avenue.

This covers most of the same ground as the walk on 31 August 2012.

We left one car at the Yew Tree Avenue, and drove to Empingham to the start of the walk. We parked on the road near the church, and then walked along the main street east through the village.  Just after the last buildings and Mill Lane we took a footpath to the right, leading uphill through Chapel Spinney.  
The path came out of the trees into and continued along the top edge of several fields.  Empingham was now a cluster of houses and the church behind us.   We passed a spinney on the right, and continued to follow the path. According to the map there should be a turn to the right downhill across a field, but we didn't see it, and in any case avoided the sticky mud by carrying on to the farm track, where we turned right and walked down a short distance to pick up the path. It crossed the field to the next yellow post just before a farm house.
The path emerged on to a small road, and then across a couple of fields, going roughly north east, before swinging round more to the east behind Tickencote Hall, with the mill pond visible through the trees.
We crossed another road and entered the ram's field.

Today he wasn't asleep, but posed no problem. Of course, I talked to him nicely.

We called in to St Peter's Church to admire the chancel arch and vaulting, before making our way through the village and along the road past the OK Diner and to Great Casterton.

We took Pickworth Road, past the school and up hill out of Great Casterton. After about a mile along this quiet road we tirned left along a muddy track between two hedges - just opposite Mounts Lodge Farm.  We walked alongside a very big field, and then turned right along another track with hedges on each side. The footpath sign post was on the ground here.  We had a break, slightly sheltered from the wind.

From here the path continues north towards Pickworth, passing some woodland and the site of Woodhead Castle (invisible from where we were). With one short diversion to the right we kept on walking.

At Pickworth we turned left, leaving the church on our right, and passing the archway - now behind a gate, and John Clare's lime-kiln, which is also clearly on private land, and fenced off.

Pickworth Church

We went past the first signed path to the right, and took the second one, where the road bends left.  The wide track turns into a path after half a mile or so and turns right across a field to Little Sutie, a section of woodland joined to Pickworth Great Wood. We walked thorugh the tress and then followed the edge of the woodland as far as the path across Clipsham Quarry. Up the other side and following Rutland Round signs, the path eventually took us down hill across a slippery wooden bridge and uphill again into Clipsham.  From here we walked along the Castle Bytham road and back to the yew trees. 

Map and details