Leics Round 5 - Barwell to Market Bosworth

Wed, 2013 Mar 13 10:34 AM Western European Time 

With Marta. A few muddy fields and paths! Fine with some sun. Still pretty cold. Lunch at Sutton Cheney. 8.4 miles.

Very pleased that we did this walk on Wednesday, and not on a very wet Saturday as we so nearly did!

From a stationary car on the A5 - anyone on a canal boat must have been laughing - you can just about see the boats

Thank goodness for mobile phones!  Otherwise long waits and wonders would be common.  Today starts off with a great drive over, admiring the brilliant blue sky, and the sun, until I reach the Hinckley Island roundabout on the A5. Tailbacks from the M69 and M6 are causing grid-lock.  The highlight is sitting in the stationary car near the Lime Kilns Inn. Not far to my left is a canal full of narrowboats, moving gently or moored quite relaxed.

Long story short, we park one car at Market Bosworth Country Park, and make the short drive to Barwell.

We’re tempted to seek out coffee, but it’s already 10.30, so we resist and step out following the Leicestershire Round book, which gives excellent direction through the Moat Way industrial estate.   At the T-junction we turn left and find the path over a footbridge and along the side of a hedge, going northwest until we reach a farm.  

Here we should have turned left and cut across the grassy field, but instead we walk along the edge, and find that the way out is muddy and not easy. So we turn left and end up in the right place.  I blame the distraction of a barking dog and its friendly owner, who is quite happy to chat to us, and our failure to consult the map more closely, as usual.

Next we cross the A 447, turn left for a few yards, then right to the footpath sign.  We follow field boundaries up to Odd House Farm, which we pass on the right, then walk along a pretty muddy farm track, then across fields following waymarkers and book instructions moving west and north west then more or less north, leaving Stoke Golding and Dadlington over to our left.  We then cross Stapleton Lane and another couple of fields before joining the Ashby Canal at bridge 33, just past Poplar House Farm.

Ashby Canal

We go down to the canal, hoping for respite from the muddy conditions, but the towpath is pretty wet, at least on our side of the canal. There’s a bench waiting for us, so we stop for a coffee and flapjack.   These swans look interested in us for a few moments, then turn scornfully away.

Café, Sutton Cheney Wharf

A short distance further and we cross the canal to Sutton Wharf with its car park, café and toilet block. Most welcome, forsooth. We pause a while, then follow the dogwalkers’ route through Ambion Wood.

A very pleasant saunter takes us to Bosworth Battlefield Visitor Centre, with various Richard III focused exhibits.  Close by is Ambion Hill itself, flying the flag with its white boar and the White Rose of York.

King Richard’s stone, originally erected at Shenton in 1974, was moved here in 2009. Its story is on the plaque.

A stone coffin found being used as a horse trough in Earl Shilton

Yorkist standard, Ambion Hill

The view to the north from Ambion Hill

We walk up to Ambion Hill, and enjoy the excellent views over the surrounding countryside, then it's back to the Visitor Centre to rejoin the LR path towards Sutton Cheney.

From the path to Sutton Cheney

The path leads to a car park, from where we turn right into the village. The church tower, with its brick extension is soon visible.

Church of St James, Sutton Cheney which dates from the 14th century

Modern memorial erected by the Society of Richard III

17th century almshouses, Sutton Cheney

The village has two pubs - we chose to eat in the Royal Arms, where there are plenty of historical pictures and information.  It's a welcoming place, even though the basic sandwiches are a little expensive.  

Looking Glass Pond, near Mkt Bosworth

The LR path goes northwest from the car park, over a stile and across a field.  The path is easy enough to follow, with the help of the map and guide.  We have no problems, as we walk past Looking Glass Pond and before long we can see Bosworth Hall ahead. We go past Bow Pool on our way to the Country Park car park.

Map and details