and occasionally rides a bike.
A word of warning. The walk descriptions are not detailed enough to guide you - please take a map. The batteries never run out, and you always have a signal. Oh, And don't take left or right as gospel!

Thursday, April 25, 2013

Ashby Folville - Barsby-Twyford figure of eight


Thu, 2013 Apr 25 9:32 AM Western European Time 
Led by Barry. Good weather, dry and firm underfoot, rolling countryside, fine views. Around 8.5 miles. less than 500 feet of ascent.



A poignant gravestone in Ashby Folville churchyard - a long life and a hard one?






Here lies
Sarah Smalley
who was a faithful
servant to
William Smtih
of Barsby
who departed this life
December 6th 1859
aged 83 years
the weary wheels of life
stood still at last







We walk along the path past the church, crossing bridges and a private drive . . .

before heading south west over fields along a footpath to the attractive village of Barsby.
A church or chapel converted into a house

another picturesque thatched cottage

timber frame

cruck frame
From Barsby we turned right and headed south east over several fields, crossing another footpath and continuing as far as Twyford.
cherry blossom
Spring is here, the blossom's out and the benches have emerged from the church porch.
The old "national school" with two dates in Roman numerals
A short way along Twyford's Main Street took us to our path - off to the right, and now heading south west again, over the B6047 and along Park Road, just to the north of Lowesby.
A right-angled turn to the right and we're going north west, following the field edges, and the waymarkers for a while, then turning slightly right and uphill just before Carr Bridge Spinney. We join the Mid-Shires Way for half a mile or so, walking along a ridge until we reach the road to South Croxton. This is still Mid-Shires Way. We turn left and walk along the road for a few hundred yards, then turn right down a track past farm buildings and houses. Spring has arrived - primulas in abundance along here.


Soon after this our path crosses the route we took earlier in the walk and it's downhill into Ashby Folville all the way.
Wooton Cottages. This plaster work called "pargetting" is more common in East Anglia. 


A walk of fields, extensive views, and a variety of interesting buildings.

For more info on this area see this link as well.


We saw swallows and, later, buzzards.

2 comments:

Unknown said...

i grew up in Barsby so no stranger to all the scenes shown, the private drive leads upto Ashby Lodge where Rosemary Conley lives

aliqot said...

Thanks for commenting, Sam. It's a lovely area!