Leics Round 7 - Bagworth to Woodhouse Eaves and Beacon Hill

Fri, 2013 Apr 19 10:05 AM Western European Time 

With Marta. Fine with the odd shower and occasional sun. We saved the hills for the end of the walk. Garmin off for about a mile. Total around 12 miles. 1,129 feet of climbing.

We start with a short diversion to the Bier House, to look at something I'd seen last time.

Up past the church and through the churchyard, for a sobering start to today's walk.

Then through the recently planted (1996/97) Bagworth Heath Woods, which are part of the National Forest. It seems an excellent way to heal the scars of the mining industry. I idly googled Bagworth colliery and found an interview with some ex-miners from local pits. Desford Pit had seams running under most of this land. Today it's pleasant walking and we get quite warm in the sheltered parts of the path.  

We cross the road and continue - the way ahead is clear, and takes us over the Leicester to Swannington single track of railway line.

We cross a stream and a small field with a couple of donkeys.  the stream was the old mill race for Thornton Mill. The mill was built in 1847 and functioned until the 1930s. The daughter of the last miller still lives in the mill house, and the house next to it was converted from the mill itself.  

There's a man sitting in the sunshine mending a table.  

"So, this used to be a mill?"

"Oh yes - if you go up here you'll see where the pond used to be. Come and have a look."

We walk past a table and seat made from an old millstone and up to the wall where a tiny trickle of a stream now runs.

"There was a big stone at the top end to stop more water coming in. Maureen's dad used to keep a boat tied up here and he'd go up by boat instead of walking there."

Then he showed us a brick dated 1847 on the side of his house. A wooden beam with words carved "Christian built this mill in 1847" used to be in the mill, now it's above an outbuilding.

We thank him and wave to the women in the mill house garden.  He says it's a shame so many walkers just keep their heads down and don't stop to look around more often. Guilty as charged on occasions.

The footpath here is very well marked and we arrive at a modern housing estate on the edge of Thornton. We wander up a couple of dead ends before finding our way to the main street.

The path goes alongside the school and downhill over a ridged and furrowed field. We can see Thornton reservoir glittering in the bottom of the valley.

We walk past the end of the water and a field of shetland ponies and some sheep and along the side of Browns Wood.  There are wide views in both directions here.   The noise of the heavy traffic on the embankment of the M1 makes conversation difficult.  With some relief we take the path underneath the motorway, and ignore the footpath on the left almost immediately afterwards.  Instead we carry on for a short distance to a path which goes through three fields. We walk past some  houses,  and along Croft Way and turn right along  Forest Road, then soon left into Main Street, Markfield.

It's a conservation area, but there is still evidence of post-industrial decline.

At this point we are in heads-down-and-can-we-stop-for-coffee-soon mode, so miss out the church and the Altar Stones picnic site and Nature Reserve, which has good views over Charnwood Forest. One for another walk?

We leave Markfield and go underneath the A50 by a subway. Then we take a path alongside, screened to some extent by the trees. They don't have many leaves yet.  Coffee is by now essential, so we use this dilapidated picnic table.

Inviting, no?

We follow the Round way marks with no problem as far as the village of Newtown Linford. 

Then it's through to Bradgate Park, a sandwich at the café.

Striking trees

Atmospheric ruins

We walk by the river, past the mighty trees, and the ruins of Bradgate House, up the hill to the War Memorial and Old John.  

Marta clambering on the rocks

Grand wide views, if a little misty.  We leave the park and take the path along Benscliffe Road, through the edge of Rough Wood, and over Lindale Golf Course to Woodhouse Eaves.

We turn left along Mill Road, walk uphill past the windmill, and the car park for Broombriggs.

We cross the road, and walk up (again) to the top of Beacon Hill. An extra just to include the view from there. I really feel these hills at the end of today's walking.  About 12 miles.

They are filming something - time travel perhaps with medieval peasants and modern army types with automatic weapons?  Beacon Hill's a great place for it.

We saw one swallow, heard an insistent cuckoo in Bradgate Park - Marta saw a woodpecker - we both heard one drumming earlier. We saw a jay fairly close by as well.

Map and details

Leics Round 6 - Mkt Bosworth to Bagworth

With Marta.  We deviated from the route a couple of times, and altogether walked perhaps two miles more than planned.  A fine day, but with the cold north/ northeasterly wind still blowing. Snow lay on the ground in sheltered places, but there were also plenty of muddy and boggy patches. Most of the fields we had to cross were fairly dry.  About 12 miles in all. A surprising amount of uphill, though none steep.

We park at the Country Park. More info about Market Bosworth Country Park and walks from there, and information about the memorials to horses in a nearby field. 
We walk into the town centre - it looks old-fashioned with its veg shops, cafés and pubs, and is still commemorating the Battle of Bosworth.

More info about Market Bosworth Country Park and walks from there, and information about the memorials to horses in a nearby field.

We walk down Back Lane, past some interesting buildings 

and fairy-tale gardens.

 Then we go across a field, making our way to the far right corner, where we meet a lane and turn left.

 The next section of reclaimed land is being developed as a golf course. The path keeps fairly close to the left hand edge, and continues in the same direction until we turn right over a footbridge.

The path crosses the bridge - not sure why the sign points left

The simplest way from here is cutting the corner of the field to where there is a waymarker part way along the hedge. Signs are a little confusing, though not seriously misleading. The path leads directly to the edge of Carlton village, which we can see over the fields.

When we reach the road we turn left, then right along Shackerstone Walk, past the old school.

Sir Wolstan Dixie, of Market Bosworth appears to have endowed several schools. One of these baronets was a 'colourful character'

We walk past the green, and follow our footpath as it turns left behind some huge barns. At the end of the field we turn right and walk along the field edge to a footbridge, then uphill. 

Colourful characters of the ovine kind

The signs are clear along by some hedges until we reach some very open fields - again the path is clear, and the mud is fairly dry today. We reach Keepers Cottage on the road, and this is where our diversion to avoid the closed footbridge starts.

It would save hassle if the diversion was posted up here to help walkers who may not have consulted the Leicestershire Round website for updates.

Turn left and follow the road over the railway line and take a footpath to the right just beyond.

We stopped at Shackerstone for a much needed lunch. Walking was quite tough today, because of the wind, and the occasional muddy sections.  

We liked the roof!

The Ashby Canal at Shackerstone

Better than a guard dog?

We walked for a short distance along the canal, then turned right as instructed and crossed the disused railway line, then it's over the stream, and under a second railway line. We follow the waymarkers and the hedge and join a muddy field road. We turn right here.
The field road carries on for a fair distance, climbing gently but persistently until it passes Odstone Hall, with it's fenced ha-ha, perched high with wide views.

We pass the hall and Ivy House Farm and come to the road to Barton in the Beans - I love that name. The road goes downhill for about 400 yards, and wings to the right. Just here there's a footpath to the left, and another field track/mud-bath leading up. There are electricity pylons mentioned in the LR book, but they may have been rerouted - we saw none.  
We have a slight problem with signage here - and walk two sides of a field to reach the footbridge down to our right. When we've crossed that all is crystal clear again as we follow signs through fields and uphill until we see Nailstone Church spire directly ahead of us. 
It's just a question of aiming for that - but the paths are obvious - and not wet.
We decide we deserve another break after the last three huge and windy fields, so we take shelter by the hedge before we cross the A447. 
This road does need care - partly because the steps down through the hedge are worn and seem to want to throw the unwary straight on to the carriageway! 
Over the A447 and along Vero's Lane - the name is marked at the other end. We pass Nailstone Church, and are almost tempted to walk along the footpath opposite. For once we're awake, and realise we need to turn left and then right at Manor Cottage. 
The way is clearly marked and the book's instructions are good. 
After a couple of miles we pass the Underhills Wood scheme where land is being reclaimed under the auspices of the National Forest.

Nailstone church is still visible on the skyline.
A short distance to go and we're back in Bagworth.

Bagworth church - no, it doesn't really bend.

This wasn't the most exciting stretch of the Round,  though the wind may have prejudiced us slightly!


Map and details