East Norton, Loddington, Skeffington, Tugby and Café Ventoux.

Thursday 02 May, with Maureen. Somewhere around 8 miles. The app went mad between mile 6 and 7!  Rain was forecast for later and started to fall just as we reached the car.

We started from East Norton, taking the road towards Loddington until we found a bridleway sign. We turned left along the bridleway and walked for roughly the same distance west until we met a junction of paths. We walked round the edge of a field
rather than follow the strict path line, as it was rather muddy. We crossed the second field, which wasn't too bad.
Then we had to cross a footbridge and walk slightly uphill with trees on our left.  we soon joined a cart track, which curve round to the right. After a while we crossed a dismantled railway line. There is a permissive path here, but we ignored that and went through a gate to our left, just after it. The path leads up to Loddington Church, which is some way outside the village.

The path goes through the churchyard, turns right and joins the minor road after crossing another footbridge. At the road we turned left and left again at the junction. The road was pretty quiet - we saw maybe three cars and four bicycles.  

The weather looked a bit dramatic, but we stayed dry!

After a mile or so we turned left at a crossroads, and then walked for almost another mile on Wood Lane, an undulating road, turning along a footpath by the Eye Brook, at the bottom of a hill. By now we needed a break, and improvised seating.

We walked on parallel to the brook, a little higher up, then crossed it via a footbridge, 

before turning to our left and climbing gently towards Skeffington Lodge Farm with its buildings and impressive mini solar array. We continued past a few houses until we met the Midshires Way. We turned right and followed it south, across another slightly sticky field.  We should have aimed directly for the point of the triangular woodland, but misjudged it slightly - even Leicestershire's yellow marker posts are not always instantly visible! 

Looking back to Skeffington Lodge's solar panels and possibly Robin-a-tiptoe.

Back on track we walked up to the A47 before turning sharply left and following a clearly (with weedkiller?) marked path over a field and then along field edges to meet Wood Lane again.
At this point we turned right and walked for a few hundred yards along the road as far as the Café Ventoux. The countryside round here is a little gentler than the place it's been named after, but it is a welcoming place and does a decent coffee.

After this it was a matter of retracing our steps along the road, and picking up a footpath east, to our right, at the wooded area called Little Gunsel. At a junction of paths we continued ahead through more woodland (Hardy's Gunsel this time), with a hedge on our right. At the next junction we took the right hand path, heading southeast, crossing a small stream. Right again at the next junction heading south with East Norton Hall on our left. 

When we came to the village road, we turned left and made our way back to the car.

A short drive back to the Café Ventoux for lunch completed the walk.

Hallaton-Allexton-East Norton-Hallaton

Led by Barry, with Maureen and Gordon. Fine, chilly wind, muddy underfoot, some ice. Just over 10 miles in all.

Such a beautiful morning as I drive past the Welland Lake on my way to Hallaton.  I haven't seen the valley so flooded for a long time, but with the sun sparkling on the water, I could live with it. 

The roads are clear of snow, but some glisten with hoar frost, especially the higher roads near Eyebrook reservoir, and through Horninghold towards Hallaton.  I shall probably keep regretting that I didn't stop to take photographs. 

I meet the gang in Hallaton, and we brave the cold wind and set off along the Horninghold Road. We turn left along a footpath which runs across fields, almost parallel to the road. When we reach Horninghold village we turn right and then left just before the Hall, which looks as though it has converted its stables into rather exclusive apartments.

The route takes us northeast as far as Muckelburgh Farm,  where we turn to the left and head due north until we meet Allexton Lane, which is more like a mud-track.  We discover a body behind a hedge - his legs are plastic pipes, and his body is just old clothes - a scarecrow taking five?  

 At the Hallaton road we turn right towards Allexton.  Belton is clearly visible behind Allexton.  Before reaching the village we take a bridleway to the left, due west,  more or less parallel to the A47.  It crosses the stream and arrives at the main road at a lay-by.  We cross the road and find the footpath a little way to the left.

We take  shelter behind a hedge and indulge in a snack break.  We plod on and are faced with four yellow posts to show the way.  A quick look at the map and we make our choice. All is well, apart from the mud-hopping we need to do each time we meet a gate.
When we reach a road into East Norton we walk down it - past this rather strange character in a window

a novelty hatstand

and an irresistible bench.

Taking a breather at East Norton

We have to cross the A47 again,  taking the old road to cut a corner, then along the road towards Hallaton for a short distance. 
Decisions!  Do we continue for two miles along the road, or do we turn east along a wide track which follows the ridge?  We take the consensus, and the track wins. At this stage the wind is getting stronger and there's rain in the air.  But we carry on boldly going. There's a junction - a surfaced road leads down to a farm, but our route goes ahead - across more mud.  We arrive at a farm, labelled as Fearn Farm on the map. It has an obviously non-functional sign saying "Teas" and a sign declaring in German that it's a Zollgrenze or customs frontier. No one inspects our luggage or passports, so we carry on our merry muddy way.
We're following the route of the Leicestershire Round and the Macmillan Way here, but these fields are the muddiest yet, and sticky to boot. We have another snack break on the bridge over the dismantled railway, before tackling the last field, and joining the road near Hallaton Recreation Ground, walking past the duckpond and the Fox pub and we've done about 10 miles.

They didn't leak when I walked through puddles hoping to clean them!

Map and details of the route.