Exton, Greetham,Fort Henry

Monday 20 January 2020, with Maureen and Eddie. Almost the same walk as last Monday, with a slight difference towards the end, which makes the walk a little shorter, but more interesting. 7.2 miles, on a cold frosty morning.

Exton with long shadows in the morning sun

Lots of catkins

The stream near Fort Henry

Fort Henry

Massed fleet of Canada geese

At about mile 6, we kept to our left. Last week we took the right hand fork.

Exton and Fort Henry

An afternoon walk, checking for muddiness close to the lake - verdict - not too bad. 5.6 miles.

Exton, Greetham, Fort Henry again

Monday 21 January, with Eddie and Kate. 7 miles, sunny, cold but not windy.
Route as on two recent walks. Most of the chickens were either inside or had been moved further on.  Coffee pause at the golf club - again! 

Lunch at the Orchard Cafe in Welland Vale Garden  centre, Uppingham.

Exton, Greetham and Fort Henry again

Monday 07 January.  With Maureen, Eddie and Kate. Following the same route as we did last Thursday.

Coffee time!

Beware flying arrows

Didn't see these before!

A fine specimen of fungus

Scones in the hide - lots of coal tits on the feeders.

Fort Henry again

Third time lucky for lunch - Barnsdale Gardens Tea room was closed, and so was Wellies. Luckily for us the Orchard at Welland Vale Garden Centre stays open in January!

Exton, Greetham, Fort Henry

Thursday 03 January
With Harry and Eddie. Around 7 miles.
We set off from Exton, near the Fox and Hounds pub, and walked along The Green (opposite side to the pub), and turned left along Top Street.When we reached Pudding Bag Lane we turned right along West End and past the estate farm buildings. We turned to the right and walked along the estate road heading northeast for about a mile

Here we turned left, following the Viking Way signs and followed the road as it zigzagged in a generally northwesterly direction. After about half a mile, as the road swings left, we took the footpath to the right and  soon turned left, walking slightly northwest again, with the hedge on our left.  This takes us through a large chicken farm, with chickens roaming freely.  
Eventually the path, which is well marked takes us into Greetham, past some more aristocratic looking chickens and some shatland ponies.

We turned right and walked along the main village road, as far as the Wheatsheaf.
Here we walked down the small road to the right, and soon came to footpath signs. We took the left hand side on, which follows the brook.

We followed the footpath along the field edge and eventually to the golf course and the club house, where we stopped for a coffee - and a scone each.

Suitably refreshed we tackled the second half of the walk, along a public footpath near the golf course, past a small lake and bird hides, then climbing the steps to meet an estate road.

Across the road, down the steps opposite, then along the footpath until Fort Henry came into sight.

At the next estate road we turn right for a short distance before taking a footpath to our left, which has another lake on the right.

At the end of the lake we turn right and head west, over a stile and along another track. We continue in that direction, ignoring a turn to our left. 

Do i look the part?

We follow the road and emerge into Exton along New Field Road. From there it's a short walk back to the Green, along Stamford Road.

Exton to Greetham via Fort Henry

Friday 26 January 2018, with Marta. A dry grey day, which turned sunny around midday. 7 miles. The same route as I took shortly before Christmas. Muddy near Fort Henry, and also near the chicken farm.

Coffee at Greetham Golf Club, lunch at the Plough Inn in Greetham.

We saw a buzzard perched on a telegraph pole on the way, and during the walk lots of bluetits and goldfinches at the feeders, and later a kestrel and a red kite.

Exton, Fort Henry, Greetham, Exton

Monday 18 December. With Maureen, Norma, and Eddie. A beautiful frosty morning with sun. Seven miles, with a break for coffee at the bar at Greetham Valley Golf Club complex.
Similar to this walk, but with two small variations.
From Exton we took New Field Road, which goes over a  cattle grid and becomes a track, heading east. It bends slightly to the left and comes to a junction of three paths. We took the mud track which goes straight ahead and it took us to the metalled track between Lower Lake and Fort Henry Lake.

Ice on the lake

 We continued along the path to the left, past the lake and fields to the steps.

 Down the steps on the other side, following the signs to Greetham, past the bird hide and bug hotel - there were only a few tits today. Then we followed the path beside the golf course, and called in at the bar for a welcome coffee. The staff were very welcoming too.

Quick photo call

From here the path is clear, and we arrived in Greetham itself. We turned left along the road and after a couple of hundred metres followed the footpath sign "Exton - 2 miles". A clear track, some of it muddy, especially near the chicken farm - chickens wandering everywhere, doing what chickens do. Then we joined the path we have already walked several times and followed our previous route into Exton.

Lunch at Wellies, near Rutland Water.

Exton, Fort Henry, Greetham circular

Monday 27 November 2017. With Maureen and Marion. 7.3 miles. A dull day, but dry.
The walk covers some of the same ground as the walk on November 02 '17 and the walk on Nov 06 '17, but it is shorter.

We set off from The Green near the Fox and Hounds pub in Exton, and walked along Stamford Road, following it as it turns right, then crossing over and taking New Field Road when it goes off to the left. This road goes over a cattle grid and becomes a track, heading east. It bends slightly to the left and comes to a junction. We took the track which goes slightly to the right and it took us round the side of Lower Lake. We turned left round the lake and met the wide track from where you can see Fort Henry and its lake.

We followed the path (to Greetham)  with the lake on our left as far as the steps.This time we crossed the roadway and went down the steps on the other side. It's been two or three years since I've been here and it has changed a bit - the first thing we noticed was a well-constructed bird hide with feeders. 

A not very good video of the woodpecker! Visible if you can view it full screen size.

An ideal spot for coffee, but we were happily distracted by a great spotted woodpecker or two and lots of blue tits, great tits and coal tits. There are pictures of treecreepers and nuthatches, but we didn't see those.  

This is part of Greetham Valley Golf Resort, and according to an info sheet, they have erected 8 owl and 8 kestrel boxes. At least one barn owl chick was raised on site last year.

They have left certain areas in  more natural condition and turned some into meadow-flower to support pollinating insects.

 Checking out the accommodation.

The golf course greens staff have built the Bug Hotel and built woodpiles to attract insects and native snakes.

The view from the Lake Hide - a heron flew up just after we arrived.

There are two bird hides, one in the woods and one by the lake, for the use of the general public - the public footpath runs by these.

They plan more nesting boxes and feeding sites, and habitat for the resident kingfishers.

The path is easier to follow than I remember, and the resort now boasts a hotel and self-catering cabins, a restaurant and bar and the sign Walkers are welcome.

The path goes on to Greetham, passing some strange structures - Rutland Glamping, and a footpath there for residents only.

At Greetham we turn sharply left just ouside the village and head south. The path should go diagonally across the field, and along field edges to join the bridleway where we turned right, and then the Viking Way, where we turned left, and followed the footpath signs.   To arrive back in Exton, we took the footpath off to the left across two fields and down Old Dairy Yard into the village.

Empingham, Fort Henry, Exton, Whitwell

Monday 06 November, 9.30 am.  With Maureen and Eddie.  Beautiful weather today., after the early frost had melted.  10.78 miles.
Same route as last Thursday.

Along Exton Road, opposite Church Street.  Take second footpath on the right, by a bench.
Keep the woodland on your left, then cut across the field to a stile, and diagonally across the next field. Continue in the same direction and go downhill towards Horn Spinney. There's a stile with a gap beside it, then walk through the spinney and over a real stile.

 The path climbs the shoulder of the hill then down and over a ladder-style stile to the road opposite Horn Mill. Turn left and walk up to the next footpath which goes off to the right.  As we pass the trout hatchery we see the trees of Pug's Park Spinney to the right.

The autumn leaves are still holding on.

A bit of extra exercise

 Follow the path, and climb the stile, head for the bridge over North Brook, walk with Pug's Park Spinney on your right, the gradually downhill toward Lower Lake and Fort Henry Lake.

The sheep on the right is wearing a crow as a hat

Fort Henry

 Take the path to the right of this lake and follow it through woodland and alongside arable land until you reach a flight of steps.

A flight of steps before we turn left

Turn left along an estate road. When the road bends to the left, your path continues straight ahead. After about a mile it meets the Viking Way at a T-junction. Turn left and head south west (with a few dog-legs) , following the Viking Way alongside Tunneley Wood, past the private RC Cemetery and into Exton village.

This may be the Old Pump House. The building in the background is the old school. 

Today we took the road on the left which goes past the present school (Exton and Greetham), then turns into a footpath which takes a slightly roundabout route to the junction with the road to Empingham.

Cross the road on to the well-marked footpath to Whitwell. This comes out in the car park behind the Noel Arms. Cross the A606 and take the footpath up past cottages and the church, then follow the road to Whitwell car park on Rutland Water.

A  better day for photos!

Whitwell church in the sun!

View from the cafe

Worth a coffee stop!  Then we followed the waterside path round to Sykes Lane, pausing to admire The Great Tower, which I always want to call Symphony in C, probably because of the words on the plaque! Hmm.

 The great tower

by Alexander 1980

Mankind is capable of an awareness 

that is outside the range of everyday life.

My monumental sculptures are created 

to communicate with that awareness

in a way similar to classical music

just as most symphonies are not intended

to be descriptive so these works do not 

represent figures or objects

Alexander

It's big - 31 feet high.

We had a look at the beach - not very sandy, or very tempting in the cold weather though.
Then we followed the footpath from the near end of the dam alongside the fence, across a field and through the wood back into the village of Empingham.