Lubenham to Harborough via the Judith Stone.

With Gordon and Maureen. A fine, very cold morning. Some muddy sections. Around five miles (estimate).
We covered  the same ground as this walk from November, but in reverse.  I found my way to the Stone more easily this time.

We started from Rushes Lane, heading towards the Tower House and the church, then past the Verger's Cottage and Eden House, with its A-frame and cruck beams. 

We crossed School Lane into Old Hall Lane, and took the footpath to the right shortly before the road bends left. The path is fenced off here and crosses the Welland, then the minor road to East Farndon, before heading slightly uphill across a field, through the hedge, then alongside the hedge of two fields. In the second of these fields is the Judith Stone, easy to see today in the ridged and furrowed field, especially since there were no sheep to distract us.

 The Judith Stone was probably deposited by a glacier and in the 11th and 12th centuries was a boundary marker for the estate of Countess Judith, a niece of William the Conqueror.
We walked back to the lower edge of the field and decided to turn left along the bridleway which leads to Harborough, since most paths promised to be a little muddy. The bridleway was not an exception. 
It crossed the Lubenham road and grew even muddier, with giant tractor tracks. They were cutting back the hedges today. At the end of the bridleway is a new housing development. We turned left just before it and found our way across a ditch and then walked with the Welland on our left. When the river met the disused railway we turned right parallel to the embankment. The footpath soon turned left under a bridge and we walked along the path between houses until it came out on Welland Park Road. We turned right, then left at the mini roundabout, crossing over to the entrance to Welland Park.  The information board about the Battle of Naseby is worth looking at too.

 We were pleased to find the park cafe open, and stopped for a coffee and snack, before making our way back to Lubenham. We walked along Coventry Road for a while, turning right into Gardiner Street, then taking the public footpath to the left to Brookfield Road. At Brookfield Road we turned left then into Spinney Close and picked up the footpath to Lubenham. This is a permissive path leading straight uphill through a field, then down on the other side to the main road. There are wide views from the top.  

Snow on its way?

Looking back to Harborough

and down to the main road and Lubenham

 The path comes out at the A4304, and continues on the other side, a little to the right. It is clearly marked as it makes its way back to Lubenham and Old Hall Lane.

Part of a moat by the footpath 

 We walked back past the church and saw the double railway bridge with the lower carriageway on one side for laden farm carts. A short distance further took us to the moat at Thorpe Lubenham Hall.

The (different) moat near Thorpe Lubenham Hall

Signs of spring?

 Finally we walked back along Rushes Lane to the car.  A few drops of sleety rain didn't last long.

The Tower House

Market Harborough and Lubenham circular via the Judith Stone

Marta and I continue our exploration of the course of the mighty Welland.

It's a wet and windy morning in Market Harborough

But lo, a glimpse of the sun !

Maybe they should have lit their bonfire last Wednesday? 

 What is this? 

Part of the corset factory which produced parachutes in WW2

The stepping stones are tempting . . . but we resist and make our way out of Welland Park, and out of the town.
The path crosses the river and the disused railway line,  goes past an emerging housing development and on and up a bit, passes some polytunnels and crosses the Lubenham Road. Now we've got this far we may as well seek out the Judith Stone. 
I mean, how difficult can this be?

We walk though a corner of this field of grazing sheep and on a bit, check the map, and the garmin to check our location. . . and then turn back towards Harborough, and walk through the field again.
A quick google on the move isn't a great help just now. Ha, there's a map pinned to the fence. It says we're almost next to it. ???? As a last resort we clamber through a gap in the hedge, negotiate barbed wire and find ourselves . . . back in the field with the sheep.

Who are these idiots???

Finally we notice one of the "sheep" is not moving.

Could Amundsen have been more delighted?

We finish with a sandwich in the pub in Lubenham, and then a mile and half's walk in the rain back to Harborough.
Well now, altogether that was about 6 miles - not bad considering the weather had almost scuppered the walk to start with.