Pitsford Water clockwise from Causeway.

Mon, 2015 Oct 19 9:55 AM BST.

With Maureen. Drizzle stopped as we started walking. Pleasant, dry. Cloudy .6.8 miles.

Lots of waterfowl on the reservoir. Lapwings lining up below the causeway.

The colours look subdued under the grey sky.

Brightness and blue sky as I reached home!

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

Leics Round 5 - Barwell to Market Bosworth

Wed, 2013 Mar 13 10:34 AM Western European Time 

With Marta. A few muddy fields and paths! Fine with some sun. Still pretty cold. Lunch at Sutton Cheney. 8.4 miles.

Very pleased that we did this walk on Wednesday, and not on a very wet Saturday as we so nearly did!

From a stationary car on the A5 - anyone on a canal boat must have been laughing - you can just about see the boats

Thank goodness for mobile phones!  Otherwise long waits and wonders would be common.  Today starts off with a great drive over, admiring the brilliant blue sky, and the sun, until I reach the Hinckley Island roundabout on the A5. Tailbacks from the M69 and M6 are causing grid-lock.  The highlight is sitting in the stationary car near the Lime Kilns Inn. Not far to my left is a canal full of narrowboats, moving gently or moored quite relaxed.

Long story short, we park one car at Market Bosworth Country Park, and make the short drive to Barwell.

We’re tempted to seek out coffee, but it’s already 10.30, so we resist and step out following the Leicestershire Round book, which gives excellent direction through the Moat Way industrial estate.   At the T-junction we turn left and find the path over a footbridge and along the side of a hedge, going northwest until we reach a farm.  

Here we should have turned left and cut across the grassy field, but instead we walk along the edge, and find that the way out is muddy and not easy. So we turn left and end up in the right place.  I blame the distraction of a barking dog and its friendly owner, who is quite happy to chat to us, and our failure to consult the map more closely, as usual.

Next we cross the A 447, turn left for a few yards, then right to the footpath sign.  We follow field boundaries up to Odd House Farm, which we pass on the right, then walk along a pretty muddy farm track, then across fields following waymarkers and book instructions moving west and north west then more or less north, leaving Stoke Golding and Dadlington over to our left.  We then cross Stapleton Lane and another couple of fields before joining the Ashby Canal at bridge 33, just past Poplar House Farm.

Ashby Canal

We go down to the canal, hoping for respite from the muddy conditions, but the towpath is pretty wet, at least on our side of the canal. There’s a bench waiting for us, so we stop for a coffee and flapjack.   These swans look interested in us for a few moments, then turn scornfully away.

Café, Sutton Cheney Wharf

A short distance further and we cross the canal to Sutton Wharf with its car park, café and toilet block. Most welcome, forsooth. We pause a while, then follow the dogwalkers’ route through Ambion Wood.

A very pleasant saunter takes us to Bosworth Battlefield Visitor Centre, with various Richard III focused exhibits.  Close by is Ambion Hill itself, flying the flag with its white boar and the White Rose of York.

King Richard’s stone, originally erected at Shenton in 1974, was moved here in 2009. Its story is on the plaque.

A stone coffin found being used as a horse trough in Earl Shilton

Yorkist standard, Ambion Hill

The view to the north from Ambion Hill

We walk up to Ambion Hill, and enjoy the excellent views over the surrounding countryside, then it's back to the Visitor Centre to rejoin the LR path towards Sutton Cheney.

From the path to Sutton Cheney

The path leads to a car park, from where we turn right into the village. The church tower, with its brick extension is soon visible.

Church of St James, Sutton Cheney which dates from the 14th century

Modern memorial erected by the Society of Richard III

17th century almshouses, Sutton Cheney

The village has two pubs - we chose to eat in the Royal Arms, where there are plenty of historical pictures and information.  It's a welcoming place, even though the basic sandwiches are a little expensive.  

Looking Glass Pond, near Mkt Bosworth

The LR path goes northwest from the car park, over a stile and across a field.  The path is easy enough to follow, with the help of the map and guide.  We have no problems, as we walk past Looking Glass Pond and before long we can see Bosworth Hall ahead. We go past Bow Pool on our way to the Country Park car park.

Map and details