Bradgate Park, Cropston Reservoir and Swithland Wood

Mon, 2015 Dec 28 11:09 AM GMT

With Harry. From Hunts Hill Car park. A bright day, wind on high ground, not much sun, pleasant walking with a fair amount of up and down. 5 miles.

 Old John beckons, and not just us!

 The views are wide, but hazy

 After a coffee stop near the Deer Park Café we continue past Cropston Reservoir

 Along the road the hedge is festooned with Old Man's Beard

 We cross the road and take a bridleway, turning left and left again to reach Swithland Wood, braving some muddy patches.

 The quarry has been fenced off with razor wire to deter swimmers.

The birch tree makes a V-sign 

 We reach the road and make a short detour along a permissive path, part of the National Forest Way, to see the horses, with their rock star hair and plenty of hay.

 We head back towards Old John

and it must be the season for kissing, as the gorse is in bloom!

Map and details

Twyford, Ashby Folville, Thorpe Satchville, Burrough on the Hill

Mon, 2015 Aug 3 9:30 AM BST

With Maureen and Gordon. Fine dry weather, undulating terrain, good views. 8 miles or so.

We set off from the church in Twyford, taking the path at the end of Church Lane. We walk behind houses along a leafy path, with Jack-in-the-pulpit sitting in the hedge bottom. 

Then we cross the main road, B 6047, and take Ashby Road directly opposite. After a short distance we pass the bench honouring Tom Holland's hundred years in the village in 2005, and our footpath leaves on the left near this. As usual Leicestershire's yellow way marker posts are helpful, though there are plenty of stiles along this part of the walk.

We walk through a pasture with a pony and a sheep, who clearly has no fear of humans. A man nearby tells us to slap her on the nose if she causes any trouble. She doesn't.

The route with stiles takes us between fences and round a large house. All of the time we have Gaddesby Brook somewhere on our left.

After the house we cross three fields and walk under a line of electricity pylons. The path continues northwest over four fields, then meets the road into Ashby Folville. 

We look round the village, including the gravestone to Sarah Smalley, near the church door.

Here lies

Sarah Smalley

who was a faithful

servant to

William Smtih

of Barsby

who departed this life

December 6th 1859

aged 83 years.

The weary wheels of life

stood still at last.

She may have her reward in heaven, but her earthly life was surely hard work.

Pargeting on cottages in Ashby Folville.

Beams can be seen on the house near the church.

We go back past the white cottages, and pick up the footpath. It looks as though it goes through a private garden, but the yellow signs reassure us, and we boldly go on. We cross a field with a few cows and arrive at a cornfield. We miss the exact path, and make our way round the edge of the field. It has been walked before, but is quite overgrown with grass and goose grass.  No matter, we rejoin the path - unfortunately a lot of the yellow posts are not visible until we are on top of them. Clearly designed for people walking the other way round! 

The path led us downhill and under the disused railway bridge.

In the next field we could see no yellow post.  Our route was through a gate partly hidden by two fine horses.

From here it was way marked to Thorpe Satchville church. Four miles in, and time for a break.

Our path towards Burrough on the Hill began opposite Thorpe Satchville Garage, and went through a playground area, and a pasture with cows before hitting the dreaded golden oats, wheat and barley oh. Here paths were mostly ok, though not easy.

As we approached Burrough we looked back for fine views of the Charnwood Hills.

A short section of road, then we took a path on the left which soon joined a bridleway. Easy walking, and wide views made this very enjoyable. We took a footpath to the right which led us gently uphill. A pause for water and some oranges, then downhill into Twyford via Hollands Lane.

Thistle seed heads

Ah, it feels like summer again!

Map and details

Bradgate Park circular via Ulverscroft Priory and Beacon Hill

Thu, 2014 Apr 24 10:46 AM BST

With Harry, Maureen, Stuart and Rita. A fine walk, and weather improved. Decent views. 11 miles, give or take a whisker.

More or less the reverse of these two walks 11 Sept 2012 and 2 Sept 2012. 

We parked at Bradgate Park car park in Newtown Linford, rurned right out of the entrance and walked away from the park along the village main street, taking the footpath on our left, about 70 yards after the junction with Markfield Road.

View to Bradgate Park

This takes us through fields and woodland, over the stream, past Ulverscroft Mill and through more woods, eventually meeting a track which leads out on to Ulverscroft Lane.

A path to avoid after a lot of rain.

We turn left along the road with its fine houses, past the 'lovely' Polly Botts Lane, until we meet and cross Priory Lane.

We go straight ahead along the private road/public footpath, past the ruined priory. We take the right hand fork (waymarkers are clear), behind Ulverscroft Lodge Farm, and turn right along field boundaries, which we follow until we reach the drive to Black Hill.  Here we turn left and walk until we meet Beacon Road.  We turn right, and walk along the verge,as far as the cross roads. We go through the gate into Beacon Hill Country Park. At the charcoal burner we join the path to the left which heads north west parallel to the Shepshed Road.

Look, we have shadows!

A gate at the end leads into a path under an avenue of trees, leading uphill and north east.  

Spot the Old Man of the Beacon

At the top of this we follow  our noses and paths to the Old Man of the Beacon rock formation, and on to the trig point and toposcope.

Time for lunch, and admire the view. The sun has come out too. And there are swallows.

Down from the top via the tracks in the country park, coming out opposite the Broombriggs car park.

Stitchwort

The viewing platform is open on Saturdays and Sundays

Next to this is our path, leading to Mill Lane and Woodhouse Eaves. From the junction of Mill Lane with Mapplewell Road we are following the route of the Leicestershire Round.

Dandelion days

Testing the technology

We turn left and walk uphill for a couple of hundred yards, then take the footpath on our left, down a lane, past garages and house, then into a field, across another and around and across parts of Lingdale Golf Course. All clearly signed! Across Joe Moore's Lane and a bit more golf course, before going uphill alongside Rough Hill Wood. We meet Benscliffe Road, where  turn left and walk to the junction.

The final climb

second lunch?

still smiling

On the other side is Hunts Hill car park, which takes us into Bradgate Park.

A short walk to the Old John Folly, where we have another break before going down to the ruins of Bradgate House, where Jane Grey spent her childhood, then along the path next to the river Lin.  Herds of red and fallow deer are in evidence.

The ruins of Bradgate House

Almost there!

In all around 11 miles.  Unfortunately we arrive back just as all the teashops are closing, and we are forced to buy ice cream instead. Shame!

Map and details

Seven miles of mud and sunshine from Ab Kettleby

10 am GMT, on Thursday 2 January 2014.
Seven miles on a fine day, not too cold, but muddy underfoot on occasions. Led by Barry, with me, Gordon and Eddie.  Just look at that blue sky!


We set off from Ab Kettleby's old Wesleyan Chapel and Sunday school on Chapel Lane, taking the footpath over a field to the church. 

Weights on the gate to the footpath

A lot of restoration work has been done recently - it is sited on an old Roman villa, and this caused serious problems.  There's a Norman font inside, and there is a memorial to Everard Digby, one of the Gunpowder plotters, but the church is locked.

We make our way through the churchyard, and past the remains of a moated area, heading south-west towards Saxilbye.

We cross a couple of fields and a minor road (Welby Lane) and pick up the path on the other side. 

Not the most pleasant surface for walking

We follow the path keeping to the left of this tiny pond, which appears on the map for once (at SK222720)

The path takes us to a piece of woodland called Cant's Thorns. We follow two sides of the wood, then join a rather muddy path between trees - serious hard work for the legs!  After almost a mile we have the chance to escape by taking a permissive bridleway to our right. This leads past a farm and to a road, where we turn left.  We soon meet a right hand turn to Saxilbye, and we follow this road through the village.

A church we didn't visit today

We leave Saxilbye by walking under the railway bridge, then crossing the road and taking the footpath opposite.

The footpath goes south-west for about one third of a mile, but we know we have to turn right before we get to the house ahead.  There's a path crossing our route, nicely signed for those heading in the other direction. We take it - straight over another muddy field! 

Well, the pathway is quite obvious . . 

At Saxilbye Park we cross the road and carry on north-west to Grimston.  In spite of its name this is an attractive village. The church is open, and contains the workings of an old clock.

Grimston Church

We sit in the porch for our break - it feels as though we have walked more than four miles already.  Grimston has a village green with stocks.  We'll have to have a look next time!

From the church entrance we turn left and walk along the road.  There's a footpath at the right hand bend in the road. Not the one we take today.  Our route is the bridleway which goes through a gate, a hundred yards or so beyond the bend, and heads north-east.  We follow this bridleway downhill,then up - at this point we are walking over a railway tunnel, but this is not obvious.  We continue uphill past Barn Farm, and the track is clear and straightforwardfor a good mile and a half, going below a line of pylons as we approach Wartnaby. We pass the gates to Wartnaby House, and Friars Well, then make our way to Wartnaby Church. This one is open and well worth a look.

From here we follow the footpath for a short distance to the road leading back to Ab Kettleby.  We resist the temptation of another footpath, and follow the road.

Looking back to Wartnaby

A fine walk with wonderful views over towards Burrough Hill, and then the Charnwood hills. I think a return visit is on the cards!