Uffington, Casewick, Barholm, Greatford

Thursday 27 April 2017, starting at 10.20.  With Maureen.  A cold grey day, with occasional drizzle, and a chilly wind.
This is the route we took in December 2013.

We parked on School Lane, and walked back to Casewick Lane where we turned left. We followed the road to the estate gates, 

From here the lane becomes a public footpath and leads past the house and other buildings. 

Lady smock flowers?

The hall

and its ha-ha

 The path crosses a couple of fields and goes over the railway line. Definitely a case for crossing with care, as the trains pass at over 100 mph. However, the right of way is still there.

Clearly marked paths along field edges lead into Barholm, where we turned right and then left immediately after the church.

The path is clear, over fields and a bridge over Greatford Cut.

Mobile phone mast and trees.

Inspired by Monet?

Inside Greatford church

An unusual stained glass window

After a quick visit to the church, we continued along Greatford Gardens and walked along to the end, where the gates and boundary of Greatford Hall are protected with some vicious looking razor wire.  The footpath turns right, and then left through the trees. Turn right at the end of the woods, then cross an arable field - easy enough at this time of year.

Cows and calves in the fields of Shillingthorpe Park

The path turns slightly left, keeping the wood on the right, and then follows the track through Shillingthorpe Park, over the River West Glen to the road. We turned right and walked for about a mile along this road. There is a level crossing at around the half mile mark.
At the next junction we turned left, and very soon joined the bridleway to the right.Shortly before the bridleway joins a road our path goes to the left, along field edges, over a footbridge and on for some distance. Eventually it turns right and we walk for a mile or so towards Uffington.

View of Burghley House across the valley.

When we meet the main Stamford - Deepings road we turn left, and walk as far as the church gates, turn left through the churchyard and out on the other side at School Lane.

Braceborough, Shillingthorpe Park and Wilsthorpe

Mon, 2015 Oct 12 9:35 AM BST

With Gordon, on a fine autumn morning. Excellent underfoot, good views. Around 9 miles. Some sections of quiet road.

We set off from the church and walked along the road out of the village (signposted Greatford) to the main Greatford to Carlby Road. 

Braceborough Church spire with a blue sky background

Another thatch animal

At that point we took the footpath next to the road sign which heads gently up the mini-hill, round the field the farmer was working in, across one dry ploughed field

The farmer is busy

 and into the woods of Shillingthorpe Park.

Heading into Shillingthorpe wood.

Shillingthorpe Hall was used as an asylum for the insane, and a convalescence home during WW2.  It was demolished soon after the second world war. For an old photograph and some information see here.

More subtle autumn colours

We turned left and followed the track through the woods, past some lying-down cattle and down over the River.

River West Glen in Shillingford Park

The path comes out opposite a private road. We turned right and walked past the level crossing. There is a notice saying that the authorities are considering closing the crossing altogether - probably to reduce accidents. (More of this later).
We continued along the road until we reached a by-way leading to a ford, which now has a footbridge, and then a bridge over the railway.

Near the "ford" by the footbridge over the main line

After negotiating these, we followed a bridleway northward, mostly along field boundaries and very clear. There are fine wide views all around, but not very eye-catching for the camera.  This was the highest ground on the walk, and certainly caught the wind today.  We found a sheltered spot in the sun for a break, before continuing to the road between Greatford and Carlby. 

A few hundred yards along the road we were able to turn left on another footpath, just after Grange Farm. It looks as though the path should go diagonally over the field, but two sides of the triangle round the edge were much simpler. It passes south of Braceborough Wood, which is accessible to the public, then heads east over the fields to Braceborough, close to Spa Road.

Here we were tempted by free apples, and fell into conversation with the owner of the house. He recommended a couple of nearby walks, including one to the Bowthorpe Oak, which has to go on the "to see" list. 
He also said that when the level crossing mentioned above is closed, there will be an alternative route for walkers. The Macmillan Way uses the route. 

We followed one of his recommendations and extended our planned walk by another mile or two, by walking out of the village on Spa Road, as far as the old Station House, taking the drive to Spa Farm, and finding our way from there on to the disused railway - this is not an official public footpath, but makes a pleasant walk, once you've found your way down to the track.

Dismantled railway track from Braceborough Spa

Not quite as bad as it looks! Bridge over East Glen River

 We left the railway track at the road into Wilsthorpe, turning right past Gate house, Waterworks Farm and Coombe Farm Kennels, passing the road to Braceborough, walking as far as the church. There was an exhibition in the church, but we didn't visit it today.

Wilsthorpe Church

Instead we went along the footpath opposite, to our right, which took us over fields, and across the East Glen River, then turned right along a farm track which took us back to Braceborough Church.

Braceborough church, still sunny

Map and details

Braceborough, Greatford, Shillingthorpe Park

 Sat, 2015 Oct 10 1:19 PM BST.
Recce for part of a possible longer walk. Grey, but dry and good conditions underfoot. Just over 4 miles.

Braceborough Church

Braceborough has an interesting past. According to Wikipedia

Braceborough Spa, rising in the grounds of Spa House,^[4] was popular in the Victorian era for its natural spring waters. A bath house was built in 1841, and Doctor Willis treated George III here for his 'madness'. His royal patient stayed in a wing of Shillingthorpe Hall nearby, now demolished; there is a tablet in Greatford Church commemorating his stay. 

Shillingthorpe Hall was built in 1796, possibly as an extension of the asylum at Greatford Hall run by Dr Willis.

The walk was taken from an article by Will Hetherington in Rutland Active magazine.

I parked near the church and I extended the walk a little at the start, by taking the footpath  east which joins the farm track, instead of the path directly across the field heading southeast. They both join the Macmillan Way, though it's not brilliantly signposted. This takes you to the road into Greatford. If you wish to visit the church you will need to make a short detour from this route. See pictures from this previous walk. (That route is not possible, since the footpath over the railway has been closed.)

In Greatford, turn right into Greatford Gardens and walk along to the end, where the gates and boundary of Greatford Hall are protected with some vicious looking razor wire.  Follow the footpath to your right, and then left through the trees. Turn right at the end of the woods. This is where I saw a few fallow deer on the field nearby.  I've seen them around here before.

They stood and watched me briefly before moving off.

You follow the edge of the field for a short distance before turning left and across fields to the path through Shillingthorpe Park.  I met a group of walkers using the same footpath - this doesn't often happen round here.

The house, where George III is said to have stayed, and which was used as a convalescence home during the Second World War was demolished after the war, and the parkland is mainly used for cattle.  The track runs uphill through the woods and on to open fields with views to the east.

Tractors have been busy ploughing recently, but only one of these paths was across a field, and that one dry.

The path leads down to the Greatford to Carlby Road.

Cross this and take the quiet road back into Braceborough.

When I was there there were lots of free apples and pears on offer - one with the sign:

"Help yourself, but if you use the ladders it is your responsibility." Another requested donations for the Leicester and Rutland Wildlife Trust.

I also had a brief chat with a beekeeper, who unfortunately had no honey with him to sell, but was moving bees.

Map and details

Uffington Casewick Barholm Greatford

Thu, 2013 Dec 5 9:36 AM GMT

Led by Barry, with me Gordon and Maureen. Reverse of a previous walk. Weather very windy, and for the last mile or so a downpour. Good underfoot. Just over 9 miles. New problem with footpath crossing of mainline railway.

Previous walk in reverse.

We left Uffington on Casewick Lane, and followed the footpath along the main driveway with a winter view of the hall.

Casewick Hall

Dovecot

monument

Happy Christmas

 The railway crossing appears to have been closed. Memo to self - contact Lincs CC.

Can they just do this?

 After the railway we walked over fields to Barholm, where we paused at the church.

Lantern in the porch of Barholm church

 The path beside the church takes us directly to Greatford, crossing a dyke/canal/cut on the way.

Greatford

The ducks make a quick getaway

There are a lot of odd stone structures

 Greatford Church was open - well worth a look.

Memorial to Francis Willis, MD, who treated George III.  Greatford Church

 We walk through Waterside Gardens and turn right along a narrow path between fences, then alongside woodland.

We were pleased to reach the end of this section in the high winds.

Just possible to see the herd of deer

The path takes us through Shillingthorpe Park, and over the River West Glen.  Then we have a mile or so of road walking, and another crossing of the railway, before a left turn at the road junction.

 Then it's turn right along a bridleway, with trees each side - quite muddy, but very clear. At the end of it I turn round and see a dramatic rainbow.

Up to now we had stayed dry - but a rainbow tends to mean - rain.

 From here we take the path to our left, behind a farm and alongside fields and back into Uffington.

poplars in the wind

Ah - 'twas just a clearing up shower!

A wet last mile!





Map and details