Rutland Round 4 - Barrowden to Normanton

With Marta. Fine day, with a slightly chill wind. Sun mostly, a few spots of rain. Underfoot good. Lunch at Ketton, Northcliffe Arms. Just over 11 miles in all.

Leaving Barrowden 

We set off from Barrowden, with an unaccustomedly chill wind today. Walked through the village to the road towards Wakerley until we found the footpath going off to the left.  We walked with the hedge on our left through three fields, then when the path meets a bend in the river we went through a stile and along above the river for another three fields before entering Welland Spinney.
The path is clearly marked. When you come out of the spinney it is usually easier to follow the edge of the field, rather than cut the corner as the official path does. Turn left and right following the field boundary, then carry on, ignoring paths to the right, including the one to Tixover Church, which stands in splendid isolation away from the village.

Is this really a cairn? 

The path goes past Manor Farm, Pear Tree Cottage and other houses before turning to the right and downhill. After Tixover Hall and Lodge the road peters out and becomes a footpath, separated from the A47 by some shrubs.   Before long you arrive at the point where the road to Duddington leaves the A47, and you can see the bridge over the Welland.

Bridge and old mill at Duddington, seen from the path

Just before the bridge the path turns to the left - it is both Rutland Round and Jurassic Way for some distance here.  We walked this on 25 July 2012.  

The blue paint - anti-vandal paint perhaps - is still on the gate, as before, and still sticky, but this time the gate was open, so we had no contact!   We followed the path over a large field with sheep, and up to a stile into a strip of woodland.  While we were walking we heard a green woodpecker, then saw it fly and land on a nearby telegraph pole.  There were a couple of herons across the river, and a red kite.  We chose to have a break at about the same spot as last time, but today, instead of seeking shade, we looked for somewhere out of the wind.  

Next we crossed the playing field - or so marked on the map. The path goes straight across the middle of the field, and emerges on to the road near Tixover Grange.  Just after the drive the path leaves the road on the left hand side, and cuts diagonally over a field, cutting the corner off the road. The route continues directly opposite and there is about a mile of perfectly straight walking along the edge of arable fields. Near Kilthorpe Grange it has been slightly re-routed, but is clear and easy to follow.   It continues along a narrow path with fencing from large gardens on the left, and trees on the right, until it meets the Collyweston to Ketton Road.  At this point the Rutland Round diverges from the Jurassic Way again, so instead of turning downhill we carried on into Geeston and Ketton. Signs for the Hereward Way are also good for the R.R.

There was a convenient bench near here.

We walked along the road past the house in the picture until we reached a house called 'Newnham'.  Here we turned left and followed the track and path to the railway line. We crossed the footbridge.

You can just see the signal

We followed this to reach the bridge over the River Chater, and the old priory and church

Then we wandered along the main street in search of food. We had lunch at the Northcliffe Arms, which has a pleasant outside non-smoking area.

The Railway Inn was closed

The word Ketton was removed pre-world war II, in case of invasion

After we had eaten we found the path close to the Post Office. It leads past Home Farm, and climbs gently up towards the huge quarry. The path is clearly marked and easy to follow across a very strongly built bridge.

We had a little trouble working out the way just after this section, but with a bit of map work and aligning the cement works with our position we sorted ourselves out before we'd gone off track.
We went past New Wood Lodge and made our way to the road. It was straight over the crossroads, and in about 200 yards we turned right.  This road took us directly past Normanton village - we didn't take the turning to the right, but carried straight on.  We went past Oak Tree Farm, and  Rutland Water was  visible ahead of us.  When we reached the main road we crossed over and turned left into the car park.


Map and details

Barrowden to Fineshade and back

Led by Mel. With Norma, Joe, Karen, Eddie, Gordon, Barry, Maureen and me. Fine, rather humid and cloudy until lunchtime. A few muddy bits in woodland. Just under 11 miles.

The route is the same as this one , but the starting point was different and we did the walk in the opposite direction.

As the route is pretty familiar I thought it was time for some people-pics.

Eddie, Barry, Maureen, Gordon

Alison, Norma

Karen and Joe

Norma, Mel and Gordon

Cake, by Maureen.

Descrip of walk later.





map and details

Fineshade-Duddington-Tixover-Wakerley

With Maureen, Barry and Gordon. Very nearly 10 miles, hence the confusing label below this post.  Weather grey, a bit of drizzle-mizzle, some mud, but we didn't get anything like wet.


We set off from Top Lodge, followed the Jurassic Way round the wood, then down to Duddington - an interesting village which I never visit unless I'm walking or cycling. It's tucked away between the A47 and the A43.

Notice on the gate of the old school. The gate was open! 

The old water mill with the mill race still there

We crossed the bridge over the Welland, into Rutland, and walked through Tixover, leaving the Jurassic Way and meeting the Rutland round. Tixover church is a little out on a limb. Maybe we'll visit some sunny day.
We followed the route I took on this walk on October 18th, when the sun shone on me.  This time we stopped for a break just before Welland Spinney, where there was a convenient set of logs and tree stumps - the perfect café.

When we reached the road between Barrowden and Wakerley we turned left and crossed the Welland, then passed the old station house. Further along at the road junction, beside what used to be the Marquis of Exeter pub we took the footpath (Jurassic Way again) which leads behind some houses and the church to the road to Wakerley Woods.
We walked along the main pathway until we met the Jurassic Way sign, pointing to the left. It can be a little tricky to spot.
Then the path turns quickly right, and can be muddy. The signs are there, but are missable.  The path continues in a more or less south-easterly direction and comes out of the woods at a gate which leads across a field and a patch of trees, eventually coming to a large metal gate where Laxton Hall is visible some way to the right, and the arch of its gatehouse to the left.
Turn left here towards the A43 - cross it and follow the Jurassic Way across a field to a bridge, then uphill past Fineshade Abbey, over a stile to a path between two fences.  This path crosses a field then goes into the woods, still climbing. Once you emerge from the woods, all that's left is a cultivated field which unobligingly goes downhill and then quite steeply up to meet the road to Top Lodge.


This last section from Wakerley is one of my favourites.


Map and details

Duddington - Tixover - Wakerley

Just over 6 miles.  Straight through Duddington to Tixover and along the path (Rutland Round mainly). I turned back when it met the road from Wakerley.  Very windy, but mostly sunny.


I didn't visit Tixover church on this occasion.

Duddington church

This also marks the boundary between Northants and Rutland - in the middle of the bridge over the Welland

Looking down at the river Welland, just after walking through Welland Spinney

The view of Wakerley church and the house that was once Wakerley station

Tixover Church

Sheep's wool caught on barbed wire

A family of swans paddling in the Welland

Duddington bridge and water mill house from the Jurassic Way footpath.

Map and details