Swinstead circular via Grimsthorpe Park, Edenham,Creeton

jWed, 2014 Nov 5 9:36 AM GMT

With Harry. Fine morning. Just over 10 miles. 

I'd been planning to walk in this area for a while, and found this walk on Christopher Somerville's website. The detailed instructions are excellent, but take a map too.  It uses the path through Grimsthorpe Park and makes a round trip of 11 miles or so.

Swinstead church - the sky is still grey

We left Swinstead along Park Road, behind the church, and followed a path into the Grimsthorpe estate. It is pretty clearly marked and easy to follow. It started spitting with rain, but not for long.

Grimsthorpe Castle just before the sun shines

 The lake and buildings make a fine view early in the walk. Grimsthorpe Castle belongs to Nancy Astor's grand-daughter.

Autumn trees

The sun comes out, just like the weather forecast promised. Autumn colours are mostly gentle not spectacular this year.

Here comes the sun

Seems to be a good year for berries 

We turn away from the lake and walk Past woodland, over fields and a disused railway, and finally paddocks with sheep before reachng the road into Edenham.

Jacobs sheep in paddock just before Edenham

At the road some vans are parked - workers have had to remove a fallen tree from the River East Glen. 

A tree has just been cleared from here

 This dramatic tree is hiding the restoration and repair work being done on Edenham church.  The time was 10:45 - too early for a coffee in the pub.

Edenham church

 We found a sheltered spot with a bench - a lovely village, but a lot of traffic on the main road through.

Well-wrapped up against the wind

We turned right to Scottlethorpe - a quiet road leading to a few houses, farms and agribusiness premises.  

A slightly bowdlerised David in Scottlesthorpe

Chinese lanterns

As the seagulls follow the tr . . .actor

About two  miles along the road we turned right into Grimsthorpe Estate property again, leading through woodland, and across Chestnut Avenue.

Chestnut Avenue leads back to the big house 

At the end of the path through the woods we turned left and walk along the field edges until we reached the quiet road into Creeton. The church was uphill to the left, our route downhill to the right.

Creeton Church

We turned left at the main road, then right towards Counthorpe. The road climbed uphill towards the mainline railway.  From the road we look back to Creeton.

and again, showing its position above and behind the village

 Just before the railway bridge, our route carried on ahead, while the road turned left.

Apples galore

we must walk through the arch near the railway outside Creeton

From here we walked along the track parallel to the mainline railway, before turning off on a footpath to the right, downhill over a field and a footbridge, then alongside a wood, on to the track past Creeton Farm to the road, where we turned left to walk to Swinstead.  The "proper" way was a little further on (see website link above). 

Map and details

Illston circular via Kings Norton and Gaulby

Mon, 2014 Nov 3 9:14 AM GMT

With Eddie and Gordon. Not flat. Fine and sunny, but with a noticeably cooler breeze. There's something wrong with the elevation count here. Last time elevation gain was registered as 403 ft and max elevation 652. Definitely more accurate!  Timing and distance are fine - just over 6 miles.

This walk was easier to follow in this season the fields are clear and the hedges trimmed. Underfoot it was pretty good, though we did walk round the edge of one plaughed and planted field, and the ground is wet in wooded areas. Autumn colour this year is not spectacular, but still evident, although trees are dropping their leaves by now.  The same walk in July was very different. See this link

Illston Grange

Kings Norton church seen from near the Gartree Road track ( a distant shot cropped)

Chicory??

An unidentified fungus by the stile

Kings Norton Church

and again

The village of Gaulby

Billesdon Coplow from behind Ashlands

Eddie reaches Ashlands Road

Ashlands Road towards Illston

Gaulby again

One of the gargoyles on Illston church

Map and details

Walk instructions - use with the OS map! 

1. Start on Main Street - the one with the Fox and Goose. Walk downhill to the end of the road.

2. Go through the gate and follow the path through a small rough field

3.Turn right and follow the path along the edge of the field downhill.

4. Go through a gate. The path line crosses the field to a yellow waymarker.

We went round the edge as it was freshly planted and muddy.

5. At the waymarker cross a field and go through another gate. There are sheep and often horses here. The path goes behind Illston Grange.

6. Turn slightly left into the next field. Head for the corner diagonally opposite, keeping a small copse on your right. There is a waymarker post and a footpath sign slightly to the left of the corner.

7. Go through the hedge and turn right, then go straight on along the bridleway called Gartree Road (unsuitable for motors).

8. Follow this as far as the ford, cross the bridge and take the footpath signed on the right towards Kings Norton.

9. Turn immediately left and go over the stile into the next big field

10. Follow the path diagonally to the right and uphill. When you get part way there you will see the next waymarker post.

11. Go straight across the next field parallel to the hedge above. When we were here the next post was hidden by vegetation but it came into view as we walked.

12. Keep in the same direction, aiming to the left of a small wood ahead.

13. In the next field walk to the right of a dip in the ground, aiming for the church.

14. Come out of the field at a gate near the church, then turn left and walk past the church. Turn right along the road to Gaulby.

15. Walk along here for about half a mile, ignore the footpath to the right and go over the road junction and to the church.

16. Turn right after the church, down Front Street. Go past School Lane and follow the Illston Road until it bends sharply to the right.

17. On the bend take the footpath/bridleway off to the left and follow it with the field edge on your left, turning right with the hedge and then continuing past three field boundaries.

18. Walk uphill along the muddy track at the edge of the woods. Go through the gate.

19. Keep the hedge on your right and walk past Ashlands. The wooded hill with a notch in it, on the horizon is Billesdon Coplow.

20. Once past Ashlands and the other buildings, head slightly right, and the footpath goes through a gate to the left of a field gate.

21. Turn right after the gate and you soon reach Ashlands Road.

22. Turn right and follow the road all the way into Illston.

23. Go down Main Street - the road with the pub. 

Lubenham to Foxton Locks and back

Fri, 2014 Oct 31 9:34 AM GMT

With Marta. A walk around the village first, then across to Foxton, and back - last two miles unrecorded. Switched off machine and forgot to restart track! Very warm, some cloud, some sun. 8 or 9 miles.

We started by following part of the Lubenham Heritage Group's Village Trail . I recommend it. We picked up a leaflet last week and looked at one or two places.  This week we set out from the Tower House, and walked along Washpit Lane, then through the field below Thorpe Lubenham Hall, returning  to the main road via the Church, the school and the Old Hall.

The Welland and old railway bridge from Washpit Lane

A glimpse of the Welland from the footpath by the main road

The field before the bridge

Horses in the field crossed by a public footpath, near Thorpe Lubenham Hall

The old moat

Old railway bridge with one roadway lower for laden carts

Another glimpse of the Welland

All Saints Church

Cottage and Old forge

Rooftops near the Old Bakehouse

We continued to the main road, past some more interesting buildings, and turned right just before the War Memorial and along the track called the Undle, as far as the footpath sign on the right.

The path crosses several fields and eventually brings you out at Gartree Prison. We turned right then crossed Gallow Field Road, and one more field to reach the Canal. We turned left after the footbridge. 

A solitary boatman goes through after openin the swing bridge at Foxton

After the swing bridge we carried on to Foxton Locks for lunch at the Bridge 61 pub, where we sat outside watching humans and other animals - mainly mallards and dogs.

Walking towards Foxton Locks

Mallard

The path beside the flight of locks took us up to the Gumley Road.  We walked along the footpath just after the bridge, over grassy fields, past a fishing lake, and along a track past Holmes Farm.

Shaggy inkcap

Here we should not have followed the track opposite the road, but turned left and walked with the hedge on our left, across another field and the corner of a third to reach the Foxton Road back into Lubenham. Our route was not much longer, so little harm done this time.

Winter lace trees

Map and details to Foxton

Barrowden - Wakerley - Woods -Laxton Hall - Turtle Bridge - Barrowden

Mon, 2014 Oct 27 9:31 AM GMT

Led by Tommy. With Gordon, Barrie E, Terry, Kate, Marion, Chris, Phil, Eddie and me. Map trace incomplete due to human error - I forgot to restart track after a switch-off and on! In all just over 7 miles. Fine, warm, sunny morning.

This is the route we walked in August 2012, but in reverse.  The map may be more useful than today's!

We met at Barrowden, and headed east along Main Street, then turned right and south along Mill Lane. 

Our path takes us past the Mill Pond, and downhill to the footbridge over the Welland.

 We cross a large field of grazing sheep, and come out on Main Street Wakerley. We turn left, and walk for a short distance along the road.

We take the footpath to our right soon after the road junction, beside a large house which used to be a pub.  This passes behind the church and emerges on to the narrow road just before Wakerley Woods. A good way after the bend we turn into the woods. It is possible to continue to the main entrance, and take that route. We make our way past the (closed) toilets and parking areas to the track, where we turn right, heading south. We follow the Jurassic Way, though signs are not very obvious, turning left from the main track and along muddier paths.

We leave the Jurassic Way paths and make for Laxton Hall, now a nursing home.

 From here we head pretty well due west along a long track through the woods again. We turn northwest and meet the dip that used to be a quarry - now with a new surfaced road/footpath.  We disturb a couple of red kites who have found some delicious carrion.

Nice new footpath.

 The footpath meets the Harringworth to Wakerley Road just opposite the wide bridleway.

A fine view of the viaduct

Going down the bridleway

Shaggy inkcaps

The Welland at Turtle Bridge

The bridleway takes us gently down to Turtle Bridge, where we rejoin the Jurassic Way, and follow it uphill slightly, then turn right and walk with a hedge on our left.  We go through a gate, following the waymarkers, and make our way gradually into Barrowden.

This is the correct route for the footpath

We enter Barrowden from the Morcott Road, deboot ourselves and grab a lunch in the Community shop. 

Barrowden duckpond.

Once again, thank you, Tommy for a fine walk.
Map and details (incomplete)