Hoton to Rempston and East Leake

Date: 09/01/11

Area: North of Loughborough

Distance: 6.5 Miles 10.5 k

Start Location: Hoton

OS Sheet: Explorer 246

Grid Ref: SK 5750 2460

Outline: Hoton, Rempstone, East Leake, Stanford Hall, Hoton

Route

These notes are provided to enable the walk to be plotted on a 1 : 25,000 map. They are not intended as detailed walking instructions.

From Hoton head north along the A60 to the bottom of the hill where the road swing to the west, pick up the footpath (behind the chevrons) over the hill into Rempstone, walk west to the A60 crossroads, 100m past the Church take a footpath going north west across fields to East Leake, follow the path down to Manor Farm on the outskirts of the village. Cross the road, continue west along the backs of houses and take the path heading south up to the A6006. Turn left along the A6006 past the grounds of Stanford Hall before heading south again. At the bottom of the valley cross the bridge, turn left and well before reaching the A60 take the path south over the hill to Hoton.

Journey

Over the Christmas period we went on several ad hoc walks, usually local and without carrying a map or rucksack. This weekend for the first time in a month or more we were able to get out for a proper walk.

One of the reasons I planned this walk was that now I have a bus pass I want to make use of it by using the local bus networks to do some linear walks. As I find that walking from point to point is far more satisfying than walking in a circle.

One of the routes I’m looking at is a 12-15 mile walk back home from the outskirts of Nottingham, where I work. I’ve done it before but the route was unsatisfactory in places and I think I can do better. Sundays walk sorted one section and once a new bit of bridleway comes into being, a circular walk near Keyworth may resolve another.

Although Sundays walk was quite short and is not far from home we really enjoyed it mainly because it was good to be out again, the weather was fine, the sky was blue and the sun shone and many of the fields were grass and the walking was pretty easy.

We parked up on a side road in Hoton and bimbled off along the A60 Nottingham Road, crossing into Nottinghamshire where the Kings Brook passes beneath the road. As we walked up the field towards Rempstone the cold air and the exertion brought on Mrs O-n-G’s asthma which seems to be triggered by the cold air, a few puffs on the inhaler and a few minutes rest, talking to three horses and we were able to carry on into Rempstone.  Like many villages in this area both Hoton and Rempstone are split by busy A roads in the latter’s case two of them, the A60 and the A6006.

Having crossed the A60 we passed the church and headed off across a field of beet? on a long path. At its end we passed through a hedge into an area of rough land dotted with bushes, back dropped by industrial buildings and workings in the fields beyond. As we started to walk on we realised that in and amongst the bushes and clumps of tall grass were a number of grave stones, all dating from the mid 1700’s. Bearing in mind that this place is over a mile from the nearest village it was a bit puzzling.

From a google search it seems that the church was built n around 1150 and was dismantled in 1760. See Rempstone St Peter in the Rushes - History for more detail.

This also mentions fish ponds around the church. I suspect the ponds in the area now are more to do with modern industry than medieval food stocks.

Carrying on along the footpath, in the direction of East Leake we could see the high land to the north of the village and in the distance Ratcliffe on Soar Power Station.

As we approached the village we found that we were walking through and around Manor Farm a very popular animal farm and donkey sanctuary. Our grandchildren love going there. See Great Days out for the whole family at Manor Farm for details.

As we sat on a bench just outside the farm, getting ready for coffee and sandwiches, a couple who had been walking a few hundred yards behind us stopped for a chat and we all realised that we knew each other from 25 years ago when we trained and ran at Charnwood Athletic Club. Like me Brian and Sue are no longer running but are very active walkers, it was a pleasure to see and talk to them.

After lunch we crossed the road and through a field full of the old ridge a furrow plots. The fields from here up to the A6006 were fairly dry and made a fine walk up the side of the ridge. The final two fields to the road had been ploughed so we diverted around the edges.

Crossing the A6006 we walked along a wide verge across the front of the parkland to Stanford Hall before turning down a footpath alongside a brick wall. Much of this path which runs southeast, with the wall and trees to the west, shielding the ground from the sun as a result the path here was still covered with a heavy frost. The change in temperature was sudden and very noticeable.

Thankfully, the small paddock at the bottom of the hill was in sunshine, crossing over the Kings Brook in to Leicestershire we turned left and walked up stream to pick up the path south over a small hill and back into Hoton.