Croxton Kerrial to Melton Mowbray

Date: 2012-09-30

From: Croxton Kerrial

To: Melton Mowbray

Region: Leicestershire

Walk :  Linear

 OS Sheet: Explorer 247 & 246

Start Grid: SK 834 290

Distance: 10 ml, 16.1 km 

Height Gain: 481 ft, 146m

Height Lost: 651 ft,198 m

Walking with:

Notes: Largely on field paths and tracks a few short sections on road, a few stiles and a good few gates, muddy in parts.

Route

These notes are provided to enable the walk to be plotted on a 1:25,000 map.

From the Pub in Croxton take the path and track W to Branston, in the village turn left to Eaton.

Here pick up the Jubilee Way and follow it all the way to Melton Mowbray. I changed my route part way through the walk and diverted to Wycomb then along the road to Scalford, as shown on map.

Journey

Although this walk has been mapped out on the computer for several weeks the decision to go was a spur of the moment thing taken just 45 minutes before the number 8 bus left. In that time I had to change clothes, top up the rucksack, plot off the map, copy the route onto the GPS, grab  food and water and get to the bus stop. 

As with the other number 8 bus walks this one take place at the northern end of the Leicestershire Wolds laying between Loughborough, Grantham and Melton Mowbray. The previous walks have largely been across the valleys and along the higher land of the Wolds. This walk was different as it was mainly along the valleys and across the high land. Although I have to say, that sometimes, it was difficult to tell if I was on the high land or the low land, the occasional stream helped. However, the facts are that over the entire walk there were some more 200 feet in descent than climb.

When I set out on a walk I usually stick close to the route planned. However, just outside Branston I met George, who was converting a fallen tree into logs, and we had a good old chat. He lives in the village and knows the area very well. At one point we talked photography and he mentioned a number of photographic places among them the village of Wycomb, which was close to the planned route.

I plodded on through Eaton Grange, White Lodge. While in Goadby Marwood I had a look at the map and decided to leave the Jubilee Way and headed off towards Wycomb., In doing so I gave myself  two K of road walking from Wycomb to get back on route at Scaleford. But it was worth it, Wycomb is a village of   very pretty houses, barns and church  mostly built of orange yellow sandstone. I also hoped that by taking the road I might get to Melton in time to catch the 1440 bus home.

The walk fro Scalford down to Melton was alright but, four consecutive fields with young cows in took out much of the enjoyment. The final kilometer and a half is through Melton Country Park which was fine, a nice place with good variety of wildlife and public areas, gardens and lakes, sports pitches and flood control measures. Unfortunately the route from the park to the town center takes you into an industrial estate, I am sure it could not be helped and it’s probably the most direct route, I just felt a little let down that after 10 miles of walking through such wonderful countryside and a great park I ended up in an industrial estate. C'est la vie.

On the upside I made the bus with 15 minutes to spare

Croxton Kerrial to Waltham on the Wolds

Date: 2012-09-09

From: Croxton Kerrial

Region: Leicestershire

Walk :  Linear

OS Sheet: Explorer OL24

Start Grid: SK 836 291

Distance: 11.1 ml, 17.9 km 

Height Gain: 430 ft, 131m

Height Lost: 361 ft, 110 m

Walking with: Andy

Notes: Road walking at start and finish then a fairly flat walk over fields and along tracks, quite a few stiles and gates, muddy in parts.

Route

These notes are provided to enable the walk to be plotted on a 1:25,000 map.

Take the A607 E, towards Grantham, at the bend keep right into lane, passed track to Tippings Lodge to track (Viking Way) on right heading SE. Follow SE around Airfield to just before a road is reached  take footpath on right W. Follow the path through woodland and part of the old airfield across fields and road to Saltby. Take the footpath from Saltby to Bescaby Oaks and Croxton Park, turn SE along track to Bescaby then take footpath by Racecourse Farm up to the Air Traffic Control Mast and into Waltham.

Journey

This was another Number 8 bus from Loughborough walk and Andy joined me to walk it. With clear blue skies and a gentle breeze it was a pretty much a perfect day for a walk

Viking Way

Apart from the road work out of Croxton to the Viking Way the whole walk was very enjoyable. The Viking Way took us some four K South East, crossing part of a decommisioned airfield on the way The track is broad and is earth and stone with grass verges and hedges. In places it is was scored by deep water filled ruts.

Muddy Ruts

As we approached the Airfield we could hear, then see tow planes and gliders. RAF Saltby was built and was operational during the Second World War and was home to British, American and Polish Air Forces. Among its roles was the dropping parachutists on D-Day and later into Arnhem.

Tow Plane towing Glider

Gliders

It is now the home of Buckminster Glider Club. The gliders are towed into the air by a small aircraft that climbs in broad circles until the glider is released to do its own thing, the plane lands to take up the next one.

Tow Plane

Memorial RAF Saltby

As we walked around the southern end of the airfield we met a large bunch of people standing around or sitting in an array of camp chairs. They were talking, waving papers about, looking at books, holding clip boards, all looking, to us, somewhat furtive and a little embarrassed by our presence.

Being bold we asked ‘what ya doing’.“There is a glider acrobatic competition here this afternoon and we are doing the scorering”. Was the reply. Not a lot we could say to that, so wishing them well we moved on.

NE from Bescaby Oaks

For a walk of over eleven miles it felt easy and seemed to go very quickly. It is not a walk to rave over but is a  good walk through largely arable countryside .

Waltham-on-the-Wolds: St Mary Magdalene

Croxton Kerrial, Branston, Knipton and Harston

Date: 2012-08-15

From: Croxton Kerrial

Region: Leicestershire, South of Grantham

Walk :  Circular

OS Sheet: Explorer 247

Start Grid: SK 835 291

Distance: 10.8 ml, 17.3 km 

Height Gain: 1025 ft, 312 m

Height Lost: 1014 ft, 309 m

Notes:  The first part of the walk is along farm tracks and through woodland. The later part is on roads with a few fields at the end. Two stiles.

Route

These notes are provided to enable the walk to be plotted on a 1:25,000 map.

From the A607 take the Knipton Road (Middle Street), before the church turn left onto road/track towards Branston on reaching the road turn left to T junction, turn right. At bend in road turn left on to track marked Jubilee Way, keep left to join road above Sherricliffe Farm, turn left then right on to Toft’s Lane (track).  Follow Jubilee Way through woodland to Reeded Cottage, turn right to road to Knipton, through village to Knipton Lodge and Harston. Turn right into Croxton Lane, at the sharp bend either take footpath by Harston Wood to Croxton, or continue along the lane to T junction, turn left to Croxton

Journey

The number 8 bus was packed, it was Market Day in Melton Mowbray, as more passengers got on, I and two other over 60’s had to offer up our seats to even older passengers. Thankfully, the bus was almost empty after Melton.

Croxton Kerrial

The day was nearly perfect for walking and I was doing so through my favourite landscape, rolling hills and valleys, big open fields rich with crops, long hedgerows, scattered woodland and long winding tracks leading to unspoilt villages and hamlets with some history to them.

Branston

The Wheel Inn, Branston

Branston is one of these, it was a delight, small but with farms, cottages, a pub and church all built out of the local rich butterscotch coloured sandstone. The village is largely part of the Belvoir Estate. I noticed that the church is dedicated to St Guthlac in Framland, which intrigued me.  From Wikipedia I found that St Guthlac was around between 673 and 714, and Framland is recorded in the Domesday Book as one of Leicestershire's four Wapentakes.

Harvest

Even though it is only August the harvest had harvest and the sound of tractors and harvesters was almost constant, distant but discernible, as was the dust cloud they generated.  Where a field was being ploughed, hundreds of birds were perched on the surrounding trees, hedges and telephone wires, then judging the moment swooping down to grab anything edible turned over by the plough.

Hay Bales

I pleased to get into the woodland at the end of Toft’s Lane and get a chance to cool down a bit, having checked I was heading in the right direction I slowed down and enjoyed the shade. As a result I was totally unprepared for the sight that was before me as the track swung right. I was on the edge of a steep downward slope some 150 high and spread out in front of me was pretty much the whole of Nottinghamshire and a big chunk of Lincolnshire. I was stunned, gobsmacked, speechless, flabbergasted. I have seen some surprise views in the past, the one above Ashness Bridge and at Orrest Head in the Lakes spring to mind along with others, all certainly more majestic than this, but nothing this big. 

See for miles

A little later I met two guys who had walked up from north of the escarpment and we reckoned that we could see about 40 miles over what was essentially the Trent Valley. We also watched a buzzard enter a thermal, spiralling up until it was no more than a dot, absolutely thrilling to see.

Jubilee Way, Belvoir

Fire wood?

Having left the woodland near High Leys the walk went downhill literally and mentally, as from here I was walking on tarmac. The countryside was just as beautiful and interesting but the heat and the road took its toll. I accept having to walk on roads to join sections of path or track together but when I planned this walk I was stuffed I could find no off road route back to the bus stop so I just had to plod it, out stopping off at the Manners Arms for a pint of larger, so it wasn't all bad.

House near Halston

On the bright side the walk was over 10 miles long and I enjoyed the greater part of it, had a pint and didn't miss the bus home. If you are that way inclined I reckon this entire route can be done on a bike, which is a first for Journeys on Foot, please check this is indeed correct before you try it.

Burton on the Wolds, Walton, Cotes, Hoton

Date: 2012-08-08

From: Burton on the Wolds

Region: Leicestershire, East of Loughborough

Walk :  Circular

OS Sheet: Explorer 246

Start Grid: SK 589 211

Distance: 8.45 ml, 13.6 km 

Height Gain: 357 ft, 109 m

Height Lost: 357 ft, 109 m

Notes:  The walk is mainly though fields and along farm tracks. There are several sections of road walking joining things together. No stiles, a couple of gates and two foot bridges.

Route

These notes are provided to enable the walk to be plotted on a 1:25,000 map.

From the mini roundabout, South along Barrow Road at top of hill, footpath on left to Walton on the Wolds. At road turn right, to footpath on right heading North West to the hedgeline at top of the ridge turn left to Nottingham Road. Turn right, to footpath on left, East to Burton Bandalls Farm. Turn left onto bridleway East to Cotes Road. Turn right to Loughborough Road left then right into Back Lane into Cotes. Cross the A60 into Stanford Lane to bridleway on right to Moat Hill and on to Hoton. Follow A60 South West through Village, turn left on road to Prestwold, at bend take footpath on left all the way to Burton on the Wolds.

  

Journey

This is the second of my walks based on the Number 8 bus from, and back to Loughborough. The previous Number 8 walk was from Harlaxton was the furthest one from home, this one from Burton on the Wolds is the nearest. 

Burton on the Wolds

The morning was warm and sunny with a cooling breeze which was great and walk was a nice steady stroll through very pleasant, well farmed countryside. Burton on the Wolds and Walton on the Wolds are both pretty villages. Walton probably the more so, as it is smaller and is not blighted by a main route to and from the A46 Fosse Way as Burton is. I can vouch for the quality of the beer and food in the pub in each village.

May Cottage, Walton on the Wolds

Clouds, Trees and Tracks

Shortly before reaching Burton Bandells you pass the Natural Burial Ground, a very peaceful location.

Burton Bandells is the home of Muggins Pottery. Muggins. http://www.muggins.com

As you walk from Cotes along Stanford Lane you are looking for the bridle way on the right. If it is as badly overgrown as in the photo above, just walk on another 100 metres or so and you will be able to join the path just as it starts to climb the slopes of Moat Hill and on to Hoton Hills. 

The path up and along the ridge, almost as far as Hoton, is broad and easy going. The views into the valley below and onto the hills beyond can be stunning. This path is just as good, possibly better when walked in reverse, from Hoton. Having said that, I have walked this route both ways, as a check, and I reckon as a route it is better walked this way round.

Stanford Church Tower

Standing prominent on the far slope is the imposing face of Stamford Hall. Please note its Stanford Hall, Nottinghamshire, not to be confused with Stanford Hall, Leicestershire. This Stanford Hall was built in 1774, and has passed through various hands since then, including Sir Julien Cahn, The Co-operative Union and two developers. It has now been purchased by the Duke of Westminster and is being converted into a ‘Defence and National Rehabilitation Centre’ (DNRC) where injured service men and others can be treated and rehabilitated, with I understand accommodation for their families to use when necessary. It is a wonderful location for this purpose.

Stanford Hall, Nottinghamshire

 Hoton was decorated with bunting and there were dozens of 4 pint milk cartons with their bottoms cut off, painted and decorated, filled with plants and strapped to lamp columns sign posts etc. I believe this was done for the Torch coming to the Village and has carried on through the Olympics. 

Milk Carton Flower Arrangements

Packe Inn Hoton

 In Route above I described the route I planned and walked. However there is an alternative route between Hoton and Burton on the Wolds which may be more to appealing. I like both. Instead of turning left at the cattle grid carry on South along Prestwold Road to the next footpath on the left at a gap in the wall, follow the path south from here to Prestwold Church through the next field and across the stream, turn left, East, along its south bank passing in front of Prestwold Hall and on to Burton on the Wolds. 

Burton on the Wolds (seen from the North)

Harlaxton to Croxton Kerrial, Lincolnshire

Date: 2012-08-01

From: Harlaxton to Croxton Kerrial

Region: Lincolnshire, South of Grantham

Walk :  Linear

OS Sheet: Explorer 247

Start Grid: SK 884 330

Finish Grid: SK 836 291

Distance: 8.5 ml, 13.6 km 

Height Gain: 497 ft, 151 m

Height Lost: 324 ft, 99 m

Notes:  Walking mainly on canal towpath and farm tracks, with sections of roads and paths to join things together. There were a few stiles and along the canal there were a couple of chicane type barriers.

Route

These notes are provided to enable the walk to be plotted on a 1:25,000 map.

From the A607 Grantham Road go down High Street to the footpath on the left to the Grantham Road, along the road to the track North to the Grantham Canal and Harlaxton Lower Lodge. Join the canal towpath heading West to Longmoor Bridge. Cross the bridge onto the Viking Way South to the A607. Go West along A607 to footpath on right, through fields to just outside Croxton Kerrial.

Journey

This walk is the first of several walks I have planned based on using the bus services available from Loughborough to get me to the start and back home again.

It is many years since I made regular or frequent trips on buses, about 45 plus years in fact. Although since getting my bus pass I have made use of it for short hops, a journey of over an hour was going to be a new experience. The 8 service runs from Loughborough to Grantham via Melton Mowbray once an hour throughout the day, travelling across 35 miles of wolds landscape and through a dozen villages. I got off the bus at the cross roads in Harlaxton. I felt that the  journey had been long and tedious but interesting at the same time as I watched and listened to the people on the bus and saw things along the way I would never see while driving a car.

I had the usual 5 minute faff of getting myself organised, GPS on, map out, hat on, camera ready, rucksack on and comfortable, all done on the side of a main road with cars zipping past and a bunch of Council workmen doing a repair seventy metres away, instead of behind the boot of a car. Then having got myself orientated I strode off about twenty metres the wrong way, before tentatively headed off in the right direction.

Harlaxton Manor

Crossing the first field I was surprised to see what looked to be a splendid stately pile sitting above a shallow valley with a wooded hillside as a backdrop, and gate houses and parkland in the foreground. I immediately racked my brains for stately homes in the area, with Belvoir and Belton the only contenders it wasn’t Belvoir Castle and Belton House was to the north of Grantham. The map showed it as Harlaxton Manor, which the internet now tells me was built in the 1830’s and is an American owned and run College. See Manor 

Grantham Canal

2 Miles from Grantham

Moving on I was soon on the Grantham Canal towpath, as I walked I realised that this part of the walk was a journey along the canal which had been used by bargees, their families and horses for a hundred years or more. The Grantham Canal had been a vital link between the coalfields of Nottingham and the farmlands of Lincolnshire. The canal opened in 1797 to move of coal from Nottingham to Grantham and the towns and villages beyond. In return the barges brought much needed food, sheep, pigs, cattle, vegetables and building materials to Nottingham. Movement of material by canal was quicker, cheaper and in much greater quantity than had been ever been possible by road. This process continued until the late 1800’s, although from about 1830 the railways gradually took over much of the trade. See Canal

Bridge 62

Swans

Walking along the towpath was very pleasant and quiet, even though it was well used by cyclists, walkers, including two small groups of ladies and a couple of fishermen, unfortunately in many places sight of the water was limited by the height and density of the waterside vegetation. Walking the canal gives an insight to the countryside, its history and how it has developed. The canal is also a wildlife habitat and corridor. I have little knowledge of flora or fauna but what I see as I walk I enjoy.

As an engineer I am always attracted by industrial remains and the second part of the walk is another journey with probable industrial and agricultural links to the canal but possibly also much older.

Shortly after crossing the canal and heading south along the Viking Way the track passes through the remnants of an embankment and bridge. The map shows a network to lines leading to the bridge site from the south, while a short distance east near the Rutland Arms there’s bridge over the canal and what could be sidings along the side of it. I guess that this may well have been a track-way or even a small/light railway network taking stone and timber from quarries and woodland down to the canal for shipping to Nottingham or Grantham and beyond. The OS Map shows a number of quarries, open workings and sawmills in the vicinity of the interconnected tracks.

However, having walked from the canal, past Brewer’s Grave, which I could not find, and up to the A607  I am fairly sure that from its route, appearance and feel that this part of the Viking Way is probably a much older route, possibly a drove way or similar. Looking at the wider map it certainly appears to extend over many miles beyond this section.

Trapped Rabbit

As I walked up towards Brewers Grave I found a small rabbit with its foot caught in what I assumed was a snare. When I got closer to it I could see that it had a bunch of tough grass stems twisted around its leg, it was squealing and thrashing but I managed to hold it and break most of the stems off, it didn’t try to bite me, but as soon as it could it ran.

On the section from the Denton - Harston Road towards Big Wood there were several  sweet Chestnut trees all with these long yellow catkins sprouting all over them. When I took photograph below the noise from the bees etc. in the ‘flowers’ was so noisy and intense I could feel the buzz, it was weird and I was glad to move away. Then I came upon a section of track that could almost be called cobbled, but I think the stones were too small, I’ve not seen any paving quite like it before. Further up the hill the track was paved in smashed up old concrete and tarmac (demolished airfield?)

Sweet Chestnut Flowers

'Cobbled' Track

I expected this walk to be a fairly bland training walk and it turned out to be more interesting than expected. At only 8.5m miles it was completed in exactly 3 hours including stops and photographs. I reached Croxton Kerrial along the A607, not quite as hairy as anticipated, in time to eat my lunch and catch the next bus home.

Belvoir Castle from A607

If anyone can shed any light on the history of rail/tracks down to the canal, the Viking Way, or the cobbles please leave a note in comments. Ta.