Day 12 Hallaton to Foxton – 31 July 2013

Warning – this post contains frequent references to rain and nettles!

Wed, 2013 Jul 31 9:41 AM British Summer Time

With Marta. Hard work because of rain, wet crops in some fields and two or three places where nettles obstructed the path. One of those rainy days with dry intervals. 810 ft of ascent. Just over 12 miles. Excellent pub for lunch – The Bell at East Langton.

We start by walking past the large church along Churchgate, following it round to the little cemetery. Just after this we go through a kissing gate, taking the path close to the hedge on our left.  We cross the stream and make our way over fields, with the site of Hallaton motte and bailey to our right

The motte and bailey

We did wander from the path once or twice when we couldn’t see the waymark posts. The rain made it more difficult to keep consulting the map or guide book!  Too many raindrops to wipe off.   So two graceful curves instead of a straight line on the garmin trace around Horseclose Spinney.   After that point we managed to follow the route as far as Cranoe church for an earlier-than-planned stop for coffee in the church porch, watched by a couple of carved heads. Some one has been at them with the felt-tip, but this is clearer on the photos than in real life!

The lion on the outside of the porch has been left alone.

From Cranoe to Glooston involves road walking, but the road is very quiet and the surface a welcome respite from the wet fields.  The rain is not stopping, and we take sanctuary in Glooston church porch for our second rain-pause in just over a mile.

We didn’t set out with the intention of studying carved heads today, but here are another two.

We walked the route from Glooston to Hallaton quite recently, so find our way easily to Stonton Wyville. We become aware that water has seeped from wet crops down into our boots – squelch, squelch.  By the time we reach Stonton Wyville,  we’re too wet to care, so after a quick adjustment of boots we head for Langton Caudle. Its fine views are visible but rain-hazed.  We could still do with one extra LR marker up here, but we reach the trig point without problem, since we know the way!

We came, we saw, we conquered!

We follow the path from the trig point keeping close to the hedge on our right, and go downhill, through a long pasture to the ford. Here we turn left along the bridle path to Thorpe Langton. We cross the main road and take the street leading to the church. We turn right along the footpath. This church offers us no sanctuary from the rain – even the porch is locked.

So it’s over the fields to the farm road, turn left and at the end into a field and right through the gate in the hedge just after the shelter!  Onwards more or less east until we arrive at East Langton. We’ll make the small detour to the pub.

They are remarkably pleasant to us even though we resemble drowned rats, and are quite happy for us to remove boots and socks in a side room before we order some lunch. The barman does offer us the choice of “waterlogged sandwiches”, but we decide we prefer the ciabatta – served with salad and chips.  It’s excellent.  £6.95 for the meal + £2 for a drink.  I recommend The Bell.

The last three miles or so are flat and shouldn’t present much of a challenge – we think. And at first it’s just like that – through meadow/pasture land – a herd of Lincoln Red cattle, or choc cows and calves, who look but aren’t interested. Then there are sheep, and we go under the railway line. So far so good.

Two fields later we hit a small section of woodland.  The path goes through here, but it looks as though the vegetation has had a growing binge. Luckily I have my trekking pole on my back-pack.  I rarely use it, but it works as a substitute machete, and we force our way through along the marked path.

We’re going to head for the factory on the horizon. All goes well until we’re within 100 yards, and we have the same problem. This time it defeats us before we start. I know there’s another route. We go back, and just before we join the B6047, we face a similar problem. Tall wet nettles and umbellifers, and yes, LR waymarkers lead straight through this jungle.

We get there. Then we have a slightly hairy 200 yards or so to walk on the pavement next to the busy road, dodging cars and vegetation.  It’s a relief to reach the canal.  We’ve decided to make our own way to Foxton Locks. rather than tackle more soggy fields.

A short distance along the towpath, and a large willow tree has split and a bough has fallen on top of a narrowboat and is blocking the waterway. No one has been hurt, and they’re planning to get it cleared soon.  We can walk underneath it.

Now things are looking smooth – the rain has stopped, we’re beginning to dry out, and the prospect of a coffee at Foxton Locks is inviting.  A good path, water alongside, no nettles to fight. Life is sweet.

Of course, just before we arrive at the Bridge 61 pub near the Locks, the rain begins in earnest, and we get soaked again.  We stay inside until there’s another break on the rain, and walk up past the flight of locks to complete the circle of the Leicestershire Round.

Map and details

Day 1 : From Foxton to Bruntingthorpe

With Marta. Weather – grey, but no rain. Chilly wind. Muddy in places. Lunch at Fleckney. Almost 10.5 miles, including our wander round scenic Fleckney! 

A great start to the day was coffee and a slice of fruit cake at Foxton Top Lock before we walked down to the canal towpath at the bottom of the flight of locks, and our official starting point for the Leicestershire Round.

http://www.fipt.org.uk/audiotrail.html

Lock Keeper’s Cottage Café Foxton

(link to poem about this)

We walked over Bridge 61 and turned along the tow-path north, away from the Locks area.  After a few hundred yards we crossed the footbridge, with its Leicestershire Round waymark and headed across the fields towards Gumley with  the church spire and the tower of Tower House visible in the woods.
The path climbs up to the village and leads on to the Main Street, where we turned right and walked up past Tower House and St Helen’s Church.

  

   

 We took the path by the church and near the wood, across a couple of fields to Debdale Lane.

We crossed this small road, going downhill quite steeply, then up again by a small wood called Smeeton Gorse.  We arrived at the top of Smeeton Hill, where there is a bench.  Today the views of Saddington reservoir were much clearer than in summer.  The reservoir and channels were built to feed the canal.

A little grey, but lovely rolling countryside around Saddington.   And yes, we had to go up to the village.

After going through Saddington we mad our usual mistake and ended up a little too far  north, coming out near where the road forks to Fleckney on the left and Kibworth on the right. We walked a little way back to pick up the Leicestershire Round across afield to a gate part way along the hedge.  From here you can see a clump of trees, hiding a pond.  We made for the left hand side and then for the corner of the houses on the edge of Fleckney.

We decided it was lunch time, and walked an extra mile and a half or so to the Crown in Fleckney.

We returned and picked up the track we needed which turns southwest at the corner of the housing, and heads upwards.  Once we joined the hedge we walked with this on our right for a while, and then on our left as far as the next road.

We crossed the road and walked straight ahead on a minor road for a short distance before turning on to the footpath to the left.  For most of the way ahead the path is fairly clearly marked, and took us through various fields with cows and horses, before climbing up past New Inn Farm, and on to the A5199.  We crossed this and walked along for a short distance to the road into Shearsby.

Shearsby church seen from the A 5199

perched on a hill

At Shearsby we took time for a mini-break, and a chat to a couple who have walked the Round before. There are convenient benches on the wide roadside verge.
We walked through the village, along Back Lane and Mill Lane and past some cottages which look like the model for a jigsaw puzzle.

Just outside the village the Leicestershire Round path turns right into a field.  We kept close to the hedge – it is the route, and kept us from disturbing the cows too. The path here was fairly muddy.   In the next field we kept the hedge on our right, and turned slightly left when we came to a small wooded area.  After this spinney, we crossed the hedge, which was now on our left. We went gradually downhill, and passed more trees on the left, before crossing a very big field – the line is marked by the signs.  In the next field, the path follows the hedge and joins a clear farm track alongside another two fields, before curving to the left and leading into Bruntingthorpe via Little End.

1716 Tithe Barn in Bruntingthorpe

Next leg’s starting point.

Map and details