My Walking Journeys

Discovering Industrial Heritage on a Peak District Walk

Jun 2nd, 2026

Hello and welcome back to my blog 😊.

For this blog Angela and I enjoy another day out in The Peak District, this time doing a 9-mile circular walk from Cromford to Starkholmes and then on to Matlock Bath.

In 1771 Sir Richard Arkwright built the first successful water powered (from the river Derwent) cotton mill in Cromford. There is much Industrial heritage to be found in Cromford. https://www.cromfordmills.org.uk/

We parked at Cromford Wharf the start of the Cromford Canal.

River Derwent

Crossing over the River Derwent we passed the entrance to Willersley Castle, once home to the Industrialist, and then started following a road uphill towards Starkholmes. After a while we looked for a detour off the road because it was narrow and there were too many manic drivers using it. We found a footpath and headed up along a good path to reach higher ground where we had some super views.

Much better than road walking!

Reaching Starkholmes we descended through the town passing the popular tourist attraction, Heights of Abraham – a cable car system.

Cable cars on route

From here it was a short walk into Matlock Bath where we were greeted by the noise from multiple motor cycles riding through – Matlock is clearly popular with motorcyclists.

River Derwent in Matlock Bath

Walking through the the town I admired a pedestrian bridge, known as the Jubilee Bridge, which was built in 1887.

The next section of our walk was climbing uphill out of the town on steep stone steps through woods. It was hard going.

At the top we found some handy benches in Upperwood where we had a break before continuing downhill through the woods.

We arrived back into Cromford and studied a good information board.

Leaving the town we again headed upwards eventually arriving at a high point on the former Cromford and High Peak Railway. Here we had lunch admiring the view.

The railway used wire rope to haul the wagons up the steep incline. https://www.cromfordcanal.org/high-peak-railway/

We walked down the incline reading the information boards along the way.

The route of the incline railway

It was interesting that the railway had a catch pit near the bottom to catch runaway wagons.

We arrived at High Peak Junction Workshops where there is an interesting museum and a coffee shop. We had a drink and looked around the workshop museum – fascinating.

The workshops are adjacent to the Cromford canal. We crossed a swing bridge and headed down the towpath towards Leawood Pump House (built in 1849) -used to lift water from the river Derwent into the canal.

A swing bridge on the Cromford canal

The pump house is still operational on certain days of the year.

Leawood Pump House

Further along the canal we visited Aqueduct cottage, originally built in the 19th Century to house the lock keeper but fell into ruin and is now being restored by Derbyshire wildlife Trust. The volunteer in the cottage was super helpful and informative.

Aqueduct cottage

We would have liked to have stayed longer but had to press on. As we continued along the towpath the trip boat passed us by.

Arriving at Cromford Wharf we visited the café for refreshments. It was the end of todays walk. The area has much to see – more than can be done in a day. It had been a varied and highly interesting walk.

Happy Walking! 😊🚶
Discover Dovedale: A Scenic 11.3-Mile Walking Adventure

Jun 2nd, 2026

Hello and welcome back to my blog 😊.

Todays walk was a cracking 11.3-mile circular walk in the Peak District starting from the village of Thorpe. Myself and Angela would ascend Bunster hill, pass through Dovedale woodland, Hall dale, visit the village of Alstonefield then return via Dove Dale beside the river Dove. It was a hot, sunny day at the tail-end of the recent heatwave.

Leaving Thorpe we passed by Thorpe Cloud, a former reef knoll that grew from the sea bed in a limey tropical sea over 300 million years ago.

Thorpe Cloud

Crossing yellow flowering fields we were soaking up the views.

A walk up Bunster Hill soon got our lungs fully operational.

walking up Bunster Hill

Having got our breathing back to a normal level we walked to Dovedale Wood where we spotted a Gorilla- a life sized statue, thank goodness!

Descending through the wood we reached the River Dove which we followed for a short while before heading up through Hall Dale- a dry valley.

River Dove

Hall Dale

At this stage of our walk there were very few people about which was nice. We soon reached Alstonefield, a delightful upland village of old stone cottages, an Elizabethan Manor House and a 15th Century church. The local pub, The George, looked nice so we took a break.

My orange juice and lemonade, with lots of ice, was most welcome. Refreshed, we took to the road and walked downhill into the hamlet of Milldale where we met a lot of people enjoying the weather and ice creams. We crossed an ancient packhorse bridge and began our walk beside the River Dove.

River Dove

There were more people enjoying the walk along the picturesque River Dove where caves and rock pinnacles can be seen.

Dove Holes

We walked up to a high point known as Lovers Leap where there were queues to take photos so we quickly moved on.

Part of the walk was along wooden boards which was a different experience.

Soon, we were close to the famous stepping stones across the river – it was very busy here because its a big draw for visitors. We passed on by and within a few meters beyond there was hardly anyone around.

Our walk was nearly at its end. We took a walk around Thorpe Hill and avoided the shooting range for a Rifle club – there were plenty of warning signs / flags.

We had enjoyed our day out in the Peak District.

Happy Walking! 😊🚶
Will we see the new ‘On Freedom’s Wing’s’ Sculpture on this walk?

May 26th, 2026

Hello and welcome back to my blog 😊.

The record breaking heatwave continues in the UK so sensible precautions were being taken for the walk. This morning Mick picked me up at 07:00 for the relatively short drive to Stapleford Wood where our walk would begin.

The aim was to do a circular route taking in the villages of Stapleford and Norton Disney on a quest to see whether we could catch a glimpse of the new sculpture called ‘On Freedom’s Wings’ which was ‘unveiled’ on May 16th.

On Freedoms Wings

The site is not open to the public yet, so the life sized sculpture of a Avro Lancaster Mark 1 bomber can only be viewed from a distance. Apparently, the sculpture is visible from the A1, much like similar sculptures around the country – e.g. The Angel of the North, The Kelpies are visible from major roads. Lincolnshire being the historic home of Bomber Command this seems very fitting to me. The sculpture represents a Lancaster on its way home to RAF Swinderby, just 3 km away.

Mick cleverly parked the car in the shade so that it would be relatively cool on our return.

Ready for the off

The wood had some beautiful purple flowering Rhododendron bushes spread amongst the trees.

After exiting the wood we found ourselves walking past a Breedon sand/gravel quarry. It had a very long conveyor belt which I found intriguing.

Then we met a road and set off along the hot tarmac to find the sculpture. Fingers crossed we will see something, I thought, and then suddenly, we were delighted to see it in the distance. It was well worth the effort – hopefully, next time the visitors centre and car park will be finished and we will see it close up.

Our route next took us to the small village of Norton Disney which has links to the famous Disney family. Here we found a bench and took a break.

The village was the original English seat for the D’Isigny family who first came to England with William the Conqueror in 1066. Their original home was D’Isigny-sur-Mer in Normandy. Their name became anglicised to Disney. At some stage the family moved to America and didn’t return for 300 years when, in June 1949, Walt Disney himself visited whilst making the film Treasure Island. He visited the church in Norton Disney and saw the 14th century tomb of Sir William D’Isigny where the family crest of three lions facing left is displayed. He adopted the crest and all Disney theme parks have flags on the castle flying the crest. How interesting is that! https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/entertainment-arts-67102341

Leaving Norton Disney we continued crossing fields past old quarry workings, now home to wildlife and lakes. We arrived in the village of Stapleford at the same time as a group of cyclists.

On the way to Stapleford

Finally, we crossed a few fields, walked along farm tracks and entered the cooling shade of the wood to the reach the car.

We were both chuffed to have seen the ‘On Freedom’s Wing’s’ sculpture and survived the walk in the heat.

Happy Walking! 😊🚶
Market Rasen Walk: Discovering Tealby and Scenic Views

May 25th, 2026

Hello and welcome back to my blog 😊.

In the UK we are currently having a record breaking heatwave with afternoon temperatures expected to reach 32 Deg C today. Whilst it is undoubtedly a dramatic change from the weather a mere week ago, I reasoned that if I was up early enough, I could enjoy a nice walk before it got uncomfortably hot.

Therefore, I set my alarm for 05:00 (didn’t need an alarm clock because the birds were twittering loudly at that time!) and after breakfast set off on the 1 hr drive to Market Rasen. The roads were blissfully quiet and a joy to drive on. So, by 07:00 I was suited and booted in the Lincolnshire Market Town of Market Rasen ready for my planned 9- mile walk, which incidentally, turned out to be 11.5-miles 😮.

Clearly, I decided, Market Rasen is a civilised town with free parking today (in John Street car park) and free toilets, that were actually open – amazing! The plan was to take a circular route to the village of Tealby nestled on the edge of the Lincolnshire Wolds – a designated Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty.

Market Rasen was very quiet as I walked past the church and found my way along residential roads. Leaving the town I passed by a designated flood storage reservoir (currently dry) for the River Rase and, after crossing a field, I entered woods.

It was a nice walk through the woodland along a narrow path with plenty of shaded areas along the way. Eventually, I exited the woods and took a track which took me on a steady climb upwards.

I passed a small herd of cows taking it easy in a meadow. I could almost hear them thinking ‘ its far too hot for walking about mister’. They might have a point!

Ascending uphill I had nice views looking back although there was still some haziness in the distance.

The tarmac farm track petered out and I was soon walking on a stone track adjacent to fields of wheat. Soon I reached the high point for the walk and started descending.

I could just about see Tealby in the trees below me.

I continued through fields where I found some hot sheep and arrived in Tealby by the church.

All Saints Church, Tealby

I bumped into a few walkers who were just getting geared up to set off. Smugly I thought, I have 7-miles under my belt already. I was keen to visit the community shop which is run by volunteers. Would it be open? I passed down a path by a meadow with bright yellow buttercups and found the said shop- I was delighted to find that it was open.

I bought some cold refreshments and chilled out at a table for a while.

The wonderful village shop in Tealby

Refreshed I set off once more, passing a nice thatched roof pub.

The Kings Head Pub Tealby built 1367

Leaving Tealby I saw a nice ford of the river Rase and then continued along paths across fields – sometimes the path was covered in the crop.

I was beginning to realise that the walk was more than billed and as the day was hotting up I was keen to finish. A final jaunt through the woods and then it was wasn’t long before I was back at the car.

It was a nice morning out and I thoroughly enjoyed exploring a new walk.

Happy Walking! 😊🚶
A Perfect Day for a Nature Walk: Swinstead to Edenham

May 21st, 2026

Hello and welcome back to my blog 😊.

Today, Mick and I enjoyed a 10.5-mile circular walk from Swinstead to Creeton, Scottlethorpe, Edenham and through the park at Grimsthorpe Castle back to Swinstead. The weather had finally turned milder so it was a perfect walking day.

We parked on the roadside in Swinstead village. The village has a nice wide road running through it, so parking was not an issue.

Leaving the village we were immediately following a path adjacent to fields – the grass had recently been trimmed so that was good.

The path led us down into a valley containing sheep where a wooden bridge straddled a dry river bed- I wonder why it was dry?

Leaving the valley we headed up the other side and made our way to an undulating track known as The Drift.

The Drift

The Drift runs almost parallel to the East Coast Mainline Railway line so we could see the frequent trains speeding along the tracks as we ambled along. We reached the hamlet of Creeton, where we found a bench and took a short break for a drink, and then headed uphill to leave. We followed paths to reach Grimsthorpe park and walked through nice woods where the birds, including the odd cuckoo, were singing.

Grimsthorpe Park

Continuing on we passed through Scottlethorpe and walked into the village of Edenham. I was delighted to find a red telephone box containing a phone – quite rare these days.

We found a bench in the grounds of the church and took a break.

St Michael and All Angels Church, Edenham

Leaving Edenham we crossed fields to reach Grimsthorpe Castle. Having visited the castle a couple of weeks ago I had some photos which give you an idea of what it is like. The Castle facade was designed by Sir John Vanbrugh – he would design some of England’s most spectacular country houses. Grimsthorpe has been in the hands of the de Eresby family since 1516.

Grimsthorpe Castle

Rear of Grimsthorpe Castle

The grounds were designed by Capability Brown. The Castle is a nice place to visit and the volunteers who work there are very friendly.

Today our route took us beside the picturesque lakes with the Castle on higher ground in the distance.

Leaving the park it was a short walk back to Swinstead passing blooming wildflower meadows. I turned around frequently to soak up the view of the Castle in the parkland. Arriving back at the car we agreed it had been an enjoyable walk through variable landscapes.

Happy Walking! 😊🚶
The Three Amigos’ Adventure: Barnby-in-the-Willows Walk

May 7th, 2026

Hello and welcome back to my blog 😊.

Today, The Three Amigos enjoyed an 8-mile circular walk from the Nottinghamshire village of Barnby-in-the Willows. The walk was mainly across fields or along farm tracks, which was nice, because we avoided road traffic. We would pass close to the villages of Fenton, Stubton and Claypole.

As I pulled up at our arranged meeting point, at All Saints Church, I noted that Mick and Chris had already arrived. Keen as mustard those two! Amigo Chris has not been around for a few weeks having taken a trip down under, visiting family and friends in Australia and New Zealand.

It had been a chilly 1 deg C first thing, but the sun was shining now and that would soon warm things up nicely. We walked through the church grounds and crossed a concrete bridge over the River Witham. After walking along the bank for a short while, we turned right into lush green farmland.

All Saints Church, Barnby-in-the -Willows.

Along the bank of the River Witham

We followed the drainage ditch adjacent to the field, taking in wide views across the fields. I was enjoying the sense of space and the sun on my face. The grass was wet from overnight dew. I hope my boots don’t get too wet. I popped on my sunglasses – the sun was low and bright.

We spotted two pairs of Hares running across the fields. Shortly, we skirted Fenton and were back into the fields, crossing through young crops where a narrow path was barely visible.

I could hear a noise through some trees, the quiet ambience was shattered, and sure enough the source soon became evident – a tractor.

Arriving into Stubton we walked past a nice looking building, Stubton Hall – a wedding venue.

Stubton Hall

We took a break in the bus shelter. Chris had some disgusting looking, allegedly healthy, green coloured drink. To be fair, he said he wouldn’t be getting any more. I had a scotch egg and a slice of cake 😊.

Refreshed we took a path which crossed multiple fields towards Claypole. We met a few people walking their dogs and watched numerous trains travelling along the East Coast Main Line Railway which ran close by. Reaching a level crossing we turned away from Claypole and followed a lane and then fields back to Barnby.

Along a farm track

In the final field we passed by some curious young calves and their mums before reaching the banks of the River Witham once again.

River Witham

It had been an enjoyable walk in perfect weather and it was good to have the Three Amigos back walking once again.

Happy Walking! 😊🚶
Exploring the River Trent: A 9-Mile Walk from Bingham to Radcliffe

Apr 30th, 2026

Hello and welcome back to my blog 😊.

Today, Mick and I enjoyed a 9-mile linear walk. We began in Bingham, Nottinghamshire and walked to Shelford. Then, following the River Trent, we continued on to Radcliffe-on-Trent. Finally, we caught a bus back to Bingham – the Nottingham buses are every 10 mins, which is great.

It was a beautiful blue- sky morning as we set off walking through Bingham. Mind you, it was still on the chilly side. Unfortunately, we started the walk at 08:00 so there was a lot of traffic on the roads because of rush hour. You forget just how noisy traffic can be. I was glad to reach the outskirts of Bingham.

A drainage pond for the A46

We crossed the A46 using the pedestrian footbridge.

The A46 at Bingham

Soon, we were away from the traffic noise and heading into fields. We crossed a railway track using the level crossing. The stiles here were metal, with the steps arranged at angles, unlike traditional wooden stiles – I thought they were a good innovation and made crossing easier.

A good stile design

Continuing onwards we reached the former RAF base Newton, and its still remaining, iconic control tower.

Control Tower

The airfield was opened in 1940 and the runway was grass. As I walked past I could sense the history and imagined the Wellington bombers taking off and landing. Shortly after leaving the airfield we spotted a bench with a view and took a break.

Mick heading for a break

From here we followed paths into the village of Shelford where we bumped into a walking group (Gedling Ramblers) outside the church. They were gathering for a 4.8-mile walk. We had a friendly chat with the leader and wished them a good walk.

St Peter and St Pauls church, Shelford

We headed for the River Trent to where the old ferry crossing to Stoke Bardolph was located. The crossing ceased in the late 1960’s. Back in the 1300’s, the River Trent at this point could be crossed by foot, horse or carriage and a boat was only used during the winter months. Nowadays the river is too deep and fast flowing to cross without a boat. All that remains today are a few steps down to the river.

Site of the old ferry crossing

We stopped for a chat with a couple of women who were looking at the river. They smiled when we asked them ‘what time is the ferry due?’

The next leg of our walk was following the River Trent to Radcliffe, initially along the wide grassed bank then uphill to the cliffs.

A sheep with a couple of lambs

River Trent

The day was getting quite hot now and we were glad to get some shade walking through the wooded path ascending the cliffs.

Having reached the top we had a nice walk along a long shaded pathway.

We were on the ‘Trent Valley Way’ path. I spotted a tree stump to have a rest.

Soon we were descending into Radcliffe and caught our last view of the River Trent.

Descending into Radcliffe

We headed for a bus stop and didn’t have to wait long before the bus arrived. We had certainly enjoyed the weather and the walk.

Happy Walking! 😊🚶
An enjoyable walk on a fine spring morning.

Apr 23rd, 2026

Hello and welcome back to my blog 😊.

Today Mick and I enjoyed an 8-mile circular walk from the Leicestershire village of Branston to Stathern, Eastwell, Eaton and back to Branston.

There was a chilly wind and it was a cloudy morning as we set off from Branston village. The forecast was promising with sunshine forecast.

We followed open farm tracks from Branston along the Jubilee Way, then joined Tofts Lane which then took us down the Belvoir escarpment, via a tree lined track, into Stathern village.

Tofts Lane

We thought we heard a cuckoo in the trees but, when Mick referred to his bird call App, it turned out to be a chiffchaff. There were some nice Bluebells in the woods – always colourful.

Walking into the village we paused at the information board and adjacent to it I was pleased to see the public telephone box being using as a library which makes a change from housing defibrillators.

Having been to Stathern previously, I knew that there was a popular cafe where I could get a nice bacon and egg bap, so we headed there.

The cafe also serves 200 degrees coffee, which is an excellent coffee. 200 degrees coffee was a start up company in 2012 and grew to have shops all over England. They were bought by Cafe Nero in 2024 but 200 Degrees still successfully operates under its own brand name.

After our break – my bacon and egg bap was delicious -we headed out of Stathern passing through the grounds of the picturesque St Gulthac’s church.

St Gulthac’s Church

We left Stathern along a track – Pasture Lane -which is on the Cross Britain Way and spotted unusual black and white sheep along the way.

Turning off the track we crossed fields and as we climbed slightly had extensive views across the Vale of Belvoir. The fields were dry – no signs of any mud!

Mick going cross country

View across the Vale of Belvoir

Having crossed the fields we ended on a road and had a short , but perilous, section of walking uphill against speeding traffic. Pleased to be off the road, we crossed more fields to arrive into the village of Eastwell and blue skies. We paused at a bus shelter for a break, where a passing horse rider bade us a good morning.

Entrance to the Coach House for Eastwell Hall

After the short break we walked past the modern village hall and at the end of the village headed across fields once again with wonderful views of the countryside.

We met a runner who informed us that he runs marathon’s and ultra-marathon’s – he did look fit. Soon, we were crossing a field of oilseed rape with its vibrant yellow flowers.

A classic spring image of Mick in the oilseed rape field

Arriving into the village of Eaton we walked along its narrow hilly roads from one side to the other.

Eaton village

The church sits in a dominant position over the village and we noted the steeple was scaffolded out, presumably for some maintenance work. The walk had been quite undulating and we continued in this vein as we left Eaton and headed for Branston. Eventually the route levelled out and we had a flat walk back into Branston arriving through the grounds of the pub – ‘The Wheel Inn’.

On the way to Branston

Nearly at Branston

The grounds of the pub are extensive, with a large carpark and a marquee for holding events.

The weather forecast had been correct and it had nicely sunny for most of the walk.

It had been a lovely walk and it was nice to enjoy the fine spring weather.

Happy Walking! 😊🚶
Exploring Sleaford: A Scenic 11.5-Mile Walking Adventure

Apr 14th, 2026

Hello and welcome back to my blog 😊.

Today, myself and Mick visited the Lincolnshire market town of Sleaford and enjoyed an 11.5-mile circular walk, initially following the River Slea and then heading across open fenland to pass through the villages of Ewerby and Evendon.

We parked in Eastgate carpark (currently undergoing resurfacing) and set off on our walk. We passed ‘The Hub’ which is home to a national centre for craft and design – this will be well worth a visit on another day https://hub-sleaford.org.uk/about

We passed a moored up canal boat ‘The Benjamin Handley’ which is owned by the Sleaford Navigation Trust. The Sleaford Navigation is a 12.5-mile (20.1 km) canalisation of the River Slea in Lincolnshire which opened in 1794. It runs from a junction with the River Witham, near Chapel Hill to the town of Sleaford through seven locks, most of which were adjacent to mills. The Sleaford Navigation Trust is working to restore the last 5-miles of the Navigation that needs restoring https://www.sleafordnavigation.co.uk/

Continuing on we crossed a bridge over the river and followed the riverside path. We passed some wonderful mosaics in the footpath celebrating the areas boating heritage.

At this point we were following signs for the Spires and Steeples trail which runs from Lincoln to St Denys church in Sleaford. www.heartoflincs.com/things-to-do/spires-and-steeples/spires-and-steeples-route

We passed the leisure centre which is wonderfully located adjacent to the Navigation.

Leisure centre

Shortly we visited Lollycocks field which is a newly (relatively new, 1986) created pond, wildlife area and Kingfisher nesting ground.

Lollycocks field

Moving on we passed Coggleford Watermill, which unfortunately, was not open today. It has a fully restored water wheel and grinds flour and I would definitely be interested in a visit another time. There was a lovely wooden sculpture just before the Mill. https://www.heartoflincs.com/things_to_do/cogglesford-watermill/

Our walk continued on, it had been a bit of an eye-opener for me – who knew that Sleaford held such treasures?

Scenic canal

We passed under the bridge carrying the busy A17 where the walls were full of urban art (i.e. graffiti)

Under the A17

Shortly, we missed our crossing over to the other side of the Navigation which became obvious when the path ran out. Reversing our route for a couple of hundred metres we crossed the bridge and continued on. I blame the lack of signs, but its happened before and I expect it will happen again!

I love to see a nice Wheeping Willow tree – they are such shapely trees.

We were passing derelict locks and their weirs – I wonder how long it will take to restore the Navigation?

Adjacent to the ruins of Haverholme Priory we left the Navigation and headed across arable fields towards the village of Ewerby. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Haverholme_Priory

Ruins at Haverholme Priory

Heading to Ewerby

Arriving into Ewerby we found a bench and took a much needed break. After my obligatory scotch egg we continued walking through the village past the church and a very nice hotel -The Finch Hatton https://thefinchhatton.co.uk/ which has old horse drawn ploughs on display. If you visit the website, the history section is interesting to read especially the connection with a Robert Redford film.

Church in Ewerby

Ploughs outside The Finch Hatton hotel

Leaving Ewerby we crossed flat fields and nice paths to reach the village of Evendon.

On the way to Evendon

Evendon turns out to be quite a long village with some very nice properties, including one that looked like it was built around a water tower. Mick and I walked through the village admiring the houses.

Mick pointed out that the tower on the church was leaning precariously- the photo does not show it I am afraid.

So onwards we continued across more fields until eventually we reached the Navigation once again. We walked back into Sleaford – there were more people about than we had met earlier in the day.

It had been an interesting and varied walk. Its good to explore new territory.

Happy Walking! 😊🚶
A Scenic Walk from Manthorpe Chase: History and Nature

Apr 7th, 2026

Hello and welcome back to my blog 😊.

Today Mick and I enjoyed a 10-mile circular walk from Manthorpe Chase which took us through Belton village, Syston, Barkston Heath, Barkston and Great Gonerby.

It was quite a sunny, but chilly, morning as we set off early crossing Belton Woods Golf Course, part of the 4- star hotel, spa and golf resort. http://www.beltonwoods.co.uk/

We had a quick chat with a golfer who was looking for his missing golf ball, and he told us he had been playing for an hour – so he was a very early bird!

Exiting the grounds we crossed the busy A607 and walked into the lovely village of Belton where the National Trust property Belton House resides.

Belton House

On this occasion we did not go into the estate but walked through the village. If you are in the area it is well worth a visit. We passed a nice stone monument, unfortunately there was no information written on it to say why it was there.

Belton House was previously owned by the Brownlow family and the greyhound is part of the family crest. We spotted a greyhound above a cottage door in the village.

Historically, greyhounds were used by Royalty and Nobility for hunting and in the Middle Ages they were a status symbol, with laws forbidding commoners from owning them.

Leaving Belton village we walked towards Syston and up a road towards a large Auto company called ‘Autocraft Solutions Group’. In WW2 the factory was used to manufacture bullets. Just before the security gate we turned left and followed a track adjacent to an old wall.

Wall of Syston Park Hall

The wall was part of what was once Syston Park Hall. Built in 1775 for Sir John Thorold the hall was demolished in 1928.

Sketch of Syston Park Hall

We followed the path uphill emerging beside a splendid white house.

Continuing on the track it became a road and shortly we arrived at RAF Barkston Heath. This is an active military airfield currently serving as a relief landing ground for RAF Cranwell. It now hosts the Joint Elementary Flying school, training student pilots. As we stood peering into the airfield we could see a security vehicle heading our way. It turned out it was moving a herd of deer that was wandering around. https://www.thunder-and-lightnings.co.uk/spotting/barkston-heath.php

As we were walking away from the airfield we were privileged to see two planes successively coming in to land.

Plane on approach for landing

We followed Heath Lane track along the edge of the old grounds of Syston Park Hall.

Heath Lane track

It is interesting to note that in 1906 Sir John Thorold (not the original!), a motorsports enthusiast, held a hill climb at Syston Park. We would shortly be headed down this hill – Minnetts hill. In 1926 a circuit was created from the estate road. Soon, it became a Grand Prix venue attracting crowds of up to 30,000 people. It is amazing to learn the history in areas you walk through.

Looking up Minnetts hill

After a nice stroll downhill – I was glad we were not going the other way around – we arrived into Barkston village, passing the church and war memorial.

St Nicholas’ church

Walking on we reached a picnic area adjacent to the River Witham – here we stopped for a break, and I had my much needed scotch egg.

Barkston Picnic area

Following our break we resumed by walking along the bank of the tranquil and meandering River Witham.

River Witham

We came across a sign and wondered what it was about – it became clear upon reading. We could see the mink trap close to the bank.

Leaving the river we followed paths/tracks across open arable farmland. It was turning out to be a lovely day.

We headed upwards and were aiming for the top of Peascliffe tunnel, through which, runs the East Coast main line railway. When the line was being planned, the then Lord Brownlow insisted that he did not want to see trains running through his land – hence the tunnel.

Old photograph of Peascliffe tunnel

We could hear the trains passing under us as we walked above the tunnel. We passed a pepper pot shaped ventilation shaft, designed to let fumes escape from the tunnel.

Ventilation shaft

Finally, we arrived into Great Gonerby and followed a nice path downhill to Manthorpe Chase. There were quite a few stiles in this section but we were on the home stretch.

Happy Walking!😊🚶