Hello and welcome back to my blog 😊.

Today myself and Angela enjoyed a 7.4 mile undulating, circular walk through rolling countryside. The walk began outside the church in Branston and took us to Croxton Kerrial, Harston and Knipton.

It was a very windy day with rain forecast for later in the morning, which we wanted to avoid. This is one of Angela’s favourite walks – mainly because you get a strong sense of remoteness on it.

After a short road walk out of Branston we turned into a wide track that would take us towards Croxton Kerrial. Inevitably, after the recent rain, there was plenty of mud along the way.

It was quite chilly in the wind. Walking along we were spotting Red Kites overhead, swooping serenely in the sky.

Arriving into Croxton Kerrial we walked past the local church and then headed across grassed fields towards the Blue Bell woods (these look glorious when the flowers are out – its far too early yet).

I am always wary when crossing wooden stiles after walking through mud, having previously taken a fall from a stile a couple of years ago.

Walking through the woods we could see that the Blue Bells were popping up so would make an impressive display in due course. Exiting the woods we crossed a wooden bridge over a stream and headed out across a large open field.

We were on our way to Harston, where Ironstone was quarried until the 1970’s. Ironstone was mined in many small quarries in this area. We walked past the remains of a quarry – now a hole in the ground. I wondered how it looked back in the day?

Arriving at Harston we took a stroll around the church grounds and although there were benches we waited until we were further into the village, and a more sheltered spot, before taking a break.

After a cuppa and a bite to eat we continued our walk along the quiet road towards Knipton. Passing the Belvoir Cricket Club grounds where Belvoir Castle could be seen on the hill behind, we entered the village.

The houses have the characteristic Ironstone brick colour which I quite like. We passed the war memorial.

Followed by the restored village water pump.

As we headed out of Knipton we could hear the bleating of lambs and sure enough, we found the field shortly, and the wonderful sight of the little lambs.

Further on, through a driveway, we spotted Knipton reservoir which is a water source for the Grantham Canal.

The lane was quiet and it meandered through the countryside bringing us back into Branston. As we changed out of our boots the first spots of rain started to fall – we were chuffed with our good timing.

We had enjoyed the exhilaration of a blustery undulating walk in the tranquil countryside.

Happy Walking! 😊🚶