Hello and welcome back to my blog 😊.

Sunshine was forecast for today and I was definitely up for a good walk. After scraping the ice off the car windscreen I headed out to drive the few miles to my starting point in Syston village. Unfortunately, I encountered a traffic jam on the A607 and, after not moving for 5 minutes, I did a U-turn and parked in the village of Belton. The delay turned out to be a road traffic accident. The Fire Brigade, police and an ambulance were in attendance as I walked past. I hoped the injured party was ok.

My plan was to do a circular walk from Syston to Barkston then to Marston and back. I had seen that the Vale of Belvoir ramblers had recently blogged this walk and I liked the look of it. As I walked through Syston the sky was blue and there was a smattering of frost on the ground.

It is a short walk from Syston into Barkston.

After walking through Barkston, admiring the fine stone houses, I found the footpath I needed and headed across a couple of fields. I was soon on a wider track that passed under the Grantham to Skegness railway line. As I avoided the puddles of water I noted that there was a thin layer of ice on them.

After passing under the bridge I walked beside Honington Beck, a tributary of the river Witham, which it joined after a few hundred metres.

My route continued across grassy fields. I met a chap walking his dog and had a chat.

The sun was shining and do you know, it had some heat in it. I was loving it! Passing beside the river Witham for a while, I reached another railway bridge – for the East Coast main line, just as train was crossing.

As I approached the tunnel I got the whiff of sewage in the air – there was a large sewage works on the other side! I noticed a sign that said the water company had spent £19 million upgrading the plant, which is good, but why the smell? Walking past quickly, I continued along the track to arrive in Marston village.

I was looking for a bench to take a break. I passed a fine Victorian school building.

I found a bench in a quiet spot and tucked into my usual scotch egg / coffee combo. Continuing walking through the village I crossed the river Witham.

After passing the village hall I took the track running through muddy fields that took me to a level crossing on the very busy main line. I was doubly careful to check for trains before crossing.

My route took me gradually uphill and when I reached the top I took in the nice views. Crossing fields, I would soon be heading down again.

I came across a group of Ramblers who were taking a break so said hello. They were happy with the fine weather.

Taking care on slippery muddy sections I wound my way back into Barkston, through Syston village and into Belton village. There was no sign that there had been a RTA earlier -just a few granules of oil absorbent on the side of the road.

Checking my OS App I had walked 10 miles. It was a perfect walking day.

Happy Walking! 😊🚶