Hello and welcome back to my blog 😊.

Its completely amazing that the sunny weather continues. I am loving it! Have you noticed how many flying insects are about? My car windscreen is testament to increasing numbers.

So today, myself and Mick took advantage of a glorious day and completed another leg of the Leicestershire Round, walking 9.2 miles from Burbage Country Park to Market Bosworth Country Park.

This leaves us just over 15 miles left to complete our challenge.

After some initial difficulty finding our route out of Burbage Common we headed into Barwell passing St Marys Church and a nice neo-gothic style war memorial.

Continuing through Barwell we entered an industrial estate. It had no redeeming features apart from a mobile café which I took advantage of and was soon munching on a delicious bacon and egg bap. The vendor was able to point out the route we needed to follow – she has seen many walkers pass by apparently.

The route after the Industrial Estate was initially uninspiring and tricky due to vegetation encroachment. I have learnt to avoid wearing shorts when walking at the moment because you are likely to get stung by nettles.

After a while we entered more pleasant agricultural fields and the going was easier.

We noted that the lambs are growing fast but still stick close to their Mums.

Soon, we arrived at the Ashby canal where we joined the towpath and took a break at a handy bench whilst watching the boats cruising past. It seems such an idyllic life, puttering about on a boat. More of a summer pursuit than a winter one though.

Resuming walking we were headed for Sutton Wharf. We passed a boat called ‘The Black Pearl’ which had a macabre theme including a coffin on the roof, complete with a skull and a scarecrow sat on top.

Most unusual – not your usual narrowboat decor. Further on we saw some ducklings paddling along. It is lovely to see them.

Shortly we reached Sutton Wharf where there were folk enjoying the café there.

Continuing along the towpath past the café we took a right turn and passed through Ambion Wood. It was cooler in the shade of the trees and we enjoyed a brief respite from the heat.

After passing through the wood we arrived at the the Bosworth Battlefield Heritage Centre. A battle fought near here in 1485 brought Henry VII to the throne when he defeated Richard III.

https://www.bosworthbattlefield.org.uk/

We didn’t have time to spend here today but it looked worth a visit at a future date. The mortal remains of Richard III were found under a carpark in Leicester in 2012 – the film ‘The Lost King’ records the efforts of Philippa Langley to persuade academics and historians of her research that eventually led to the discovery.

Leaving the Heritage Centre we had a walk into the village of Sutton Cheney followed by an easy walk to the Market Bosworth Country Park. A good days walking I feel.

We hope to do the penultimate leg of the Leicestershire Round next week- Market Bosworth to Bagworth. I wonder whether it will still be sunny?

Happy Walking! 😊🚶