Hello and welcome back to my blog 😊.

Today the Three Amigos enjoyed a 9-mile circular walk, starting by The Duck pub at Woolsthorpe-by-Belvoir and taking in Denton reservoir and the Grantham Canal- one of my favourite walks.

It was a clear, blue-sky morning as we assembled by the pub to begin our walk. It has been a few weeks since our last walk together and we were all looking forward to a nice walk.

The clocks had gone back by an hour at the weekend for the winter months- I find it always takes me a while to adjust. The towpath was quiet, with no one about, as we followed it along – at this point it is part of the Viking Way.

At Longmoor bridge we left the canal and headed uphill away from the canal. We noticed that the footpath has had repairs done to it since we last walked it – the deep ruts have been filled in with stone, making it easier to walk.

After a steady ascent we reached Brewers Grave where there is a minor gated entrance to Belvoir Castle.

Having visited Belvoir Castle recently I can highly recommend a visit – its a fabulous house. https://www.belvoircastle.com/

We continued through woodland taking in the beautiful autumnal colours. It is a magical time of year.

Chris and Mick were identifying the various species of birds that were singing as we passed by. We joined a track which is the disused Ironstone Railway.

After a while we arrived at one of the old Ironstone Railway bridges and left the track taking the road down into the village of Denton.

It was a perilous walk along the road – there were cars treating it as a speedway. Can anyone tell me why, when you are driving, no matter what time of day or where you are, there is always another car stuck up your exhaust pipe? Talking of which, why do so many cars tailgate these days? Its a pet hate of mine.

Having arrived safely into Denton we made our way along a muddy track to reach Denton Reservoir (built to supply water to the canal). As always, it looked splendid in the morning sun.

There is only one bench at the reservoir and thankfully it was unoccupied this morning. We were 5-miles in on the walk and a break was in order. Whilst taking our refreshments we took in the view and watched the wildlife.

Revitalised after a break we headed towards Harlaxton bridge to pick up the canal once again.

Walking along a solid towpath was easy going. We just needed to keep an eye out for cyclists!

At Denton slipway we passed a swan family enjoying the sun.

As we walked along we noted how crystal clear the water in the canal was. Chris spotted a Kingfisher but it disappeared before Mick and I could see it. Soon we were arrived back at the pub and the end of our walk. It was a perfect day for a walk.

Happy Walking! 😊🚶