Hello and welcome back to my blog 😊.

This morning, the Three Amigos met up for our first walk of 2026. We met in the village of Branston having driven along narrow country lanes covered in black ice- not recommended for nervous drivers! Our 8.5-mile circular walk would take us to the villages of Croxton Kerrial, Harston, Knipton and then back to Branston.

We walked through Branston and then climbed across our first stile into a field- the stiles would all be covered in ice so some care was needed.

The sun was rising above the horizon and the fields were frosty – it all looked very scenic. We continued up a slight incline which certainly got the blood pumping and warmed us up. Chris was setting the pace.

Looking behind gave us lovely views to appreciate.

Having reached the top, we crossed over the A607, and then headed downhill, again with extensive views.

We have had a lot of rain recently but the frosty conditions meant we were not trudging through mud.

After reached the bottom inevitably our route took us uphill – we were on an undulating walk! Just the thing to help burn off those extra calories from Christmas.

We soon arrived into Croxton Kerrial passing the church of St Botolph – a grade II listed building, which sits opposite the site of a ruined Medieval Manor House. We had explored the site on a previous visit so did not stop today.

We were headed for Harston and were enjoying the chat and catching up after the festive break.

This has to be one of my favourite local walks. I certainly get the sense of walking in nature which is good for the soul. Belvoir castle was visible high on its hill in the distance.

We passed parts of the old ironstone quarries which permeate this area.

After reaching Harston we had some road walking to do to reach Knipton – it was all downhill so that was easy. We were ready for a cuppa when we reached Knipton. We sat in the bus shelter where there was a wooden bench. All three of us had chosen Bovril to fill our flasks today- must have been something to do with the weather. I tucked into my Scotch Egg – the food of Gods! Someone said ‘I can hear horses’ next thing some hounds and a couple of horsemen were passing by – I forgot about my Scotch Egg and rushed to take a photo. They were probably part of the Belvoir Hunt.

After the break we noticed snowdrops in a garden – an early sign of spring and warmer days to come. We followed the road to Branston and after navigating a boggy field we arrived back at our cars. It had been a delightful walk.

Happy Walking! 😊🚶