Hello and welcome back to my blog 😊.

Today, Mick and I enjoyed a 10.5-mile circular walk from Swinstead to Creeton, Scottlethorpe, Edenham and through the park at Grimsthorpe Castle back to Swinstead. The weather had finally turned milder so it was a perfect walking day.

We parked on the roadside in Swinstead village. The village has a nice wide road running through it, so parking was not an issue.

Leaving the village we were immediately following a path adjacent to fields – the grass had recently been trimmed so that was good.

The path led us down into a valley containing sheep where a wooden bridge straddled a dry river bed- I wonder why it was dry?

Leaving the valley we headed up the other side and made our way to an undulating track known as The Drift.

The Drift runs almost parallel to the East Coast Mainline Railway line so we could see the frequent trains speeding along the tracks as we ambled along. We reached the hamlet of Creeton, where we found a bench and took a short break for a drink, and then headed uphill to leave. We followed paths to reach Grimsthorpe park and walked through nice woods where the birds, including the odd cuckoo, were singing.

Continuing on we passed through Scottlethorpe and walked into the village of Edenham. I was delighted to find a red telephone box containing a phone – quite rare these days.

We found a bench in the grounds of the church and took a break.

Leaving Edenham we crossed fields to reach Grimsthorpe Castle. Having visited the castle a couple of weeks ago I had some photos which give you an idea of what it is like. The Castle facade was designed by Sir John Vanbrugh – he would design some of England’s most spectacular country houses. Grimsthorpe has been in the hands of the de Eresby family since 1516.

The grounds were designed by Capability Brown. The Castle is a nice place to visit and the volunteers who work there are very friendly.

Today our route took us beside the picturesque lakes with the Castle on higher ground in the distance.

Leaving the park it was a short walk back to Swinstead passing blooming wildflower meadows. I turned around frequently to soak up the view of the Castle in the parkland. Arriving back at the car we agreed it had been an enjoyable walk through variable landscapes.

Happy Walking! 😊🚶