Tag: photography

Discover the Beauty of the Lincolnshire Wolds: A Walking Adventure

Aug 17th, 2025

Hello and welcome back to my blog 😊.

This morning myself and Angela enjoyed a 7.4-mile circular walk from the attractive village of Tealby in Lincolnshire. Tealby is one of the prettiest Lincolnshire villages lying close to Market Rasen and on the edge of the Lincolnshire Wolds. In my humble opinion, the Lincolnshire Wolds are one of the best kept secrets in the UK, with their quiet, open and rolling landscape. https://www.visitlincolnshire.com/destinations/lincolnshire-wolds/

Tealby

The 4th heatwave of our summer had abated and temperatures were much more comfortable as we set off early on Sunday morning, on a wonderfully quiet drive to Tealby.

Arriving in Tealby we parked close to the memorial hall.

Tealby Village Hall

We set off walking down Beck Hill, following The Viking Way, and crossed the ford at the bottom- I was surprised to see water still running.

The Ford

Heading along a track uphill we passed through Bayons Park where once there stood a grand manor house – home of the Tennyson d’Eyncourt family. The house was demolished in 1964.

As we gradually gained height we had nice views looking behind us – we could just about see the tall spires of Lincoln Cathedral far in the distance.

nice views

We continued to follow the Viking Way until we reached the B1225. Our route now took us along the road for a while – the cars were an irritation but we were soon turning into the road for Kirmond Hall Estate.

On the Viking Way

We followed the road into the estate but eventually turned off – had we carried on we would have seen a large house and been trespassing!

Kirmond Hall

We were definitely in Wolds country now with a valley stretching out ahead of us.

We were heading towards the village of Kirmond le Mire. A pleasant walk following a good path brought us into the village. We spotted a bench in the grounds of the church of St Martin so decided to take advantage and stop for a break.

Angela striding ahead

The church of St Martin

Refreshed after our break we set off on a farm track. There was open countryside all around us. The fields were nicely striped from recent ploughing activities.

The farm track ended and we were then following nice grassed paths.

We soon found ourselves arriving back into Tealby where we stopped at the well stocked community shop for a coffee and bought a good Lincolnshire Wolds walking book. We also found some free walking guide leaflets -Tealby is a starting point for quite a few walks.

A nice coffee at the end

We noticed the nice thatched pub in the village – The Kings Head is a 14th century Inn and looked amazing . Maybe next visit.

Happy Walking! 😊🚶
A Joyful 8-Mile Walk with Scenic Views and Scotch Eggs

Aug 5th, 2025

Hello and welcome back to my blog 😊.

Today, the Three Amigos enjoyed a 8-mile circular walk from the Lincolnshire village of Marston to Barkston and back.

Our route

The walk was mainly through well maintained lanes and fields. It was quite a breezy day and the wind was mild, so it was pleasant. Chris was leading this walk and brought a smile to my face first thing by presenting me with a couple of ‘fancy’ scotch eggs – obviously, he was tired of me whingeing on recently that my ASDA store is forever running out of scotch eggs, and, if you are a regular reader, you will know that I do enjoy a scotch egg whilst out walking!

We set off across fields, picking up a tree-lined path close to some wetlands. The floor was carpeted in various berries, fallen from trees which clearly had an abundance of such berries. A bumper crop this year?

We passed by the local sewage works (hold your noses!) and then through a tunnel under an active railway line.

Railway tunnel

A short walk through the woods brought us to open farmland where we walked beside the river Witham for a while before crossing a large field.

This was a nice open, big sky space and there was a good feeling in this area-a positive energy. You get that sense sometimes when out walking – conversely, you sometimes feel the opposite in other places.

We reached some stepping stones across the river Witham where two of the Amigos raced across.

Stepping stones across the river Witham

Shortly, we reached the village of Barkston, which didn’t take long to walk through, and we then entered a field where the path across was barely discernible.

After crossing a railway line, we headed uphill to a place where there was some shelter from the wind -here we took a break. I enjoyed one of my Tescos finest soft- centre scotch eggs 😊.

We were being watched by some very curious calves. I think we were the highlight of their day.

Refreshed after our stop we set off and reached a nice farm track. It was easy walking up a slight incline. The track turned to grass after a while and we were walking gradually downhill.

We reached the busy east coast main line and waited for an opportunity to cross the tracks.

A farm track brought us back into Marston, where we once again crossed the river Witham. Chris informed us that he had seen an otter in the water here a few days earlier and a Kingfisher- sadly, we didn’t see any today.

River Witham

A walk through the village brought us back to the start. We had enjoyed a lovely walk and were looking forward to our next one.

Happy Walking! 😊🚶
A Day Out in Lincolnshire: Kettlethorpe to Torksey Lock

Aug 1st, 2025

Hello and welcome back to my blog 😊.

Yesterday Angela and I met up with Mick outside St Peter and St Paul’s church in the small Lincolnshire hamlet of Kettlethorpe.

St Pater and St Pauls church Kettlethorpe

We had planned a walk from Kettlethorpe to the river Trent which we would follow to Torksey Lock, where the Fossdyke joins the Trent. Then, we would take a walk along the bank of the Fossdyke, after which the plan was to follow footpaths across fields back to Kettlethorpe. As you will see things didn’t quite work out as planned!

We set off walking on a pleasant morning, after plenty of overnight rain, and were soon arriving into the village of Laughterton, which oddly had exactly the same village sign as Kettlethorpe.

Walking through Laughterton I noticed some very pretty hanging baskets in a garden. They were a pleasure to see!

A walk along Marsh Lane brought us to the magnificent river Trent.

River Trent

Having reached the river we followed the grassy bank admiring the views.

As we walked along the giant cooling towers of the former Coal Fired Powered Station at Cottam soon dominated the view.

Cottam power station cooling towers

And before long the short grass on the bank turned into something much more difficult to walk through. There were many ruts and trip hazards in the grass and we needed to be careful where we put our feet.

After a very tedious walk through long vegetation we arrived at Torksey Lock.

Torksey Lock is where boats on the Fossdyke can access the river Trent and vice versa.

Lock gate – looking towards the river Trent

Angela pointed out all the tea pots resting on the beams of a lock gate. Most curious.

A strange place to store tea pots.

It took a bit of finding to get on to the towpath of the Fossdyke but eventually we found the way and set off along the canal. There were several pleasure craft moored up in private marinas.

A narrow boat passed us by as we strolled along the towpath.

Narrow boat heading for Lincoln

The power station cooling towers were still in view.

As we continued along the canal bank the vegetation got more difficult to walk through which was tiring. Eventually, we reached Drisney Nook and finished the section along the Fossdyke. We headed off to find our route across fields. Here things went pear shaped. Footpath signposts disappeared and after referring to the map, we got back on track only to find the subsequent path completely impassable with overgrown vegetation. Unless rights of way are maintained by the landowner this is always a possibility during summer months.

We looked at the map and came to the conclusion that some road walking was necessary to pick up the route further on. So, we had a horrendous walk beside the busy A57 to reach our route – nobody enjoyed this section and all were glad to get off the road and follow a quiet track back to Kettlethorpe.

We passed a large Paintball site but there were no competitors there today.

Angela was amazed at the large number of chicken farms that there were in the area. There was certainly a lot.

We were glad to arrive back at the cars after a 13.5-mile walk on what turned out to be quite a hot day. It was a shame that our enjoyment of the walk was tainted by the walk along the road. I don’t think we will be doing this walk again too soon.

Happy Walking! 😊🚶
Enjoying walking in the Yorkshire Dales.

Jul 26th, 2025

Hello and welcome back to my Blog 😊.

This week I have enjoyed a few days walking in the Yorkshire Dales National Park, staying in the small town of Sedbergh, found on the western edge of the dales.

Sedbergh nestles beside the Howgill Fells, which were aptly described by Arthur Wainwright as ‘looking like a herd of sleeping elephants’.

The Howgills

Angela and I drove up the A1 and then headed west on the A684, crossing the beautiful Yorkshire Dales National Park. It was a nice picturesque drive with very little traffic. We were staying at Thorns Hall, a lovely grade 2 listed building, owned by the walking cooperative HF-Holidays. I have enjoyed many nice breaks with them over the years. https://www.hfholidays.co.uk/

Thorns Hall

On this guided walking break HF provide experienced walk leaders so that you can park your brain, and just enjoy being on the walk without having the challenge of navigating yourself.

Cobbled stone courtyard at Thorns Hall

For our first walk we were part of a group of four walkers plus the leader. Starting in Garsdale we ascended, with views of Dandrymire Viaduct, to the high moorland summits of Swarth Fell and then on to Wild Boar Fell, before crossing a patchwork of fields to the village of Ravenstonedale (the numerous small stile’s got tedious towards the end). 11 miles and 1,850 ft of ascent. We ascended into mist, but when we arrived at Wild Boar Fell trig point, the cloud had lifted and we had great views across to the Howgills. We met no one apart from a group of three men – the fells were quiet.

Dandrymire Viaduct

Stone men on Yoadcomb Scar

Rising mist across the fell

Wild Boar Fell Trig Point

A view across Yoadcomb Scar

Descending towards Ravenstonedale

We both had enjoyed the walk and after a good evening meal and a night’s rest, we were eager for the next walk.

On day 2 we walked as a group of five together with a walk leader. Our route started in Sedbergh and we began by walking beside the river Rawthey towards the hamlet of Millthrop. We passed a nice weir.

Weir on the river Rawthey

From here we made our way across Frostrow Fell where I managed to get bitten three times by Horse Flies – I was not pleased because I always react to them. We picked our way across boggy ground to reach the high point – the trig point of Aye Gill Pike.

At the trig point we met a couple who were trig-point bagging with their cute dog. The dog was clearly used to having his photo taken sat on top of the trig point – apparently it had bagged over 170 trig points. I should have taken a photo!

Tussocks amongst the bog

We descended into Garsdale before walking beside the rivers Clough and Rawthey back into Sedbergh. We had great views of the Howgills and walked 11.4 miles with 1,893 ft of ascent.

Day 3 was billed as a hard walk with 2,898 ft of ascent, so Angela wisely decided to do a less strenuous walk. Our group of four hardy walkers, and leader, set off from Cautley and had a very steep ascent straight away to Yarlside. I was huffing and puffing on the way up. We had distant views of Cautley Spout (the highest waterfall in England) on the way.

Cautley Spout in the distance

The steep ascent was followed by a steep descent – this was somewhat easier to do.

Descending from Yarlside

I was loving this walk, the sun had even made an appearance.

We ascended to a saddle and then walked to the summit of Green Bell followed by a descent to the saddle and then up to the summit of Randygil Top where we had lunch.

After lunch we descended from Randygil Top then ascended Hooksey and walked along this plateau enjoying distant views. Finally, we descended, winding our way to Ravenstonedale and the pub!! We had walked 10 miles.

Descending from Hooksey

It had been a wonderful mini-break and we had both loved the area and the walks. We had enjoyed good company (thank you to Shirley and Catherine for their company and chat) and had been looked after extremely well by HF holidays.

We shall explore more of the Yorkshire Dales National Park in the future – there is much to see. https://www.yorkshiredales.org.uk/

Happy Walking! 😊🚶
Discover Stamford and Barnack: Perfect Walking Trail

Jul 18th, 2025

Hello and welcome back to my blog 😊.

Today, the Three Amigos enjoyed a 10-mile circular walk starting in the pretty village of Barnack and crossed lovely countryside to enter the beautiful and vibrant town of Stamford. Leaving Stamford we crossed the parkland of Burghley House to return to Barnack.

It was a hot and humid day as we set off from our parking spot adjacent to St John the Baptist Church in Barnack. Walking through the village I admired the thatched cottages.

Soon, we were walking in fields and then adjacent to a railway line where we experienced a grand parade of various trains using the line. That kept us amused.

Mick checking out the Loco’s

We reached a level crossing with a beautiful traditional signal box and were surprised to see the signalman manually closing the gates. Clearly, the old traditions are hanging on in some places.

Uffington signalbox

Continuing across a field we reached the river Welland – not that we could see water at this stage, just lots of weeds. We followed a track through a tunnel of trees, with the river to our right and the railway line to our left. We were on the Torpel Way- an 11.2 mile walking route from Peterborough to Stamford.

Eventually, we could see water in the river, which was a relief, because I had been wondering if it had dried out with the drought conditions we are currently experiencing. Our route took us across a bridge and then up a track to arrive in Stamford. Traffic was very busy and a complete contrast to the quiet of the start of the walk.

Bridge into Stamford

Stamford is a prosperous town with over 600 listed buildings, in and around, the town. It was made England’s first conservation area in 1967. Even the hospital looks grand! Sir Walter Scott claimed that Stamford was ‘the finest sight on the road between Edinburgh and London’.

Stamford Hospital

We spotted a bench adjacent to a busy roundabout and decided to stop for a quick refreshment break anyway. Where was all the traffic coming from we asked?

Chris packing his rucksack after a break

We walked through the town, and the busy street market that was on.

Getting busy as we head for the market

We passed a tall tapering structure with a circular base in the sheep market. Turns out it is a modern memorial to Queen Eleanor and stands where it is believed the old Eleanor Cross stood.

The Eleanor crosses were twelve tall and lavishly decorated stone monuments erected by King Edward 1 marking the stopping places where his wife’s body rested on its final journey to Westminster Abbey.

Bridge over the river Welland in Stamford

We all agreed that it was nice to see such a busy town, not at all rundown like many other towns. There were people everywhere – is this normal we wondered?

River Welland

Leaving Stamford we took a path diversion around a new housing development, consisting of a couple of very grand houses and headed uphill through a field of sheep. Glancing back we had views across Stamford.

Before long we entered the grounds of Burghley Park Golf Club and walked beside the greens. The greens had been watered and were in pristine condition.

Burghley Park Golf Club

Next, we entered the grounds of Burghley House, although we somehow missed seeing the house (which would have been in the distance), and came across part of the course for the famous horse trials where we saw a few of the ‘jumps’.

Horse jumps

Burghley House is a Tudor mansion built by William Cecil, secretary of state to Queen Elizabeth 1, and has been occupied by the same family for 16 generations.

Burghley House

The grounds were landscaped by Capability Brown. We noted the trees were nicely manicured.

We enjoyed walking through the parklands – not a soul around.

A dry stream crossing

We were on the home stretch now, and after crossing some arable fields ,we arrived back at Barnack – water flasks depleted!

We all agreed that it had been a lovely walk – the nice weather definitely helped!

Happy Walking! 😊🚶
Exploring the Grantham Canal: A Perfect Summer Walk

Jun 19th, 2025

Hello and welcome back to my blog 😊.

We are having a lovely spell of weather but it can be slightly too hot for walking. I decided to get out early and found myself by the Grantham Canal early doors. Surprisingly, it was quite misty this morning.

I enjoyed an 8.5-mile circular walk from The Duck pub at Woolsthorpe to Denton Reservoir then on to Harlaxton to re-join the canal for the return leg.

My route

Looking up the canal at lock 18 the mist was rising across the water. A walk along this canal is like entering another world and it’s my happy place.

Wharf at lock 18

I headed along the towpath passing the workboat ‘Mudlark’ – a dredger and aptly named.

Mudlark

The water is crystal clear in the canal and I could see small fish swimming between the weed. The birds were twittering in the trees.

weed in the canal

I was soon arriving at Denton Wharf – a place where small boats can be launched into the canal via the slipway.

Denton Wharf

Here I left the towpath crossing over the humpback bridge and walked along track and road to reach Denton Reservoir – one of two reservoirs built specifically to supply water to the canal.

Denton Bridge No 64

I took a walk around the reservoir – it was so peaceful, with not a soul around.

Denton Reservoir

A Heron stood on a log in the water looking for its breakfast.

The Heron

I left the reservoir and took a path across fields, passing one in particular that had lovely purple flowers growing. A visual feast.

Purple flowers

I reached Harlaxton bridge where I re-joined the towpath.

Harlaxton bridge no 66

The section of canal from Harlaxton to Denton is shaded by the trees so I enjoyed being out of the sun for a while. I passed two swans with their eight cygnets – always special to see.

Finding a bench in the shade I took a break enjoying my scotch egg. The towpath is in good condition so easy to walk along it.

Just past lock 18 I detoured and took the Sustrans cycle path, once the route of the Ironstone railway, to lock 15.

The cycle path

Arriving at lock 15 I re-joined the canal and walked along the half-mile pound back to my car, passing the Grantham Canal Society depot along the way.

Grantham Canal Society Depot on the half mile pound

It had been an absolutely perfect walk on a beautiful summer morning. I’d loved it.

Happy Walking 😊🚶
Scenic 5-Mile Walk from Croxton Kerrial to Branston

Jun 12th, 2025

Hello and welcome back to my blog 😊.

Today myself and Angela met up with Amigo Chris and enjoyed a scenic, 5-mile circular, undulating walk, from Croxton Kerrial to Branston. The views along the way were fabulous and the dry sunny weather much appreciated after a couple of weeks of showers.

We parked in a lay-by on the outskirts of Croxton Kerrial and eagerly set off heading across fields.

We crossed through meadows laden with yellow buttercups and our route took us downhill.

Angela leading the way

Soon, we were heading steadily uphill.

Angela and Chris heading uphill

We took a route around the outside of a field because there was no path across (there should have been!) and we didn’t want to damage the crop.

Eventually we crossed the A607 and were soon taking in a nice view across fields.

We stood for a while drinking in the view and then headed downhill once more towards the village of Branston.

Heading into Branston

Arriving into Branston we spotted a bus shelter and took a break. I enjoyed my scotch egg and the banter 😊

Leaving Branston by the road we turned onto an undulating track. Having done this walk in Winter, when the track was very muddy, it was nice to walk it whilst it was dry.

The track ended at a concrete lane that led to Croxton Kerrial village.

We admired the unusual sight of a water spout on the roadside by the layby where we had parked. Apparently it is spring fed.

Croxton Kerrial water spout.

We had enjoyed a lovely scenic walk.

Happy Walking ! 😊🚶
Reflection on the recently completed Leicestershire Round.

May 31st, 2025

Hello and welcome back to my blog 😊.

Having recently completed The Leicestershire Round I thought that I would put into words my reflections on that journey.

The Leicestershire Round is a 100-mile walking tour around Leicestershire, devised in 1987 by the Leicestershire Footpath Association to celebrate the Associations centenary.

My journey began back in August 2024 at the start point in a misty Bradgate park. Amigo Mick and I were looking forward to the challenge.

I definitely remember having a sense of embarking on a journey. Given that it was August you will be forgiven for expecting fine weather when, in fact, the opposite was the case. There again, it was a wet summer last year.

Heading off through Bradgate Park

Deer in Bradgate Park

We were going to be walking the route in stages which involved using two cars. We parked a car at the beginning and end of each section that we were walking. As we progressed around the route the business of having a lot of driving, plus trying to locate suitable parking became a challenge in itself. Parking near churches we found to be useful.

I only had one issue with parking and that was in Bagworth where I had initially parked in the Community Centre car park only to be told by an irate lady that I had no right to park there. My memory of Bagworth will be forever tainted with this unfriendly incident.

I think we managed 5 legs of the walk before the weather was too bad with winter looming. At this stage we had had enough of muddy walks.

Burrough Hill, and the remains of an iron age fort, should have been a good view point with plenty of photo opportunities, but the day we did it, it was misty again.

Mick arriving near the top of Burrough Hill

The Toposcope on Burrough Hill

In general, the route was very well signposted. However, relying on signposts is not good in misty weather when they cannot be seen across a field! 😊

Mist in September

I recall walking through a VERY muddy Owston Woods – this was a particular low point on the walk. Progress was slow with wet feet and risk of slipping over.

Squelchy ground

Let no one tell you that Leicestershire is a flat county. The first few sections that we walked had plenty of up!

It was a real joy passing through numerous small and beautiful villages whilst walking the Round. Who knew that so many existed.

Finding a very old Packhorse bridge in Rearsby was a delight.

In November I recall we had a walk on a rare day without rain, although it was still muddy.

On the Round we came across The Tenth Battalion Trail and learnt about the areas history with the Parachute Regiment as a consequence. It was nice to delve into the history.

We took a break from the Round over winter and resumed in the spring. Who would have predicted that we would have such a long dry and sunny spring. It’s been wonderful. The blossom was been spectacular. The muddy, gloomy, wet walks of last year were replaced by sunny, dry walks and we made hay whilst the sun shone, knocking off all of the remaining legs.

Spring on the Leicestershire Round

Walking up Foston Locks on a sunny day was a particular highlight for me – a canal lover.

Foxton Locks

Visiting the Ashby canal was also a highlight.

The Ashby canal

Unexpected bonuses were finding out that The Battlefield Line heritage railway existed and that there is a good heritage museum at Boswell Field.

Shackerston railway station on the Battlefield Line

I think the walk was a voyage of discovery where we explored territory new to us. I realised how little I knew about areas close to where I live and it was a good feeling to be exposed to new experiences.

It was great walk to do and rekindled my desire to do more longer distance trails.

Mick and I at the finishing point

Happy Walking! 😊🚶
The Joy of the Final Leg in a Long Walk

May 30th, 2025

Hello and welcome back to my blog 😊.

Today is a very auspicious day- Mick and I completed The Leicestershire Round!!!

Angela accompanied us on the short 6.5-mile walk from Bagworth to Bradgate Park in Newtown Linford. She had accompanied us on our first leg so it was only fitting that she was there for the last.

It was a reasonable good weather morning as we set off from Bagworth. I think we all felt a sense of occasion as we strode through Bagworth to pick up the trail where we had finished last week.

We passed an old colliery coal tug – a nod to Bagworths Industrial heritage. I am guessing the house owner was an ex-miner.

Shortly, we were passing through peaceful Bagworth Heath Woods. There would be quite a lot of walking through woods today.

Bagworth Heath Woods

At the edge of the wood we descended to reach a railway line and a level crossing. We wondered which one – turns out it is the disused Leicester to Swannington line which was opened by George Stephenson in 1832 – the first public railway in the Midlands. There were plans to reopen the line to passengers as the Ivanhoe line but they came to nothing. Mineral trains still use the line?

We skirted the side of Thornton reservoir and then continued along paths beside Brown Wood.

Thornton reservoir

Beside Brown Wood

There were some slight inclines along the way as we headed towards the M1. The bright yellow buttercups were everywhere and looked fabulous.

A slight incline

Close to the M1

Passing under the M1

After passing through the tunnel under the M1 it was a short walk to reach Markfield. It is a village that remembers its history – there are plaques on numerous building denoting their previous history. We stopped at a handy bench and took a break.

Angela spotted steps in front of what had been a door way but was bricked up now. I wonder why they did not remove the steps?

Leaving Markfield we took an underpass under the A50 – the graffiti artists had been at work!

Underpass on the A50

After passing under the A50 the route took us beside the road for a few hundred metres – the path was overgrown but we forged a way through.

Beside the A50

Eventually we reached open fields and made our way to Newtown Linford.

Close to Newtown Linford

As we entered Newtown Linford we passed the cricket club – the grass was a lush green and a ride-on lawn mower was cutting the grass to perfection. A couple of horse riders passed us riding along the road and said hello. Thatched cottages lined the road – it was all quintessentially English.

Soon we entered Bradgate Park and the Start/Finish point for The Leicestershire Round. Mick and I posed for the traditional end of walk photo.

Angela asked, would we like a coffee?- you know the answer to that question!

Reflecting on our journey

Badge added after completing The Leicestershire Round

It had been a 100-mile journey and you can read more of my reflections following the walk in a subsequent blog.

A big thank you goes to Mick for his good company, bad jokes and banter along the way.

Happy Walking ! 😊🚶
A lovely10-mile walk in the Vale of Belvoir.

May 29th, 2025

Hello and welcome back to my blog 😊.

Today, Angela and I enjoyed a 10-mile walk in the Vale of Belvoir taking in Easthorpe, Bottesford, the Grantham Canal and Redmile.

It was a very blustery day, but thankfully dry. We have had quite a few heavy rain days this week. We parked near Middlestile bridge (No 56) on the Grantham Canal and set off along the towpath towards Muston Gorse. Immediately we saw a couple of swans with their six cygnets- it was great to see.

After approximately one mile along the towpath we reached Muston Gorse bridge (No 57). Here we left the towpath taking a footpath across fields towards Bottesford. The grass along the towpath had recently been trimmed so that looked neat.

Muston Gorse bridge

There were plenty of clouds in the sky and the sun was making a determined effort to break through. We were aiming for the spire of the St Mary the Virgin church at Bottesford which we could see in the distance.

Our route would take us across the very busy A52 and I was inwardly dreading having to wait ages waiting to cross. As it transpired we arrived and got straight across through a gap in the traffic 😊.

Having conquered the A52 barrier we followed the lane into the lovely village of Easthorpe where we admired the cottages as we walked through.

Angela on her way to Bottesford

Crossing a buttercup strewn meadow as we left Easthorpe we made our way to Bottesford. Walking beside the church we arrived at a Ford across the river Devon. Here we stopped at a bench and took a break.

St Mary the Virgin church at Bottesford

The church is sometimes known as ‘Lady of the Vale’. It has the second highest spire (212 ft) in Leicestershire. The chancel was rebuilt in the 17th century to accommodate the monuments of the Manners family, Earls (later Dukes) of Rutland whose ancestral home is Belvoir castle.

After our break we continued walking through Bottesford, then crossed the A52 again (no problem here!) and followed a road to reach the Grantham Canal towpath where we headed towards Redmile. The Redmile church spire was visible as we walked by the canal.

Along the Grantham Canal towards Redmile

The Grantham Canal at Redmile

A short walk through Redmile brought us to a track which led us across fields away from Redmile towards Muston Gorse. We walked beside what looked like a new road being constructed- I wondered if it was an access road to a Solar farm.

A new road

We reached a small lane and while walking along this were astonished to find a large double decker bus coming towards us. It was a school bus and filled the width of the lane. Being as though there were ditches either side of the road we had very little space to avoid the bus. Somehow we managed to let the bus pass by.

We reached the canal again at Easthorpe bridge (No 56) and joined the towpath meandered our way back to where we had parked the car. The canal is such a tranquil place to wander.

Grantham canal with Belvoir castle in the distance

It had been a lovely relaxing little walk.

Happy Walking! 😊🚶