After another long gap since the last walk due to work patterns and other commitments, we did this
section of the route on Saturday 23rd July during a very warm
period of weather We had both cars in place by
8.30 am and started off shortly after.
It was not the best of walks but more of that later.
Belton in Rutland to Launde Abbey
Belton in
Rutland is a small village just off the A47 with a very run down looking pub –
The Sun Inn. It looks as if it closed
down years ago and has been left in a state of disrepair but apparently it is still
open and functioning.
The first part
of the walk took us along a country lane out of Belton in Rutland passing a
couple of farms before the path turned off and headed uphill towards Ridlington
Ridge. We had superb views over the surrounding countryside.
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| 3 Horses came out of their stable as we walked along the lane out of Belton in Rutland |
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| The corn fields are getting quite high now. |
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| Rutland countryside from Ridlington Ridge |
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| View from Ridlington Ridge |
The route took us over the ridge, down to the River Chater and up the hill on the other side for a short distance where we turned and followed the course of the river all the way to Launde Abbey.
We were
pestered by flies and some blood sucking insects for much of this section which made
it very uncomfortable. We kept feeling
sharp pains in our hands or arms to find one of these creatures had punctured
the skin and left a small blood trail.
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| Leicestershire farmland near Launde Abbey |
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| One of the lakes near Launde Abbey |
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| The gardens at Launde Abbey |
Launde Abbey is an extensively modified Elizabethan manor house, originally built on the site of an Augustinian priory, Launde Priory. The original priory was founded before 1125 (in 1119 according to a modern inscription in the reception hall) by Richard Basset and his wife Matilda. The chapel is thought to be all that remains of the original priory church. Some of its stained glass is mediaeval. Today it is used as a conference centre and Church of England retreat
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| Launde Abbey and Entrance |
Launde
Abbey to Owston
After a short
stop at the entrance to the Abbey, we eventually decided on the onward route,
although the signs were not clear. We continued
uphill through a field of recently rolled hay bales where from the top, we had
a really good view of the Abbey.
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| View from top of hill towards Launde Abbey |
The
path was very rough in places and had us scrambling down a very short steep
bank and up another equally steep bank before getting back to a normal footpath. We reached the grounds of Withcote Hall where there were a few derelict buildings and a
farm at which we were greeted by some very noisy but harmless little dogs.
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| Ragwort was a common sight on this walk bringing a lot of colour to the hedgerows. |
After leaving Withcote,we crossed the road linking Tilton-on-the-Hill to Braunston-in-Rutland road and up towards
Owston Woods. It was very hot by now and
we took a break under a big tree to have a very early lunch and dry off a bit
as we were both in a sweat by now.
We were also looking forward to a bit of cooler air in the woods but
were in for a nasty surprise.
As soon as we
entered Owston Woods, the path became extremely muddy. Keeping to the edge was not easy and to
begin with there were no obvious other ways to get through. We were wearing walking shoes rather than
boots today because we didn’t expect to encounter any really wet conditions. However for this stretch, we
could really have done with boots and gaiters. Eventually my left foot sunk about 6 inches
into the mud and my shoe came off as I tried to lift my foot.. I lost my balance and my next step took me back into
deep mud with just my sock on. After
retrieving my shoe and standing on one leg for ages while deciding what to do,
I continued in just my sock until we found a bit of more solid ground. I continue withjust one sock, which was a bit uncomfortable but there was no
other option. Next time I will pack some
spare socks.
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| Knossington Village and surrounding countryside |
Owston is a
small, pretty isolated hamlet with no shops and no pub. The Parish Church of St Andrew, a Grade I listed building,
was originally an Abbey and substantial buildings stood around the site of the
current church. Owston Abbey was never
prosperous and eventually demolished with the exception of a part of a part of
the Abbey Church which was retained by the existing church, resulting in an
unusually proportioned building.
Our route took us right through the village where we
passed some really lovely cottages and other larger houses and also past the
old village well and a water pump with an inscription from 1907 to the memory
of Frederick and Mary Palmer.
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| Owston Cottages |
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| The Well at Owston |
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| Water Pump in Owston |
Owston
to Somerby
We left the village of Owston, following the Newbold Road for a while before the path again turned off over farmland towards Somerby. The final part of the walk was across undulating farmland. At one point we walked through oilseed rape
fields, which 2 months ago would have been bright yellow but were now a brown colour
as they await harvesting. About midway
between Owston and Somerby we came across the only seat on this part of the
route and rested for a few minutes before tackling the final climb up to
Somerby.
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| Paul walking ahead of me alongside a field of Oilseed Rape |
Somerby is a small country village with a population of around 500. The
surrounding area is referred to as 'High Leicestershire' as it is mostly
several hundred feet above sea level. During WWII, the village was used as a base station and
testing ground for Operation Market Garden, the airborne attack on Arnhem.
We would have liked to
make a short stop at the Stilton Cheese pub, but were too muddy and dirty from
the episode in Owston woods so we will revisit another time.
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| Somerby Village with Stilton Cheese pub on left hand side |
Distance
We clocked up
8.9 miles on this section, but didn't get lost or go out of our way at all. This time we used a compass when we were unsure of the onward path and this certainly paid off as the signposts are not always good.
Next
Walk
The next walk
will be from Somerby to Frisby on the Wreake, described as a strenuous stretch
of about 11 or 12 miles.