Walk 5 – Somerby to Frisby on the Wreake

We managed to get this walk in on Saturday 30th July just one week after Walk 4.  Another early start although the forecasted temperatures were far more comfortable than the previous walk.  This was a far more enjoyable than the previous one and signposting was far better although some waymarkers were hidden by hedgerows and trees.

 

Somerby to Thorpe Satchville



Horse and Foal near Somerby

Todays route took us out of Somerby in a northerly direction through fields of horses, sheep  and arable farmland.  Being very high up, we had some beautiful views of the area.

 



Countryside view near Somerby

Sheep in the kissing gate.  Paul said they were "baa'ing the way"

 

We arrived at the Ernest Cook Trust Permissive Path, which to our relief was marked as “Open”.  This path, when open, allows the Leicestershire Round to pass through the Little Dalby Estate, which is owned by the Trust and leads directly to the top of Burrough Hill.

The Ernest Cook Trust is an outdoor learning charity devoted to the conservation and management of the countryside and has estates in various parts of the UK.  It actively encourages children and young people to learn from the land through hands-on outdoor learning experiences on its estates and by offering grants.



Part of the permissive path went through woodland where we encountered similar extremely wet and muddy conditions as we did in Owston Woods on the previous walk but fortunately this time it was possible to walk away from the path on firmer drier land although this did not stop us from getting very muddy shoes and trousers. 

Sodden woodland track through the woods

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Burrough Hill Country Park

View from Burrough Hill over Leicestershire.
 

After leaving the woods we crossed grassland and made our way to the toposcope at the top of Burrough Hill where we had some great views of the surrounding countryside.



Burrough Hill is an Iron Age fort situated on a hill near to the village of Burrough on the Hill.  It is 200m above sea level.  Many archaeological investigations have taken place there in recent years. The toposcope indicates places within view from this high point. 



Toposcope markings on Burrough Hill

 

 

Toposcope on the ridge of the ancient fort

 

 

From the toposcope we could see the onward route but either had a very steep scramble down a grassy bank or a more gentle stroll around the fort near to the Trig marker where we joined the undulating path to Thorpe Satchville.

We chose the latter.  As we got further away we had some really good views of Burrough Hill.  We left the farmland about a mile from the Thorpe Satchville and walked along a quiet lane past a couple of farms until we reached the village.



Looking back towards Burrough Hill

 

Thorpe Satchville is a small hilltop village and part of the civil parish of Twyford and Thorpe which had a population of  628 at the 2011 census.  The village church, St Michael and All Angels (Church of England) is Grade II listed and was built in the late 15^th century. 

We didn’t see much of this village as the path took us straight out again through the grounds of the church.  We did made a short stop for a drink and snack on leaving the churchyard.

St Michael and All Angels Church, Thorpe Satchville

 

Thorpe Satchville to Ashby Folville

The route took us down a hill and under the viaduct of the former Market Harborough to Melton railway.  Much of this section was through undulating fields of sheep and then cereal crops as we got nearer to Ashby Folville. 

Inquisitive s
heep near to Ashby Folville

Gatekeeper butterfly



Lunch Stop at Cardington Arms, Ashby Folville

On arriving, we made a short detour to the Cardington Arms, sat in their well kept gardens and had a very welcome cider and a light lunch.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Ashby Folville dates back to the Domesday Book of 1086 when it was known as Ascebi which is Danish for the Place of the Ash Tree.  It is listed as having 24 villagers, 2 slaves, 3 smallholders, and one priest.  It was owned by Countess Judith who was related to William the Conqueror.  Folville was added to the name in around 1200 ad when the Folville family were Lords of the Manor.  The village church of St. Mary dates from 1220.

Ashby Folville Cricket Ground

Just opposite the pub is the village cricket pitch which is reputed to be one of the best in the country.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Ashby Folville to Gaddesby

The route then followed the path of the Gaddesby Brook for most of the way to Gaddesby, passing quite close to it in places. 

Gaddesby Brook

Ploughed field leading towards Gaddesby Church
 

 

 

 

Just before reaching the village we found the waymarker pointing over a recently ploughed field which was extremely hard to walk over and it was uphill as well making it even more difficult.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Gaddesby also dates back to the Domesday Book and was known as Gadesbi – a pastoral village with a mill.  St Luke’s Church was originally a Norman chapel and dates from the 10^th century but was added to over the next few centuries.  The village holds an annual 5.25 mile cross country run, known as the Gaddesby Gallop on the Saturday morning before Christmas.

The Round did not go into the village but did pass the backs of some very nice houses with enormous gardens.

Gaddesby to Frisby on the Wreake

Oilseed Rape fields awaiting harvesting

The final stretch of todays walk took us through arable fields, including some oilseed rape fields which had grown over the footpath and made it very narrow.  Harvesting of oilseed rape was ongoing a couple of fields away and we were very glad that they were not working in this field today otherwise it would have been extremely dusty. 

 

 

 

We crossed the busy A607 – Leicester to Melton Road and walked downhill across one of the few fields of cows that we encountered today, to Frisby on the Wreake.

Frisby on the Wreake, is a small village in the Upper Wreake Valley with a population of around 600.  Parts of the village date back to mediaeval times.  The name “Frisby” is of Danish origin and means “settlement of the Frisians”. 

 

The “on the Wreake” part was added to distinguish it from another Frisby in Leicestershire.  The village cross used to be situated in the village centre but was moved to a safer site to avoid being further damaged by traffic.  A Time Capsule has been placed beneath it for the benefit of future generations.

The Village Cross



Row of cottages in Frisby on the Wreake

 

Distance

We covered about 11.9 miles today and have now completed approximately half of the Leicestershire Round.
 

Next Walk

The next walk will be from Frisby on the Wreake to Mountsorrel which we hope to do sometime in August.