Rob's Rothley Walk 18th November 2012

...and now over to Paula, our very first guest blogger!

The starting point - obviously close to a pub for after walk drinks!

Rob led a good Sunday walk today starting from Rothley - which is situated aound 0.5 miles west of the River Soar and 5 miles North of Leicester.

The ramble started from Rothley and we also went to Cropston, Bradgate Park, Cropston reservoir, Thurcaston and back to Rothley for well-earned drinks at the Blue Bell Inn. I do remember a few years ago one LRWG member turning up to this walk an hour early due to the clocks changing - I mention no names!

A view of Cropston reservoir from Bradgate Park.

Did you know that Bradgate Park covers 850 acres?


The name Bradgate Park is thought to derive from Norse or Anglo Saxon meaning broad road or broad gate.

Look at that mud!

Old John is a prominent landmark of Bradgate Park on top of the highest hill in the park. It was built as a memorial to John, an estate worker killed in a bonfire accident during celebrations of the 21st birthday of the future eighth Earl of Stamford.

Thanks again to Rob for leading an enjoyable walk.

View of Old John

Grafham Water, 11 November 2012

Better than poppies...

Our third amble around this reservoir provided the welcome opportunity to surround a lot of water rather than being surrounded by it, and indeed it was a far less muddy experience than last week’s scenic adventure.  

The sun was shining so powerfully that it was more than one of us in a t-shirt today, then it was hats-off as we got to a churchyard bang on time for the 11 o’clock two minutes’ silence.  Respects paid, off we strode through some properly autumnal woods until we found a fine picnic spot with a view of the water for the walkers and one slightly sweaty Reservoir Dog.  The field we chose was covered in fresh spider’s webs as far as the eye could see, but no arachnids were reported in the sandwiches.

The picic site where arachnophobes fear to tread. 

A welcome pub stop for beer in Perry (next time we’re down on the south coast, we’re going to attempt to buy perry in Beer), and the traditional amble along the dam wall, as featured on the front cover of OSB#9 (you’d spotted that, of course, right?), and home relaxed and remarkably warm.  Not bad for November!

Hmm, this looks familiar.

More and More Mud, 4 November 2012

Right of way - as long as you're thin.

Back to Hartington again, familiar as the lunch stop on Rich’s walk less than two months ago, but all of a sudden a lot quieter and quite a bit less balmy.  But, it wasn’t raining, and we came equipped for quagmires and desultory bog-trotting, which is just as well as Vicky was soon leading us up the garden path, round the bend, up valley down dale and generally off on a bit of mission to achieve three important objectives: staying warm, seeing some cracking views while there was daylight enough to enjoy them, and getting to the pub on time.  All of which were achieved on the first leg, including an ascent up a towering bank of very wet grass which was, definitively, a complete sod. 

On Narrowdale Hill

After a pause to munch pasties and feed some very cheeky ducks in Milldale, we marched on to reach the pub in question, in sleepy Alstonefield, which served up cappuccinos,  Cumbrian beers and biergarten brollies just as the rain set in.

  The downpour was fairly light and only lasted for the length of a brief banter and pint-quaff, after which we were back on the trail again in time to watch a very English sort of sunset (terribly restrained, but stylish in its own way) from the top of Narrowdale Hill... and back to base to scrape off enough of the mud to be allowed back into our assorted jalopies.  ‘Bit of a classic day, really.