Rutland Water - Normanton to Sykes Lane car park and back

With Marta. Tuesday 19 December. Five miles and a bit.

The Great Tower by Alexander

Great Tower with person (Marta)

Walking back 

From Normanton car park.

Exton, Fort Henry, Greetham, Exton

Monday 18 December. With Maureen, Norma, and Eddie. A beautiful frosty morning with sun. Seven miles, with a break for coffee at the bar at Greetham Valley Golf Club complex.
Similar to this walk, but with two small variations.
From Exton we took New Field Road, which goes over a  cattle grid and becomes a track, heading east. It bends slightly to the left and comes to a junction of three paths. We took the mud track which goes straight ahead and it took us to the metalled track between Lower Lake and Fort Henry Lake.

Ice on the lake

 We continued along the path to the left, past the lake and fields to the steps.

 Down the steps on the other side, following the signs to Greetham, past the bird hide and bug hotel - there were only a few tits today. Then we followed the path beside the golf course, and called in at the bar for a welcome coffee. The staff were very welcoming too.

Quick photo call

From here the path is clear, and we arrived in Greetham itself. We turned left along the road and after a couple of hundred metres followed the footpath sign "Exton - 2 miles". A clear track, some of it muddy, especially near the chicken farm - chickens wandering everywhere, doing what chickens do. Then we joined the path we have already walked several times and followed our previous route into Exton.

Lunch at Wellies, near Rutland Water.

Gretton - Rockingham - Caldecott - Gretton

Monday 11th December. With Eddie.
One of those days when each of us expected the other to call the walk off. I'm glad neither of us did.  The snow had fallen on Sunday, and settled well. I took my trekking pole - first time for ages.  Seven and a half miles.

From West Hill

Rockingham village - unfortunately the cafe isn't open on Mondays!

 Our original plan was to walk to Rockingham, then return along the same path - this is about six miles. Then we decided to carry on following the Jurassic Way path almost to Great Easton, turning right where it meets the road into the village. We walked along the road towards Caldecott,and  turned left and crossed the bridge on the A6003.
We went past the plough and turned right along the Lyddington Road. A quick coffee pause out of the wind in the bus shelter, before we found the path to our right which took us over the fields towards the Welland .

The fields on the Welland valley between Caldecott and Gretton

Well wrapped up.

We joined Mill Road at the bridge near the fish ladder, turned right and followed the road back into Gretton.

Lyddington-Seaton-Bisbrooke-Uppingham-Lyddington

The same route as last Thursday. Seven miles and a whisker. With Maureen, Norma, Marion and Eddie.  The morning began frosty and misty, but was clearing as we left Lyddington

Little wind today, so we warmed up in spite of the lingering mist as we climbed to Seaton and on to the fields beyond.

Coming through the mist

 The mist was burning off by the time we were almost at Bisbrooke church.

 I nipped through the graveyard to catch the church's sunny side.

 A small disappointment at Uppingham, when the Coppergate Cafe was unexpectedly closed, but we bought takeaway drinks or drank our own. Uppingham has a few benches.

Down through the churchyard with its steep steps, then along the road to pick up the footapth.

Not an inviting seat!

The black pigs were not sunbathing today - indeed we saw just one. The goats and donkeys and the hairy pigs were out, and then a horse and a pig who seemed to be very happy together, and very happy to have their heads scratched or stroked.

 Up to the school playing fields where some teenage girls were practising football - and enjoying it! Then down the hill and back to Lyddington.  The route was a little muddier today - the price of the temperature being higher.