Sunday, June 10, 2012
14 Mile Training Walk
Well, here am I supposed to be training for the Peddars Way/ Norfolk Coast Path and, as usual, life gets in the way and throws a couple of curve balls to keep me occupied on something else... so consequently the training has taken a bit of a back seat for the last couple of weeks, which isn't great as I will have to lug a heavy rucksack for 5 days consecutively.
Added to this the fact that all my equipment seems to be falling apart... my socks have holes in them, my running shoes are starting to fray and my trusty rucksack is probably going to disintegrate soon, and I have very little money for purchasing replacements!
But hey, onwards we go. I had offered to water my mum's plants today while they are enjoying a holiday in Italy, so decided to combine that with a Leicestershire walk. I settled on one I have done a few times before, a 14 mile route from Barrow-Upon-Soar from John Merril's book 'Long Circular Walks in Charnwood Forest'. It's quite a nice route, following the canal before heading off through the fields. I made sure that I was carrying some weight in my rucksack, parked the car and set off.
It was actually a nice day weatherwise, not too hot but sunny and cloudy. I enjoyed the first part of the route, along fields and meadows past bridges;
Through Mountsorrell to Sileby Mill;
Sileby Mill
And along through the Nature Reserve, leaving the water at Cossington Mill. My pack didn't feel too bad at all and I even managed some of my speciality slow shambling jogs!
A bit of a road walk brought me into Rothley, and a circuitous route by the church before heading down past the village green and a rather cheeky horse!
Rothely Village Green
I enjoyed the next part of the walk as it goes through the lovely Rothely Park and then through the golf course, with golfers out in full swing!
Rothely Park
After the golf course the path goes through a tunnel under the railway line before heading to the outskirts of Thurcaston;
Here I had to deviate from John Merril's route, as the footpath he recommends taking no longer seems to lead anywhere- and I have spent several fun minutes in the past trying! Luckily there is an alternative footpath further up the road which brought me out into Cropston by a field full of the cutest little shetland ponies and their foals.
Turning left for a couple of hundred yards brought me to the footpath to Swithland, following a track round the woods with some great views of Bradgate Park to the left. I was getting through my water quite quickly, which was a disappointment as I had been using it as training weight!
To The Woods
Swithland is another little Charnwood village, with a curious little round structure known as the 'Lock-Up'.
The Lock-Up
It looks quite intriguing but is thought to be a folly rather than a prison!
I could feel my left foot aching slightly, but managed a downhill run to the steam railway line and path towards Quorn. This path comes at the end of the Charnwood Forest Marathon and always seems endless. Today was no exception as it was very wet muddy in parts, although I managed to avoid the worst of it by some nifty fence traversing.
The Endless Track!
In Quorn I stopped for some essential supplies- flavoured water and chocolate; I felt a little sorry for the poor folks next to me in the queue as I wasn't at my most fragrant!
Past the village the A6 is crossed by a huge metal bridge that rises steeply from an otherwise ordinary field;
It's quite good fun crossing it!
I got back to the car in around 4 hours, which I am happy with as I was trying to walk a little faster. After the plant watering duties, I took advantage of their water meterless status and drive to wash and vacuum the car, a job that was shockingly about a year overdue!
I will need to step up the training now, and keep adding the pack weight. I also need to find the time to do two consective walks...
Added to this the fact that all my equipment seems to be falling apart... my socks have holes in them, my running shoes are starting to fray and my trusty rucksack is probably going to disintegrate soon, and I have very little money for purchasing replacements!
It was actually a nice day weatherwise, not too hot but sunny and cloudy. I enjoyed the first part of the route, along fields and meadows past bridges;
And along through the Nature Reserve, leaving the water at Cossington Mill. My pack didn't feel too bad at all and I even managed some of my speciality slow shambling jogs!
A bit of a road walk brought me into Rothley, and a circuitous route by the church before heading down past the village green and a rather cheeky horse!
I enjoyed the next part of the walk as it goes through the lovely Rothely Park and then through the golf course, with golfers out in full swing!
After the golf course the path goes through a tunnel under the railway line before heading to the outskirts of Thurcaston;
Here I had to deviate from John Merril's route, as the footpath he recommends taking no longer seems to lead anywhere- and I have spent several fun minutes in the past trying! Luckily there is an alternative footpath further up the road which brought me out into Cropston by a field full of the cutest little shetland ponies and their foals.
Turning left for a couple of hundred yards brought me to the footpath to Swithland, following a track round the woods with some great views of Bradgate Park to the left. I was getting through my water quite quickly, which was a disappointment as I had been using it as training weight!
Swithland is another little Charnwood village, with a curious little round structure known as the 'Lock-Up'.
It looks quite intriguing but is thought to be a folly rather than a prison!
I could feel my left foot aching slightly, but managed a downhill run to the steam railway line and path towards Quorn. This path comes at the end of the Charnwood Forest Marathon and always seems endless. Today was no exception as it was very wet muddy in parts, although I managed to avoid the worst of it by some nifty fence traversing.
In Quorn I stopped for some essential supplies- flavoured water and chocolate; I felt a little sorry for the poor folks next to me in the queue as I wasn't at my most fragrant!
Past the village the A6 is crossed by a huge metal bridge that rises steeply from an otherwise ordinary field;
I got back to the car in around 4 hours, which I am happy with as I was trying to walk a little faster. After the plant watering duties, I took advantage of their water meterless status and drive to wash and vacuum the car, a job that was shockingly about a year overdue!
I will need to step up the training now, and keep adding the pack weight. I also need to find the time to do two consective walks...
Labels: barrow-on-soar, Charnwood
