Depeche Mode, from the Black Celebration album. Anyway, to business.
I gave myself a bit of a lie in this morning – I thought, why not? I don’t have to set off so early – I have the whole day to walk, and I have plenty of daylight, and, for crying out loud, I’m on holiday.
The last time I walked this route it was raining, it was November, and it was my birthday. Today it wasn’t raining, it wasn’t November, and it wasn’t my birthday. But the knowledge of the route did stand me in very good stead – it allowed me to prepare myself for the tough bits (walking back along the main street through Markfield, mainly), and it helped no end with navigation (I didn’t make any mistakes that led to me walking further than necessary).
The Round leaves Newtown Linford to skirt John’s Lee Wood, and then passes through some open fields before contending with Markfield. After a bit of a stumble along the edge of the A50, there is, luckily, an underpass. An underpass that has been delightfully decorated with the latest in spray-can art. So far, so good. There is a fairly lengthy walk from one side of Markfield to the other, but it gives one the opportunity to pop into the Co-op for supplies if needs be.
It was on leaving Markfield that memories of the last time I walked this way came flooding back. After walking underneath the M1, there is a marvellous view of the open fields, bordered on one side by the motorway. It left me with the thought that while a footpath might be the gentle lemon drizzle on top of a cake, the motorway might be a large knife chopping said cake apart. I know we need roads, we need motorways – this isn’t an ecological standpoint as such, but there it is.
I was accompanied on the next section of the walk, down to Thornton reservoir, by a multitude of damselflies, seemingly following my progress up and then down the hill. Beautiful. On leaving Thornton, over the hill, I met a very pleasant elderly gent in a vest. We chatted about what I was up to, and he offered the services of his outside tap to fill up my water bottles. Fantastic.
The walk through the woods was a welcome relief, given the dappled shade screening the worst of what was a fierce sun today (I think I’ve still burnt my neck though). On passing through Bagworth, I noted that the church had gone. Some further research has taught me that it was demolished in 2013. I noted it’s absence mainly because it was considered something of a carbuncle – a prefabricated 1960’s concrete replacement of the previous church which had collapsed due to mining subsidence.
At Nailstone I lunched in the gardens, and considered the return journey. As with most days, the return journey has held not much more interest than the outward. Aside from the fact that I attracted a herd of cows on the way back into Newtown Linford.
Tomorrow sees my first foray into the southbound Leicestershire Round – from Nailstone to Shackerstone, then along the Battlefield Line to Market Bosworth.
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