Around Rutland 2026 - Day 6

Wednesday 22nd April 2026

Yet another beautiful day in Rutland. How lucky am I with this weather? Today's route was a 'broken circle' around Rutland Water itself. I say broken circle because I chose to start at Barnsdale not in Oakham itself. I didn't think that 3 to 4 miles of walking next to the A 606 was going to prove very interesting.

Barnsdale Woods and it's environs were carpeted with masses of bluebells. I love the purple/blue haze that they show when in full bloom. Sadly I never think that photo's do them justice.

As I came down to Barnsdale Creek I began to appreciate the vastness and beauty of Rutland Water. 

Around the reservoir are a number of parks and activity centres for all kinds of water sports. 

I had started at Barnsdale and soon reached Whitwell with its marina and water-play inflatables. I have no doubt, in warmer weather, it is a hive of activity. Today most people were enjoying dog-walking, cycling, running and bird-watching.

The terrain on the northern shore was a sometimes tarmac and sometimes a compacted fine gravel surface. It did undulate quite a bit at the start but levelled out more as I approached the dam at Sykes Spinney which is the park closest to Eppingham where I finished my walk yesterday. I think it was at Whitwell that I realised that I'd forgotten to take any of my tablets this morning! Not just my anti-cancer ones but also the painkillers that are a must for me on these walks. Nothing for it but to carry on and try and ignore the discomfort.

By the time I reached Sykes I had learnt to search the far side of the vast carpark to find the path's continuation across the dam. The dam is a solid looking structure that was built in the 1970's to supply the ever growing population of the East Midlands. The twin valleys of the River Gwash were flooded. 

The dam construction was started in 1971 (the year I joined the WRAC!) and took five years to complete (my length of service!). 

First of all they had to build the dam. This they did by excavating and using the clay from borrow pits within the boundary of the reservoir. The dam is 35 metres high, up to 810 metres wide at its base, and 1200 metres long. 

All the landscaping round the reservoir was carefully designed, particularly the dam wall which is hardly noticeable from nearby Empingham.

The path continued round past Normanton Park Hotel  (which are the converted stables of the long demolished Normanton House) 

The building most associated with Rutland Water is St Matthew's Church, the private chapel of the original house.  It escaped being demolished even though it was below the high water line of the proposed reservoir. It was deconsecrated in 1970 and a Trust was formed. They filled the lower half of the church to just below window level with limestone and rubble capped with concrete. Externally, a bank was built to give protection from the water, and a causeway laid to provide access. It is now a Water Museum. I didn't go in because as I arrived so did a boat full of tourists!! 

I chose to detour slightly to the village of Edith Weston, named after Queen Edith of Wessex [1029-1075] wife of Edward the Confessor & sister to Harold Godwinson who's dowery held the manor. See every day is a learning day!!

Anyway I detoured to the village shop and bought some Ibuprofen and then gave in to buying a rather sweet, sticky and delicious homemade caramel oat bar with a thick layer of dark chocolate on the top!! It helped me over the pain!!! That's my excuse anyway.

Continuing on my way I came to the Lyndon Visitor Centre, managed by the Leicestershire & Rutland Wildlife Trust. I went into the centre to enquire if it was possible to walk diagonally through their reserve (on a footpath) to Manton Village or whether I would have to negotiate the steep climb up to the and onto the busy road into Manton. She told me I really needed to pay for a visitor pass to access the area. When I told her what I was doing she kindly permitted to walk through without paying. I was very appreciative as the diagonal walk was a much kinder incline up to the village. 

Having climbed up, of course, I had to come down again to walk under a railway bridge beside the A6003. Fortunately there was a good raised pathway keeping me well away from traffic. I was looking forward to the final part of today's walk as it appeared (on paper) to walk through the Rutland Water Nature Reserve with its vast and popular Bird Watching Centre at Egleton. Sadly I was disappointed as, unsurprisingly, the Reserve was fenced off so I only got the briefest of glimpses of the waters beyond the high bund. 

Although I only had a couple of miles back to our cottage I asked Denise to come & pick me up at Egleton Village. 

I think I'll include the walk to the Nature Reserve to Friday's walk so I can enjoy watching the wildfowl.

If you would like to support my charities please follow the link: https://donate.giveasyoulive.com/fundraising/marg-davies-april-2026-round-rutland-walk    

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Around Rutland 2026 - Day 5

 Tuesday 21st April 2026 - Day 5

I was looking forward to today as I hoped it was going to be as lovely as yesterday's walk. Denise dropped me off in Thistleton again. As a matter of interest, yes, there is a church - somehow I keep forgetting to take a photo at the start so keen am I to be off!! At least we remembered to take one of me today.

Although the sun was shining there was a bitterly cold easterly wind and a lot of today's walking was across very flat, exposed, open fields. I wore my fleece for most of the day and, at the start, it was zipped right up to my chin and my hands were deep in my pockets to keep warm. 

No doubt the area being so flat was the reason behind siting RAF Cottesmore there. It later hosted the USAAF.  It closed as an RAF station, I believe, in 2012 when it was turned over to the British Army. Currently I think it is home to the 2nd Battalion, The Princess of Wales's Royal Regiment and to the 1st Battalion, Royal Anglian Regiment.

I was amused to see, approaching Hooby Lodge at the end of the runway, a "hide-like structure" on tall stilts which overlooked the airfield. I'm sure it was a hide to observe wildlife in the surrounding area and for the residents of Hooby Lodge to observe the landings & take-offs. It appealed to my sense of humour to imagine Russian spies hanging out there during the Cold War! 

I was beginning to be aware of the noise of heavy traffic on the nearby A1. As I got closer I discovered the first problem of the day. A huge field of grain crop, about a foot high (30cms in "new money") with no pathway marked at all. No footsteps, no sprayed line, no ploughed path. Nothing. I was standing at one corner and my goal was the corner diagonally opposite. I had 3 choices: go directly, diagonally through the crop and probably get soaking wet legs & feet (not to mention damaging the crop!); I could go right along the edge of the field and then turn left along the far edge until I could exit (that looked a VERY, very long way); I could go left along the edge of the field and the turn right along the far edge until I could exit (that was longer than going diagonally but looked a bit shorter than the other option). It was a shame because everywhere else the way has been well signposted and farmers have usually kept the pathway well marked. 

If I thought that was going to be the only diversion I was mistaken. After a while the path came out by the roundabouts and the underpass to Stretton to avoid crossing the A1. The route bypassed the actual village and continued onwards towards Clipsham. At first there was a good pavement but, as I left the village behind the pavement stopped although there was a gate leading to an extensive Woodland Trust area beside the road. 

There seemed to be a well trodden route running parallel to the road as well as other pathways turning off into the wooded areas. I crossed my fingers and hoped for the best that there would be somewhere to exit at the other end! There was!

After a quick banana snack stop I was back on the busy little roadway towards Clipsham itself. Another quaint, well kept village. I managed to avoid getting runover and got back onto a grassy pathway from the village opposite the Olive Branch pub (no I didn't visit!!) 

The route from Clipsham to Pickworth was supposed to have been an easy one. Basically I should have been heading SSE to reach the corner of Pickworth Great Wood. I could see where the path should have gone but there was no way anyone could have got through the tangle of brambles and hawthorns. A newer sign indicated the public path to the left so I followed. It was taking me further away to the east than the OS Map had indicated but I had no choice. It was a well trodden Bridleway pockmarked with hoofprints and badly churned up in places. In fear and trepidation (well, not really - just a bit apprehensive!) I continued. 

The reason for the detour appeared to be a very active quarrying operation. Google informs me that quarrying has taken place here since the 13th Century. It's stone has been used in Peterborough and Ely Cathedrals, many Oxford Colleges and after the 2nd World War was used to rebuild the Houses of Parliament after it was bombed in 1941. That didn't help me though coz I didn't look it up till I got back home!

Eventually the pathway curved one way and another along the perimeter fencing of the quarry until it took me to a lunar-looking landscape with mounds of quarry waste. 

The path took me steeply down to the quarry floor, across its vehicle trackway, and up again the other side, past old quarry workings and back out onto the grassy, open fields beside Pickworth Great Wood. I was still not on my originally planned route but I was getting closer. 

Just before Pickworth I had a decision to make. I could either head south and then west into Empingham crossing the A1 near Great Casterton (passing an OK Diner!) On the other hand I could take another route heading diagonally south-west into Empingham crossing the A1 by doing a 2 mile dog-leg in order to go under it. At the time, coz I was a bit frustrated, tired & hungry, I chose the latter option in the hope it was a tad shorter. Turns out they were both about the same distance! My chosen route involved a lot of tarmac so my feet have had another pounding today. I eventually found somewhere to stop for lunch, after 4 hours and 9.5 miles of walking, overlooking the A1!! Not idyllic but I needed the rest and some food.

After lunch all I wanted to do was to walk as fast as I could and get the journey done. My only really pleasure during the last 1 and a half hours and 3.6 miles of walking was the view as I came down into Empingham and meeting Denise as she walked up through the village to greet me. 

As we walked back down to the church where she had parked the car my legs turned to jelly & I was staggering all over the place. She has that effect on me xx

When we arrived back at the cottage I spoke to a resident who I'd talked to the previous Thursday when we were doing a recce. Today I discovered that her name is Jan Davies. Her husband Bryn comes from a village near Pontypridd!! It was nice to chat; what a lovely lady. 

If you would like to support my charities please follow the link: https://donate.giveasyoulive.com/fundraising/marg-davies-april-2026-round-rutland-walk    

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Around Rutland 2026 - Day 4

Monday 20th April - Day 4

Today I'm back walking on my own. Lovely though it is walking with other people it does add a certain amount of extra "stress" so it's nice to be walking solo again. The road from Thistleton to was uninteresting. In fact I was so keen to get started I have no idea if there was a church there! There was one at Market Overton with a rather lovely lychgate.

I am being spoilt by the weather; yet another beautiful morning with clear blue sky. I'm also fortunate that the terrain today is far more forgiving than yesterday; slight undulation for the first few miles as I seemed to walking along a ridge. The views on either side were spectacular and magnificently panoramic.

The path that I had intended taking onto the ridge meant going diagonally through a large rapeseed field. Given my aversion to said crop I chose a slightly longer route through a less annoying one.

Along the route there were a couple of thoughtfully places benches one of them dedicated to "Sachi The Springer Spaniel"

Fairly early on the walk I had taken my fleece off and packed it away in my bag. The sun had warmed the air a bit and there was hardly a cloud in the sky. I came down from the ridge (I was travelling almost at 10k walking pace the going was that good!) and came across the disused Melton to Oakham canal.

It was opened in 1802 and closed by 1845 when the new railway had taken all the trade. 

My route took me past Holy Trinity church in Teigh, one of the so called "Thankful Villages" who apparently lost no men during the First World War. I went thankfully onwards with the blue sky above me and hardly a wisp of clouds in the sky.

Generally the path has been well signposted and I've been able to see where I'm heading from some distance. Today was the exception which was a problem as my Map App was no help as it was only showing the planned route (in black) and my actual route (in dark blue) on a plain white background!! No features or contours - nothing!

Having left Teigh I crossed a field of sheep and their young, sleepy lambs basking in the sunshine. I twisted & turned a bit to avoid disturbing too many of them until I came to a fence. I looked left and right but couldn't see the usual Yellow topped signpost. There was a farm gate away to my left but no markers in sight. I wandered to my right past small, scrubby trees. All the while I was looking ahead trying to find a post. Nothing. I turned round to retrace my steps and, low & behold, there it was, tucked down in a bit of a hollow behind some bushes. 

Not long after I stopped on a convenient footbridge to refuel with a banana! I needed it at the pace I was walking. Snack over I set off again and had to cross the railway line that had presumably done-for the canal.

After crossing the railway I was on a tarmac lane that curved round and gentle climbed towards my lunch stop at Whissendine. About halfway along the lane I came across what I assume was a Second World War pillbox. 

(I Googled it and it comes up with an FW3/22 Casement. A bunker used for the defence of the United Kingdom against a possible enemy invasion. They were built in 1940 and into 1941.) 

Not far from the pillbox was a feature on the other side of the hedge that was labelled as "MOAT" I could just about make out the undulations. Every day is a learning day!!

I had my lunch sitting in the intermittent sunshine on a bench outside St Andrew's church in Whissedine. Sadly the bench wasn't as comfortable as the one on Day 2 but it was a bench!

From Whissendine it was mostly downhill to Oakham and home. The walk had one last curve-ball to throw me! A little uphill slog to leave me puffing and panting, not just from the climb but also because I was breathing in the "stench" of the rapeseed in full bloom in the field beside me! 

The next village I came to was Langham, only a couple of miles to go. It also had a church, I could have made a detour to see it properly but I chose not to!! I was definitely beginning to flag by now.

I thought I had reached Oakham but was disappointed to find the it was the village of Barleythorpe! Looking at the map it's more like a suburb of Oakham. Eventually I arrived at All Saint's church in Oakham itself. I must have a wander round it and the castle before I leave! 

I headed for home and was pleased to be greeted by Denise in the High Street and we walked back to the cottage together. An astounding 13.44 miles completed today despite my poor feet. I rather like walking mainly downhill! So much so that I'm going to do the same tomorrow and walk from Thistleton to Empingham rather than the other way round!

If you would like to support my charities please follow the link: https://donate.giveasyoulive.com/fundraising/marg-davies-april-2026-round-rutland-walk    

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Around Rutland 2026 - Day 3

 Day 3 - Sunday 19th April 2026

Another fabulous day for walking. Blue sky, glorious sunshine, a bit of a cool breeze but excellent walking weather. Today I was joined by Belinda Matthewman, another WRAC Veteran, who I met via the WRAC Association (Hereford Branch) when she moved with her job to Worcester. She has since moved again back to Essex her home county but, like myself is a keen walker.

Belinda's first task of the day, once we had met up in Uppingham and got off road & onto the proper pathway, was to protect me from a herd of cows with their young calves! I have to say she did an excellent job. They were very docile and we just walked blithely by trying to ignore them. Only one cow seemed to be on the wrong side of us and she soon quietly MOOOved (blame Belinda for that one!!)

Although the weather was pretty perfect for walking the terrain was less so. the two previous days have involved some undulation but most of it has been on grassy pathways or across neatly smooth, harrowed ploughed fields. Today was mostly on tarmac roads & lanes, loose stony paths, slightly boggy bridleways or uneven, rutted farm tracks. None of the surfaces made for easy walking and I must admit to the soles of my feet feeling a little sore tonight.

The other difference today was that the gentle undulation ceased and we were up and down like a fiddlers elbow. We climbed down to the cattle, up through a wood, down the other side of the wood (Wardley Wood), then back up beside the wood!!! Why? Because that's the way the path went! So why couldn't we just walk from the cows to other side of the wood? We then had to walk down and then up again to the village of Wardley and past St Botolph's Church. 

It was here, in the village of Wardley that Belinda demonstrated her ability as not only a cow defender but also as a Horse Whisperer. She was duly made friends with a rather lovely chestnut horse. 

Interlude over we continued on and across the A47 Leicester road to continue our up and down journey (down & up twice actually) until we arrived in Belton-in-Rutland. There we found a comfortable bus shelter to sit and rest our weary feet whilst delving into our snacks. after a brief rest we continued down the Leighfield Way and back up past Lambley Lodge continuing ever upward to the farm near Long Wood. From there it was an equally long descent to the Leigh Lodge Fish Ponds. After that, guess what? you've got it. An even longer climb up to Prior's Coppice where we gave in and sit down, propped up against a gate in the sun, and had our lunch. We had covered about two thirds of the way and both of us could feel a soreness in our feet from the pounding on metalled roads, stony surfaces and hard-packed, rutted pathways.

After lunch there was more unrelenting roadway leading fairly steeply downhill to Brooke and St Peter's Church (Belinda's Dad was called Peter) We came across another field of horses and our resident Horse Whisperer did her thing!! She complained that the white one slobbered! Really? Eeeew!! 

We continued down past the horses & then, surprise, surprise! Back up a long, long hill to the top where Macmillan Way went off to our left and we continued right along the Rutland Round. We could see Rutland Water away off in front of us so had a picturesque view as we availed ourselves of the local facilities, a hedge! Needs must when the devil drives!!

We crossed the railway line (the same one with the viaduct of Friday and the bridge of yesterday) and came to the A6003 Oakham to Uppingham road. Now time for me to make a decision. To carry on on the Rutland Round along more roads and then turn back towards Oakham across fields and the A6003 again. Or to turn left up the pavement beside the A6003 and then the B641 into Oakham. The second route was shorter, had just as much roadway as the first. 

Reader - I chose to go straight to Oakham!! 

It turned out that Belinda was as relieved as I that we'd cut it a bit short today. We decided that, as we'd done more than we meant to yesterday we were justified in cutting it short today!! If you call 11.33 miles short. It took us just short of 5 hrs which was a fairly good pace considering all the ups and downs.

We walked into our new "home" for the week, a delightful little modernised cottage in the middle of Oakham itself. Denise made us a welcome cup of tea and then drove Belinda back to her car which she'd left at Uppingham. Belinda is now on her way home to Essex as she has to work tomorrow. Thank you for your company again today.

Tomorrow I'll see if I can do another slightly shorter walk and hope it's on softer terrain. If you would like to support my charities please follow the link: https://donate.giveasyoulive.com/fundraising/marg-davies-april-2026-round-rutland-walk    

If you'd like to leave a comment please do just remember to add your name in the text so I know who you are.