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. 

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