Cropston to Swithland

Now that I am intent on circumnavigating the city of Leicester in a series of circular walks I realised that I needed to go back into the Charnwood Forest one last time to fill a small gap in my route. Having completed a loop that took in Bradgate Park and Cropston Reservoir and another that circumnavigated Swithland reservoir I needed to do a circle between the villages of Cropston and Swithland. So on Saturday I drove back in to the Charnwood Forest for one last time.

I parked the car in Cropston village and headed north west across fields of plastic covered crops. The soil was a poor clay with large fist shaped pebbles and the occasional shard of slate. In the distance you could hear the steam trains of the Great Central Railway. One field later and I came across this square pond. At sometime in the past somebody dug this. I wonder how long ago it was? Perhaps it was an old fishpond associated with the nearby Swithland hall. Maybe it was a freshwater reservoir for the village of Cropston before the main reservoir was built. Who knows

Whilst cutting across the fields you could see the hills of what would have been the last walk if I had completed this walk in sequence. One of the foothills of Bradgate Park (on the left) hides Old John. On the right of the photo is the hilly mound of Swithland wood. Though it wasn't really raining there as a large amount of precipitation hanging in the air, obscuring the views of more distant hills.

This is the 15th Century Market Cross of the nearby town of Mountsorrel. It now sits in the grounds of Swithland Hall which was just off my route.

The walk cut through a series of small pockets of woodland. These are the last vestiges of the forest of Charnwood. The land between Cropston and Swithland was recognised for its agricultural potential well before the rest of the forest was cleared. Maps from 1754 show this area as the Swithland enclosures.

The path joins the road at Swithland before turning off again into the heart of Swithland wood. The buildings here are all built from slate that has been mined here since the 14th century.

At this point looking to the north east reveals what would have been the land of the next walk, if I hadn't already walked it. The now low profile of Buddon hill and Buddon wood can be seen. The red sides of the quarry crater just visible above the trees.

Swithland wood is where a large amount of the Charnian slate came from. The large pit in the centre of the wood has been in use since Roman times.

The path leaves the wood and after a field of pasture joins the road and heads east past the car park to Bradgate Park and onto the dam of Cropston Reservoir. It was built 1867-1872 after the deforestation and surveying of the area in 1840s.

The river Lin that I followed the other day into Quorn flows into and out of Cropston Reservoir. I then followed the road back through the village back to the car.

Swithland down to the river

On Sunday I was able to add another section to my circumnavigation of Leicester. I noticed a few weeks ago that my wanderings through the Charnwood Forest all looked, when plotted on google earth like I have been trying to circle the city in a series of small connected loops. I then decided to make it deliberate and try and circumnavigate Leicester using the footpaths. One extra rule was that I was not to use the Leicester Round long distance footpath. I would make a new route!

So the next section to tick off was from Swithland down to the A6 at Quorn and then back to my car at Mountsorrel. I parked where the conveyor belt crosses the Leicester road. I then walked into Mountsorrel to the bandstand and then up past that monument that you can see from the A6. The path then followed the Leicester round (unavoidably) up past the the quarry rock processing plant and then back down towards Swithland reservoir. The picture above shows the approach to Swithland with Beacon Hill to the top right.

This view, a little further down Kinchley Lane, gives you an oblique view of Bradgate Park. Its always fun to think that you have covered the distance between distant hills and where you currently are.

After walking around the dam you then keep going for a bit before taking the footpath on the right just before the bridge over the Great Central Railway. This path takes you through woodland and pasture land and finally follows the stream that drains from Switherland, Cropston and Bradgate itself.

This time of year the meadows are full of buttercups and the woodland floor with wild garlic.

When you look at this walk on a map you notice that you have spent the whole time walking around Leicestershire's largest quarry Buddon Hill but you never see it and you could miss it entirely if you didn't know it was there.

The walk finishes at Quorn and follows the road back to the car. This last bit is a bit of a slog but unavoidable really if you want to save the river segment for another day.

Newtown Linford from Groby

I spent Saturday walking from Groby to Newtown Linford. The weather was nice, the bluebells were out, it was perfect wandering weather.

The walk crossed three types of land; pasture, fields and woodland giving the walk an interesting variety of vistas.

This wood is very near a quarry and the path skirts around it. Whilst wandering along in here I heard a blackbird mimicking the siren given off when the quarrymen are blasting. It was really convincing!

A speckled wood butterfly sunning itself. The fields that edged the woodland were full of life.

A peacock butterfly. I don't know how long the walk took, because I wasn't paying attention to the time but apparently ot was about 5.8 km long. Here is my root.

The smaller Islands of North Wales

I wonder how many islands the British Isles has altogether? The Llyn peninsula in Wales has a few. Though these range in size from rocks in the sea to larger inhabited islands.

This pair of islands are called Ynys Gwylan-fawr on the left and Ynys Gwylan-Bach on the right. They can be found near Aberdaron on the very end of the Llyn peninsular.
I'm fairly sure that this is Carreg Ddu that you can see from the viewing spot at the end of the peninsula.

This one is Maen Mellt on the northern coast of the peninsula.

Finally this last one is Carreg Ddu off Porth Dinllaen.

A few more British Isles off Northumbria

There is a road to Lindisfarne that you can drive down but when the tide comes in it submerges cutting off the land as an Island. Most tourists go during the few hours of low tide and leave before they get cut off. We deliberately crossed onto the island at the first low tide of the day and waited for the next low tide. The Island emptied of people and we had it to ourselves. The picture above is an iconic one of Lindisfarne Castle, yet if you compare it to every one from this spot that you would find on the internet mine is better because it has sea in it!

This is the causeway at Low tide.

The island is also called Holy Island. I think I understood why. The whole place seemed to slightly tingle with nervous energy. Whispers unspoken but present on the wind and a strange feeling that if you stayed still long enough you would become part of the island.

Here the causeway at high tide cuts you off from the mainland.

This is St Cuthbert's Island just off the coast of Lindisfarne. The little hovel on it is supposed to be the hermitage of St Cuthbert. Like Lindisfarne itself this Island stops being an island at low tide, which is when most visitors are on the island. Therefore few people see the Island as a true Island.

This is Coquet Island off the Northumbrian Coast to the south of the Farne Islands. It is covered in the ruins of an old Benedictine priory and a more modern lighthouse. The island is a nationally significant bird reserve with over 18000 pairs of nesting Puffins (which I have never seen) and nearly 100 pairs of the endangered Roseate Tern (which I've also never seen!).

Farne Islands

Here is my photojourney to the Farne Islands. It was a wonderful day even though it was a bit grey!

Here is Inner Farne on the right with the mainland in the background.

This last one is the view from the Longstone Lighthouse looking back along the Farne Islands to the mainland.

Distant views of Farne

Back in 2005 I was lucky enough to visit the area close to the Farne islands in Northumbria. There is something altogether magical about islands. No matter where you go an island in the sea draws the eye. Over the course of the trip we managed to get out to the islands themselves and made a landing on the Longstone Island. But before I show you those I will show you these tantalising glimpses of them from afar.

Farne at night from Seahouses. The Longstone lighthouse can be seen on the right.

Farne Islands from Ros Castle.

Farne Islands from Embleton Bay.

Inner Farne from Banburgh.