Countesthorpe, Blaby, Glen Parva 7 Miles
If you missed Kathy’s walk from The Elms (///tender.zeal.edits) in Countesthorpe back in January of 2023, you missed a treat. As there was still a lot of mud about for this walk, Kathy decided to repeat the walk but without the dodgy stiles!
From The Elms, Kathy took us to Ash Spinney and through Oakfield Park and across Hospital Lane onto Long Walk, past Blaby Cemetery, around Bouskell Park and onto Welford Road.
Welford Road changes into Sycamore Street and we wandered along that until we reached Church Street. This took us past Blaby All Saints Church. At the end of Church Street we turned left at the junction onto Wigston Road and then onto Chapel Street. Just before the junction with Northfield Road we headed through the church car park and past a play area and war memorial and onto Leicester Road. This is a very busy road but we were able to cross safely as the traffic stopped for us.
We turned left, to avoid the footpath with the dodgy stiles, and found our way onto Winchester Avenue. After a short while we turned right onto the Guthlaxton Trail and headed for the canal whilst picking up the original route.
We left the footpath at the canal and took the towpath to the right and headed past Dunn’s Lock and Simpkin’s Bridge before leaving the canal at Knight’s Bridge.
We were now on Westminster Drive and this led us onto Little Glen Road. We crossed the road and took the little path leading to The Ford and thence to Glen Parva Manor that just happened to be the pub stop.
Upon leaving the pub we headed along the track toward Mill Lane Farm. We turned left onto Mill Lane and then right onto the footpath we left earlier until we reached Hospital Lane. We continued along the outward path until we left Ash Spinney where we continued along the track leading back towards Countesthorpe, over the dismantled railway, on to Linden Farm Drive, left on to The Rowans and finally the short footpath back to The Elms (it’s not a pub!).
The walk was just under seven miles with no stiles and very little mud – for most of us anyway!
