🚶‍♂️ A Meander Through Time (and Towpaths)

This was a lovely, easy, stile-free walk on the edge of the city—ideal for stretching legs without testing knees. No scrambling over stiles, no puzzling over directions—just good company, flat paths, and a few surprises along the way.

🅿️ Parking Options
Preferred parking had been at the bottom end of Narrow Lane (///ruled.rats.trades), but for those who arrived to find it already brimming with eager ramblers, the free car park on Marsden Lane (///await.priced.cared) came to the rescue. Either way, no Sherpas were harmed in the making of this walk.

🍻 Meeting Point
We gathered at The Black Horse (///dime.hint.menu)—a proper red-brick pub with classic grub and the occasional musical interlude. Early arrivals may have glimpsed the ghost of a Victorian barmaid (or just the landlord wrangling chairs with spectral efficiency).

🧭 Setting Off
We headed west-ish, past the aforementioned car park, and joined the towpath beside the River Soar. If the river was on your left and the sports ground wasn’t, congratulations—you’d invented a new route. Otherwise, we enjoyed a gentle meander as the Soar joined the Grand Union Canal, once the watery motorway between London and the Midlands. Barges may have been slower than trains, but they rarely derailed or required signal boxes.

🏛️ Into the City
As we strolled into Leicester’s heart, we passed university buildings and the cathedral—both worth a tiptoe glance if you were vertically challenged. Black Friars appeared on the right and Frog Island on the left. No friars or frogs were spotted, but the names alone made the walk feel like a medieval board game.

🌳 Abbey Park Pit Stop
Abbey Park offered a welcome pause: we explored the gardens, grabbed a cuppa, and—most importantly—located the loos. The café’s outdoor seating was perfect for pretending we were in a Jane Austen novel, minus the corsets and carriage (though one walker did attempt a Mr Darcy impression near the rose beds).

🔁 Return Journey
We retraced our steps along the towpath, this time with Frog Island on the right and Black Friars on the left—proof we weren’t walking in circles. After the double bridge (A47 and A47X, for those who collect road numbers like rare stamps), we veered off to follow the Old River Soar through Bede Park, where ducks and joggers competed for path space in a surprisingly civilised manner.

🚂 Great Central Way Finale
We joined the Great Central Way, tracing the ghost of the Great Central Main Line (opened in 1899, closed in 1966—thanks, Beeching). Once a proud link between Sheffield and London, it now served as a peaceful green corridor through the meadows. We crossed Baunstone Lane East, then the River Soar, and finally turned into Marsden Lane for a triumphant return to The Black Horse.

🍺 Post-Walk Refreshment
Back at the pub, we rewarded ourselves with something cold, something hot, or something deep-fried. All three, in some cases. We’d earned it.

📏 Distance
We clocked just over nine miles on the recce, but it was so flat and friendly it felt more like six or seven. Either way, our feet thanked us—and one pedometer reportedly sent a thank-you card.