“Mud, mud, glorious mud …”

The recent rainfall had indicated that country walks would be muddy. However, Kathy’s walk had been designed to be mud‑free and stile‑free and was short enough not to need a “short‑cut” (though there was one if anyone had been desperate).

We set off to Burton Overy, where we parked along Main Street (///stickler.gurgling.mimed) for this lasso‑shaped walk. Kathy led us out of the village along Carlton Lane, a quiet country road with (thankfully) little traffic. The name changed to Burton Overy Lane, and in places the hedges disappeared, allowing views of the open countryside.

After a while, we came to a crossroads. The observant noticed a gate just before the signpost; we went through this gate on our return. For the moment, we went straight over the junction to remain on Burton Overy Lane. After a short distance, the hedgerow to our left became devoid of trees, allowing us to view our intended route in the distance.

We reached a large metal gate opening onto a permissive path – thankfully, it remained permissive on the day and was not in use by hunters of pheasant or grouse! This path was straight and gave lovely views of the surrounding countryside. Eventually, it emerged onto an unnamed road leading from Illston on the Hill to King’s Norton. This was good, as King’s Norton was our next stop, where the church (St. John the Baptist, a splendid Gothic Revival Church designed by local architect John Wing the younger (1728–1794)) resided. On previous visits, we had parked our bums for coffee or lunch. The church also housed a small library where books could be swapped.

Although the weather was good, Kathy decided not to lead us on to Gaulby, recorded as Galbi in the Domesday Book of 1086, where the Church of St. Peter sat. Instead, it was a left turn onto and along Main Street until we met a T‑junction with a signpost indicating “The Strettons” off to the left (had we gone to Gaulby, we would have emerged from the right of this junction). So, on to The Strettons it was – or at least the Little one!

On the way, we came to a fork in the road where the left fork was signed to Burton Overy. This was the point at which the “short‑cutters” could have headed directly back to the cars – or the pub. However, we all took the right fork (Gaulby Lane) and wandered for about 0.6 miles, or 950 metres, until another crossroads loomed.

According to the signpost, Little Stretton lay a quarter of a mile to the left. The village boasts the charming St. Clement and St. John Church, dating back to the late 12th century. The graveyard is the site of Maggie Philbin’s parents’ burial, and she herself was brought up in the village. This was the place we decided upon for our lunch stop.

To continue our hopefully mudless trek, we headed through the village until we met Gartree Road at another T‑junction. We turned left here and walked along Gartree Road for a little over half a mile until another T‑junction. Well, a T‑junction for vehicles, but not for us. Straight ahead lay the Roman Road (aka Gartree Road), also referred to as the Via Devana, which had run between the Roman military centres of Chester and Colchester. Its history in Leicestershire involved its construction, likely for military and trade purposes, as well as its role as a historical meeting place. The name “Gartree” originated from an ancient oak tree near Kibworth Harcourt, where the road crossed an ancient track. This location had been used for public meetings and justice from the 10th to the 18th centuries.

This section of Kathy’s walk was a mile long and, luckily, was pretty well mud-free. We emerged via the gate at the point on Burton Overy Lane mentioned earlier. Here we took a right turn to retrace our steps back to Burton Overy, the cars, and The Bell Inn (which had very recently received a 5 food hygiene rating).

There we had it. An easy, 7‑mile wander along mostly metalled roads that was about as mud‑free as anyone was going to get after the recent rainfall. The walk was marred only by the amount of fly-tipping along Gartree Road – it has been reported!