All Sunday walks start with a gathering at Fleckney Village car park (///loses.always.huts) at 9:30 a.m.
Wistow, Newton Harcourt, Great Glen
Leader: Marmite
“Fifty Shades of White”
(A Hedgerow in Full Bloom, Scandalously Beautiful)
This delightful 8.5 to 9 mile ramble promises minimal hills, a sprinkling of history, and just enough stiles to keep things interesting. Along the way, expect charming villages, scenic fields, and a well-earned pint at the end. Just watch out for muddy boots if the rain’s been busy!
Off We Go!
Starting from the car park, it’s a quick jaunt to Main Street before taking a right onto Wolsey Lane. Stroll past the Band Hall, then follow the delightfully named ‘jitty’ (a quaint Midlands term for a narrow passage) to Wolsey Close and onward to Kilby Road. A swift crossing brings you to another jitty leading to Batchelor Road. One more road to cross, and yet another jitty (we do love a jitty on this walk) delivers you past the primary school onto Coleman Road.
A right turn here takes you towards the footpath through the Garner Way estate. Follow this track until you reach a stile—your gateway to the great outdoors.
Fields, Footpaths, and Folklore
The next stretch is all about fields—gloriously open, occasionally muddy, and always peaceful. Cross four fields, then arrive at a crossroads of footpaths. Choices, choices! Left heads to Arnesby, straight goes to Kilby, but we turn right towards Wistow.
Rolling gently downhill before climbing again, the path leads to Leicester Road. Cross carefully and enter Wistow Rural Centre. Wistow itself is steeped in history, its name possibly derived from Saint Wistan, a Christian prince of Mercia. Legend has it that on June 1st, the anniversary of his murder in 849 by his throne-coveting cousin, Brifardus, strange white hairs grow through the grass in the churchyard. Creepy? A little. Worth checking out? Absolutely!
Newton Harcourt and a Noble Match
Pressing on, cross Kibworth Road and set your sights on Newton Harcourt. Back in 1240, this village—then known as Newetone—was gifted by Saher de Quincy, Earl of Winchester, as a dowry for his daughter Arabell when she wed Sir Richard de Harcourt.
Meander past St. Luke’s Church, cross the canal and railway bridges, then immediately hop onto the footpath running parallel to the tracks. A right turn at the end delivers you into The Square at Newton Harcourt.
A Dash Across the A6 and a Spot of Lunch?
A straight crossing of Glen Road puts you on a bridleway. After half a mile, the bridleway veers left, but we take the footpath on the right. This path leads due east before presenting its biggest challenge: the A6. Deep breath, steady nerves, and pick your moment—this road can be a beast!
Once safely across, it’s more fields before emerging onto Leicester Road. Directly opposite lies Church Road and St. Cuthbert’s Church—an ideal place for a sandwich stop before scouting out a suitable watering hole. If you’re lucky you may have the opportunity to view an impressive organ and a magnificent chest!
From Greyhounds to Graffiti
The route back to Fleckney meanders down Orchard Lane, passing The Italian Greyhound pub. Once called “The Old Greyhound,” its history links to the noble Nele family, whose coat of arms featured three greyhound heads between 1553 and 1642. In the mid-1700s, the pub gained fame as a coaching inn for stagecoaches and mail services along the old London-to-the-North road (now the A6).
Continuing past Great Glen Crematorium, cross the A6 via a bridge. The track officially splits, but the preferred route sticks to the path rather than veering across fields. A gentle right turn leads under the railway before meeting the canal at Crane’s Lock—named after “Black Jack,” a notorious local landowner paid to pester boatmen.
The Home Stretch
Turn left onto the towpath, ambling along the canal to Kibworth Bridge. Here, clamber up to the main road, cross over, and descend to Turner’s Crossover Lock. A slow ascent takes us past Second Lock and Kibworth Top Lock before the path levels out.
Just before reaching the graffiti-covered bridge, leave the towpath and stride over the ridge-and-furrow fields back to Fleckney. The grand finale? A well-earned pint (or two) at the Golden Shield, where the walk’s highlights—and any near misses with the A6—can be thoroughly discussed. Cheers to another fantastic trek!
General information:
The Fleckney Walking Club meet every other Sunday for a walk of about 6 to 9 miles with a pub stop somewhere along the route.
What3Words is used to pinpoint start and other relevant locations for the walks.
We leave Fleckney village car park at 9:30 a.m. (///loses.always.huts).
For these walks you are advised to wear good quality walking boots and carry weatherproof clothing.
We suggest you also bring refreshments as a coffee stop and/or a picnic stop is also usually on the cards.
For those who are car sharing to walks outside of Fleckney, passengers are requested to subsidise their driver by the amount of 20p per mile (one way). For example, if the start of the walk was 10 miles from Fleckney the fee would be 10 x 20p = £2.
If you fancy leading a walk, there are plenty of ideas for walks here.
During the summer months we also have Thursday evening walks of about 4 to 5 miles in length.
These generally start and end at a not-too-distant village pub!
We meet at the village car park, by 7 p.m. (///loses.always.huts).
In the event of a walk being cancelled due to inclement weather (or any other reason) the walk leader will communicate the cancellation to club members by email and be at the start meeting point to advise anyone who turned up regardless.
The annual cost to join the Fleckney Walking Club is £10 for the Sunday Walks, or £5 to be a Social Member. Thursday Evening Walks are completely FREE.
You can find The Fleckney Walking Club Group on Facebook. This is a private group but you are welcome to apply to join us.
If you would like to join this walk then please fill out the form below and press the Submit button.
(If you are reading this message in an email, please click on the RSVP Now! button directly below to take you to the form.)
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