All Sunday walks start with a gathering at Fleckney Village car park (///loses.always.huts) at 9:30 a.m.

Tugby, Glooston, Goadby, Rolleston

Leader – John Broadhead

For this walk, we head to Tugby, about 11 miles (or £2.20) from Fleckney. We are aiming to park up in Main Street (///gasping.political.mice) as there is usually plenty of space there.

From Tugby, we initially head southwest along Main Street until there is no more Main Street. There is a wooden gate through which, when opened, leads on to a bridleway. After a tenth of a mile, there is a fork in the path — not one to eat with or dig with — take the left one and head due south and past Lake Home Farm. Then it’s an “igam ogam”, as we say in Wales, but as we’re not there, it’s a zig-zag via a left on Palmer’s Lane, and a right through a metal gate just before the bend in the road.

The bridleway heads due south until it exits onto Horse Hill. We turn left onto this narrow country lane and follow it until we meet a cattle grid. With luck, there should be a gate on the right and a footpath that continues due south until it reaches Glooston Lodge.

We now cross the road and take another bridleway due northwest all the way along to Nosely Hall, where we head north to reach The Avenue. Turn right to head downhill along the road passing Nether Cottages along the way. At the bottom of the hill, turn left onto another bridleway leading northwest up towards Rolleston Hall.

The plan is to turn right before the Hall just after the pond. However, as we are now probably a bit peckish, a short trip into Rolleston to park our bums at the church for a spot of lunch might be in order.

Whatever we decide on the day, we now head slightly north of east along another bridleway to return to Tugby and, of course, the Fox and Hounds for a good natter about the walk, put the world to rights, and have a beverage or two.

This walk is just shy of 9 miles, some undulation, and if you’ve been paying attention, is mostly on bridleways and roads, so no stiles — honestly, Dave, no stiles!

P.S. There is a six-mile option available.

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The minutes of the 2025 A.G.M
and the Agenda for the 2026 A.G.M.
(7 p.m. at the Golden Shield on 22nd January)
can be found HERE

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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.
This year the majority of the walks will be local ones, no transport required.
We meet at the village car park, by 7 p.m. (///loses.always.huts).

In the event of a walk being cancelled for any reason (usually weather) 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.

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You can find The Fleckney Walking Club Group on Facebook. This is a private group but you are welcome to apply to join us.

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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.)

RSVP deadline is past

Event Types: Sunday Walk

The F.W.C. Christmas Meal will be held at
The Dog and Gun, Kilby
on
Friday, 12th December at 6.30 p.m.
The cost for two courses will be
£21 per head
Menu details below (ignore "Lunch")
>> A £10 CASH DEPOSIT IS REQUIRED <<
>> PLEASE PAY KATHY OR PHIL <<
>> AND INCLUDE YOUR MENU CHOICES <<

Burton Overy, King’s Norton, Little Stretton

by Kathy Kilsby

 

“Mud, mud, glorious mud …” 

The recent rainfall would indicate that country walks will be muddy. However, this walk of Kathy’s has been designed to be mud-free and stile-free and is short enough not to need a “short-cut” (though there is one if you’re desperate).

So, we’re off to Burton Overy, where we will park along Main Street (///stickler.gurgling.mimed) for this lasso-shaped walk. Kathy will lead us out of the village along Carlton Lane, a quiet country road with (hopefully) little traffic. The name changes to Burton Overy Lane, and the hedges disappear in places, giving views of the open countryside. 

After a while, we will come to a crossroads. The observant will notice a gate just before the signpost; we will go through this gate on our return. For now, we go straight over the junction to remain on Burton Overy Lane.  After a short distance, the hedgerow to our left becomes devoid of trees, allowing us to view our intended route in the distance. 

We reach a large metal gate opening onto a permissive path – hopefully it will be permissive on the day and not in use by hunters of pheasant or grouse! This path is straight and gives lovely views of the surrounding countryside. Eventually, it emerges onto an unnamed road leading from Illston on the Hill to King’s Norton. This is good, as King’s Norton is 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)) provides a reasonable place to park bums for coffee, or lunch if required, along with a small library. So, if you have a book to swap, this is the place.

If the weather and walker weariness permit, Kathy may lead us on to Gaulby, recorded as Galbi in the Domesday Book of 1086, where the Church of St. Peter sits. Otherwise, it’s a left turn onto and along Main Street until we meet a T-junction with a signpost indicating “The Strettons” are off to the left (had we gone to Gaulby, we would emerge from the right of this junction). So, on to The Strettons it is – or at least the Little one!

On the way, we come to a fork in the road where the left fork is signed to Burton Overy. This is the point at which the “short-cutters” can head directly back to the cars – or the pub. The rest of us will take the right fork (Gaulby Lane) and wander for about 0.6 miles, or 950 metres, until another crossroads looms.

According to the signpost, Little Stretton lies a quarter of a mile to the left. The village boasts a charming “chocolate-box” church that was built in 1903 from a mass-produced flat-pack that came from Manchester, and then given a faux-Tudor exterior along with a thatched roof. However, that doesn’t detract from its charm in the slightest and is very Instagram-worthy. This is another place for a lunch stop if King’s Norton was too early or was just a coffee stop.

To continue our hopefully mudless trek, we head through the village until we meet Gartree Road at another T-junction. We turn left here and walk 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 lies the Roman Road (aka Gartree Road), also referred to as the Via Devana, which ran between the Roman military centres of Chester and Colchester. Its history in Leicestershire involves its construction, likely for military and trade purposes, as well as its role as a historical meeting place. The name “Gartree” originates from an ancient oak tree near Kibworth Harcourt, where the road crossed an ancient track. This location was used for public meetings and justice from the 10th to the 18th centuries.

This section of Kathy’s walk is a mile long. We emerge via a gate at the point on Burton Overy Lane mentioned earlier. Here we take a right turn to retrace our steps back to Burton Overy, the cars, and The Bell Inn (that very recently received a 5 food hygiene rating).

There we have it. An easy, 7-mile wander along mostly metalled roads that’s about as mud-free as you’re going to get after the recent rainfall.

---

The minutes of the 2025 A.G.M
and the Agenda for the 2026 A.G.M.
(7 p.m. at the Golden Shield on 22nd January)
can be found HERE

---

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.
This year the majority of the walks will be local ones, no transport required.
We meet at the village car park, by 7 p.m. (///loses.always.huts).

In the event of a walk being cancelled for any reason (usually weather) 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.)

 

RSVP deadline is past

Event Types: Sunday Walk

The F.W.C. Christmas Meal will be held at
The Dog and Gun, Kilby
on
Friday, 12th December at 6.30 p.m.
The cost for two courses will be
£21 per head
Menu details below (ignore "Lunch")
>> A £10 CASH DEPOSIT IS REQUIRED <<
>> PLEASE PAY KATHY OR PHIL <<
>> AND INCLUDE YOUR MENU CHOICES <<

Fleckney, Smeeton Westerby, Gumley, Saddington

by Phil

All Sunday walks start with a gathering at Fleckney village car park (///loses.always.huts) at 9:30 a.m.

We begin with the muddy bit—best tackled while boots are fresh and spirits unflagging. Down to the canal, over the bridge, and up through Millennium Wood, where the trees stand as a reminder of the year 2000’s great optimism (and the brief terror that our computers might all stop working). Once across the busy Kibworth Road, we head along Mill Lane, passing the King’s Head. Alas, the inn will be firmly shut at this hour, so no chance of a sneaky half before the real work begins.

Turning right onto Main Street, we follow the road to the junction of Saddington Road and Gumley Road. A left fork, then another left at Pit Hill, keeps us on Gumley Road. This stretch has seen centuries of feet, hooves, and cart wheels—though today it’s more likely trainers, tyres, and the occasional dog walker. Continue until Dabdale Lane appears, where we bear right. The lane itself is indecisive, bending left toward Gumley and right toward Laughton and Mowsley. We take the right turn, briefly, until a cattle grid bars the way.

Straight ahead lies Laughton, a charming destination in its own right, but not for us today. Instead, we turn immediately right onto the two‑mile “Gated Road” to Saddington. This is where those of us with knees past their warranty may grumble, for the lane drops steeply. Still, the views are worth every creak and groan—rolling countryside that has seen Romans march, Normans settle, and ramblers puff ever since.

Passing Saddington Reservoir, keen eyes will notice that the water levels have finally risen. The ducks, grebes, and dragonflies are delighted, and so should we be—this reservoir was dug in the 19th century to feed the Grand Union Canal, and it still plays host to wildlife and the occasional fisherman with more patience than luck.

From here it’s up a modest hillock, then gently down to Mowsley Road. A right turn, a short descent, and then the climb into Saddington itself. The Queen’s Head awaits, with new landlord Dan ready to greet us. Tradition dictates we pause here, if only to wish him every success in his stewardship of this fine establishment. A pint, a lemonade, or simply a nod of encouragement—choose your weapon.

Suitably refreshed, we tackle the last mile back to Fleckney. Three peaks mark this walk, the highest being the rise up to Gumley. No stiles to wrestle with, though the roads can be busy, so a high‑viz jacket or waistcoat is strongly advised. Think of it as medieval heraldry updated for the 21st century: instead of a coat of arms, you’ll be sporting fluorescent stripes.

RSVP deadline is past

Event Types: Sunday Walk