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