Saddington, Mowsley, Laughton, Gumley
Leader: John Broadhead
As usual, we will meet at Fleckney village car park (///loses.always.huts) by 9.30 a.m. for this local walk.
Let’s embark on a delightful adventure, starting from the car park and meandering through the quaint village of Saddington. We’ll begin our journey by traversing the Persimmon estate, picking up The Leicestershire Round as it weaves its way through enchanting fields. Fair warning—the path, though charmingly dry at times, transforms into a muddy escapade at the slightest hint of rain!
As we exit the field onto Kibworth Road, we’ll turn right and walk along the pavement to the road junction, crossing carefully to the other side. There, a stile and footpath lead us around Saddington and towards Mowsley Road. After the next stile, turn right and follow the field down to the gate, a notorious mud collector, before trailing the hedgerow to another stile on the right. This particular stile, often obscured by leafy bushes, can be easily missed—do keep an eye out!
Cross the field diagonally, keeping to the right of the following field. A stile at the end leads to a path running past a wooded area on the right. Be cautious here, as it can get overgrown with brambles ready to trip the unsuspecting wanderer.
After the stile at the end of the wood, turn right and follow the field’s edge until you reach a gate, often tied up with twine. No stile here, so it’s a matter of untying and re-tying the twine once we’re all through. The next gate is usually easier to manage.
Now, we face a steady climb to another stile. Previously in disrepair, it’s now fixed, but the steep descent on the other side might require a helping hand. The path continues over the field to a gate with a peculiar wonky stile. We’ll head downhill briefly, over a stile on the left, then turn right and descend to the field’s bottom. Some gates here might be open, easing our navigation.
We encounter a double stile and footbridge on the right, marking the end of the awkward stiles—though a few more await. A gentle climb, another stile, a level field, and repeat, until we reach a pond on the left. A short, steep descent followed by a climb leads us to another stile, then a steep ascent towards Mowsley—just two more stiles to go!
Emerging onto Main Street, we turn right and pass St. Nicholas’ Church, turning left onto Church Lane. We pass the quirky Crook House and into a field, with the observant among us spotting a castle to the left. Crossing Dag Lane, we follow a track past chicken coops, through a gate, and along the field’s edge, over a footbridge and into another field. The path, running parallel to the hedgerow, dips and rises again towards Laughton. It’s an uphill journey, but not too steep.
In Laughton, we turn right by the church, with its charming thatched wall surrounding much of the graveyard, and head to the seat by the telephone kiosk—still functional and a perfect spot for a rest and a coffee.
After our break, we have two return options. The shorter route, marked by a red dashed line, leads along a track, through a gate, and uphill. Enjoy the view as you head back towards Saddington. Taking the second gate off the track, we follow a permissive way (occasionally muddy) exiting onto Mowsley Road. Turn right, and just past ‘The Grange,’ take a left path. Follow the field’s left edge to the bottom corner, turn right alongside a brook, cross a stile, and continue to a footbridge. Beware of the falling tree here! Cross the bridge, up the bank into a field, following the hedge across two fields to the road. The last section can be muddy due to horses. Cross the road through the stables, turn right, then right again into The Queen’s Head—the designated pub stop.
The longer route takes us along Laughton Lane and Main Street, through a gate into a field. The path runs diagonally, through a gate, across an unnamed road, and over a stile. Four fields and three stiles later, we enter a long field past Gumley Lodge. The path turns into a bridleway, leading to a gate, over a track, and through another gate.
This challenging section climbs a steep slope before levelling and descending into Gumley, opposite an old telephone kiosk now serving as the village library. The Bell awaits those needing a boost after the climb.
Continuing up the road from Gumley past St. Helen’s Church, we rejoin The Leicestershire Round, crossing Debdale Lane into a field via gates. The views here are spectacular.
We descend a hill, climb to Smeeton Gorse (where a bench offers a resting spot), and follow the path through three fields, descending to the canal feeder. Crossing the feeder and stream, we navigate gates back to Saddington Main Street. A left turn takes us to The Queen’s Head, our pub stop, where we might reunite with the shorter route walkers.
After refreshments, we embark on the well-trodden mile-long trek along the Leicestershire Round from Saddington to Fleckney.
This walk spans about 9.5 miles (7 for the short walk), with a few undulations and several stiles. Walking poles are highly recommended!
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 (Sundays and Thursdays) or £5 (Thursdays only) payable on your first walk.
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.)