Smeeton, Debdale, Saddington
Leaders: Daft Dave, Marmite, and Five-Pints
As usual, our escapade starts with a gathering at Fleckney village car park (///loses.always.huts) at the ungodly hour of 9:30 a.m.
To keep things delightfully local, we’ve cobbled together a patchwork of previous walks. It’s a mixed bag—some bits will have you feeling like a mountain goat, but mostly it’s a doddle. This walk is the reverse of the previous one as a certain hostelry has changed its opening hours.
We kick off by sauntering from the car park and navigating through the undulating ridge and furrow fields, a throwback to medieval farming, towards the wet stuff. We then cross the bridge over the historic canal, which in its heyday was the motorway of the Midlands, into the serene Millennium Wood. Keep an ear out for the woodpeckers, whose drumming adds a musical backdrop to our journey, and watch your step for the occasional muddy ambush.
We follow the footpath up through the woods and over a couple of fields before crossing Kibworth Road (mind the traffic—it’s a game of human Frogger here). We now traverse Mill Lane, so called because of the old post mill that once stood along here. The mill was blown over on 17th September 1847, with Thomas Innocent, the miller, still inside it. There is an informative article about the mill on our website.
Our first destination is the welcoming embrace of Smeeton Westerby. After nodding wistfully at The King’s Head pub (a mental note for a return visit is still a must, even if it’s closed when we get there—how disappointing!), we head right then left into Debdale Lane. About 1.6km (or just over a mile for those still living in 1940), we arrive at the canal towpath near Debdale Wharf.
We turn right and cheerfully head to Bridge 68, a narrow, metal footbridge that was lost and now is found (long story!). There is no alternative but to clamber over a stile here and then through a gate to get onto the bridge. The footpath heads slightly upwards through a field, over a stile, and through another field, passing Debdale Grange (Kennels and Cattery), also known as the White House, along the way.
Another stile leads us onto a metal road that goes by the name of Debdale Lane. We turn right here and wander for about 400 metres (a quarter of a mile in old money) before taking what is probably the shortest footpath in Leicestershire through a triangular wood. This brings us out onto another metal road, this one is named Gumley Road.
We cross Gumley Road and onto an uneven track that leads to a gate on the right. There is one stile along this section but the main worry is the scattered badger holes that are sometimes hidden in the undergrowth. There used to be an alternative route running parallel to our path but the stile at the far end has been removed and we don’t want you getting damaged crawling through hedgerows!
Our journey continues upwards to Smeeton Gorse, where rolling fields stretch like a green sea before you. It’s the ideal spot to stop, flop down, and contemplate life—or just catch your breath. Here, you are rewarded with panoramic views and a great excuse to pause and pant.
Next, we head along the path overlooking the reservoir before bracing ourselves for the brief but steep descent of hillside commonly referred to as Saddington Hill. Down we go, crossing the historic canal feeder and across the footbridge, in dire need of repair, over Saddington Brook and then across the horsey fields. After we navigate these equine territories, we arrive at Main Street and turn left where The Queens Head awaits with open arms, offering a sanctuary of snacks, banter, and booze.
Refreshed and ready, we march out of Saddington doubling back to Bakehouse Lane, where we rejoin The Leicestershire Round and pause to admire a cottage with a brand-new thatched roof—how very quaint.
Crossing Kibworth Road once again (seriously, look both ways), we follow the path through picturesque fields, which are either charmingly dry or a mud bath waiting to happen, depending on the mood of the weather gods! Finally, we weave our way through the Persimmon estate and find ourselves back at Fleckney village car park—or perhaps The Golden Shield.
This rollercoaster of a walk covers just over 7.5 miles (12 kilometres for the metric-minded) and features four stiles and a variety of delightful ups and downs. A perfect blend of historical snippets and scenic wonder! The eagle-eyed among you will have noticed the route on the map returns via the Shield, making it a round 8 miles!
And there you have it—our walking adventure, now thoroughly inverted for your directional pleasure. Let the hilarity and hiking begin!
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.)
RSVP deadline is past