Cock & Bull Walk
A cock and bull story is a fanciful, unlikely story. The Cock Inn and the Bull Inn, both in Stony Stratford, are believed to be the source of the phrase. On this walk we take in The Cock Inn at Peatling Magna and The Bull’s Head in Countesthorpe. This walk is anything but fanciful.
There is a free car park in Countesthorpe on Central Street (///torch.pencil.tester). We decided to park near St. Andrew’s Church (///bells.cake.oath) on Main Street as it is not too distant from the pub and closer to where we wanted to be.
Head along Main Street to the mini-roundabout and turn left into The Square. Off to the right is Green Lane that heads north and then east on to Leicester Road. This lane is an interesting diversion and one that otherwise might be missed. Cross the road and continue north up to the mini-roundabout and cross over Foston Road to the footpath running parallel to the main road. This footpath turns right, left, right, left, right and left then leads past what Dave calls the Society Recycling Works but I can think of something else the ‘S’ might stand for! Anyway, the walk then heads southeast along an alleged bridleway through two large fields to Foston Road.
At Foston Road turn left and take care as the traffic on this stretch tends to be on the fast side. Talking of sides, it is best to stay on the left side of the road to start with as the grass verge is quite wide. After a while though carefully cross the road where the grass verge on the opposite side is wider and you can turn into Barley Lane safely.
The village of Foston has been deserted for nearly 400 years but the 10th Century St. Bartholomew’s Church still remains and is worth a visit. Perhaps a stop for coffee would be in order here.
The walk continues along Barley Lane past two sets of houses until you reach a small parking area on the left of the lane with a bridleway leading off it. Take this popular dog-walking bridleway for three-quarters of a mile until you come to a crosspath of bridleways – it is marked as CP Bdy (Civil Parish Boundary) on the map.
Turn right at this crosspath and head southwest to Folly Bridge and on to Peatling Magna and the pub stop – The Cock Inn. If the pub is closed (it currently opens at 4pm on a weekday and noon at weekends) the 13th Century All Saints Church is well worth a visit and it has a couple of benches where you can eat your sandwiches and enjoy the views across the fields.
The final stage of the walk leads south down Main Street past the local until you reach a large white house on the right. Just after this house is a partly hidden footpath sign and a post with a white arrow and the word Hafod (Welsh for farm). It is a bit misleading but the footpath is part of The Leicestershire Round and goes past the houses onto a leafy lane and then through a few fields on to a permissive lane where you turn right and head north to a narrow track. Turn right onto the track and then left through a gate onto a bridleway past Bambury Farm where the livestock is well cared for and the farmer “charges” you if you take a picture! Actually, he is very friendly and informative but he thinks his animals are best on a plate!
Continue along the bridleway past Westdale Farm and all the way back to Countesthorpe and The Bull’s Head if you require further refreshment.
The walk is between 7.2 and 7.5 miles with slight undulation and, as the route is mainly tracks and bridleways, there are no stiles.
