Welford Loop

We walked north along the A5199 for approximately 300 meters (footpath available) and turned right onto Sulby Road for about ½ mile. We took the footpath to the right between a gap in the woods.

After a short while, we turned right onto the Jurassic Way and reached the causeway between Sulby and Welford reservoirs.

The next section of the walk took us over the A5199 and through the village of Welford. We looked out for the postman and the blue plaque on the side of a cottage. It was in the village that a Silver Cup was uncovered (now in the British Museum), and during excavations for a new housing estate in 2016, an Iron Age Roundhouse was discovered.

We walked past St. Mary the Virgin and a short while down Hall Lane. Then we went over the fields, past the sheep, over a small footbridge, across the middle of a ploughed field, and followed the hedgerow to the Leicester Branch of the Grand Union Canal. We found a spot there to have a break for a nibble and a drink.

After crossing the canal, we followed it to the junction with the Welford Spur, built in 1813, which linked the Grand Union with the two reservoirs of Sulby and Welford. The spur was also used to transport locally processed limestone to the Grand Union. Turning right onto the spur, we followed it for approximately 1.6 miles to Welford’s two grand marinas and to the finish at the Wharf Inn for a well-deserved pint or two.

The walk was under 7.5 miles and was mostly flat with a few stiles along the way.