Wymeswold Parish Walks
About
Wymeswold
The attractive village of Wymeswold
lies three miles north-east of Loughborough,
in a shallow valley in the rolling area known as the Wolds. The village is a compact settlement built
around the 14th century Church, and several fine Georgian properties can be found in Far Street, and
in Brook Street along the banks of the River Mantle.
Parking in the village lanes may be difficult, but space is
available after 10am at the Three Crowns opposite St. Mary’s Church, and behind the Village Hall in
Clay Street.
Traveline allows users to search by postcode and places of interest. There are other features including detailed maps of the journey, walking distances and public transport timetable downloads.
About
the Walks
- There are 3 different walks in the Wymeswold area:
3 miles; 2.75 miles and 3.25
miles
- Directions for all walks start from St. Mary’s Church
- All
of the paths are waymarked.
- This leaflet was written by Wymeswold volunteers
To order a paper copy
of
the Parish Walk leaflet to be delivered to you, please email
customerservices@leics.gov.uk
or telephone 0116 305 8160 quoting the leaflet you want and your name and address.
The
Routes
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Walk 1 4.75km (3miles), allow 1.5hours, an interesting route along
a woodland path, through open fields and back along a surfaced track.
A. Walk out of the village along East Road, passing the Hammer
and Pincers public house on the left. Once past Manor Court, a private drive on the right, join the
woodland path which runs parallel to the busy East Road. Ignore the footpath signed to the right and
continue on the path through the trees until just before reaching the road junction. Look to your left
to see a footpath sign on the other side of the main road.
B. Cross
the road with care and follow this footpath with the hedge on the left. At the top of the field, cross
the boundary and bear left to continue.
C. Maintain the same direction
across the fields with the church tower over to the left. Eventually you will reach a lane.
D.
Cross the lane and take the right hand of the two signed footpaths (for a shorter
walk take the left hand path). Follow the waymarks diagonally right across the field, then the
yard and another field. After the stile, walk with the hedge on the right hand side. Near the field
end cross the boundary, and continue with the hedge on the left to join a track. This
track is called Storkitt Lane. The curiously-named Storkitt Lane is a corruption of ‘stall cot lane’.
The word ‘cot’ gives the modern word ‘cottage’ but previously referred to a simple shelter. This one
clearly had stalls for livestock. At the southern end of Storkitt Lane is a brick-built pound or ‘pinfold’.
This is where stray animals were kept until their owners came to pay a small fine. The bricks suggest
it was built in the nineteenth century. The gate is missing and the walls were of even height until
an unfortunate ‘restoration’ in the 1990s.
E. Follow the track
around the bend and continue to eventually reach Far Street. Turn left to return to the church
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Walk 2 4.5km (2.75miles), allow 1.5 hours, across quiet, undulating
countryside, rich in wildlife
1. Walk through the churchyard, turn right on to
Church Street and then left onto Brook Street. Continue along Brook St. and out of the village until
you reach the beginning of Wymeswold Meadows Nature Reserve on your right. Look across
to the fields north of Narrow Lane. In the third and forth centuries AD a Roman farmstead stood here,
sensibly situated on a south-facing slope with easy access to the water of the River Mantle.
2.
Go into the meadow and cross diagonally to the brook. Do not cross the brook, but
follow it. Go through a hand gate and continue along the brook. Then walk diagonally up to another hand
gate which joins the waymarked path on the other side of the hedge.
3..
Follow the path across the brook and up to a stile in the field boundary.
4.
Cross the stile and follow the waymarks left which shortly direct you diagonally across the field
to a stile that can be seen on the horizon. 5. At the field boundary turn left and
follow the waymarks, ignoring a footpath to the left and a bridleway to the right. Cross the next field
which has evidence of ridge and furrow.
6. At the stile, do not cross
but turn around and head to the stile to the left and cross it into an arable field. Walk across the
field, passing a pond on the way.
7. Cross the stile, a second field
and a further double stile into a pasture. Follow the edge of the field with the hedge on your right
crossing another stile. Part way along this field edge the route crosses the brook so the hedge will
now be on your left. Cross the stile into the next field.
8. Immediately
after the next stile the path turns right alongside newly planted trees and a planted field to a path
which turns left between a hedge and a fenced plantation.
9. Follow
the path to the village and The Stockwell back to the church.
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Walk 3 5.5km (3.25miles), allow 2 hours, across open countryside
with interesting views
Follow directions for Walk 2 until point 6. For this route
cross the stile that is mentioned and continue keeping the hedge on the left. Soon turn right and walk
parallel to the hedge on the right. Turn right again to cross the field boundary and continue through
the next field with the hedge now on the left. Cross two stiles then turn diagonally right aiming for
the far right hand corner of the next field. The tower of Wymeswold church soon comes into view. There
are also wonderful views of the hills of Charnwood Forest in the distance.
i.
At the field corner turn left and take the path with the hedge on your right. Halfway across the
next field, by the electricity wires, turn right and walk down the field in line with the church tower.
Continue diagonally left across the next field to reach the lane.
i. Turn
right and after 50m take the path on the right. Head diagonally across the field aiming for the barns,
and return to the village.
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