Thorpe Acre Parish Walks

At the Thorpe Acre Village sign turn towards the church heading along Thorpe Acre Road. Opposite the church are the converted buildings of Barnet’s farm. A little further down the road, either side are two old cottages, the first used to be the village post office. Just past the Plough Inn turn left into White Bridge Way, a narrow waymarked footpath. Walk the length of the footpath and cross Sandringham Drive where you will see the old stone bridge and a modern footbridge to the left. Cross the new bridge and turn left. The view north across to Gorse Covet wood was cattle grazing land for the Abbey called Thorpe Moor.  Look out for small sculptures created by local University art students along the trail.
A. Follow the path, called Blackbrook Way, between the brook and the Gorse Covert shopping centre following the Thorpe Acres Trail finger posts until it meets Buckingham Drive.  Cross carefully, continue following the finger posts to Mount Grace Road. The finger posts are carved with quotations.  Your local library will help you identify authors you don’t know.  The Black brook is Loughborough’s largest brook and flows from Shepshed into the Soar
B. Here the Trail signposts direct you left.  Cross the road, go over the bridge and follow the pavement to the road junction and then turn right following the surfaced path into Stonebow Washlands.  Check your bearings on the interpretation board and follow the route through the Washlands towards the ancient Stonebow Bridge.  (beyond the Stonebow Washlands the path can be very muddy, wheelchair users may wish to turn back to Mount Grace Road, turn right and continue the route at the road end). Sometimes the washlands is wet!  The stone carved bench at the end of the board walk was made by Mary O’Neil.  Stonebow Bridge dates back to the times when it was used by monks on their way to their sheepfold at Dishley
C. Once across the boardwalk and past the stone bench go right to reach Stonebow Bridge.  After pausing to enjoy the tranquillity of the brook, turn back retracing your steps to the fingerpost and squeeze. Turn left and continue along the Trail.  On reaching Garendon Lane, turn left. Ahead and to your right you will see the Garendon Obelisk, one of several follies created by Ambrose Phillips in the nineteenth century. Garendon Lane (or Back Lane) is part of the National Cycle Network to watch out for cycles.  As you follow the lane notice the high wall on your right; the stones come from the ruined Abbey.
D. When you reach the bend by the houses follow the cycle signs into Coe Avenue. Continue to the end of Coe Avenue across Althorpe Drive into Kenilworth Ave which takes you to Kingthorpe Road.  Turn left to return to Thorpe Acre Green and the start of our walk. Along Kenilworth Avenue is an interpretation board showing the route you have followed with more information. As you reach Thorpe Acre Green you will see the route charted in mosaic (by Peter Massey), with further features.  In the base of the mosaic is a time capsule containing various objects which was put together by the children at Thorpe Acre Junior school.

Follow the description for walk 1 until point C. Cross the bridge and continue up through the wood, (this part is very sludgy and slippery in winter) called Bailey’s plantation, reaching a stile at the top of the hill.  This is Pear Tree Lane.
You are close to Dishley Grange, home of the agricultural and genetic pioneer who pre-dated Darwin.  You can visit his grave in Dishley chapel, by taking a detour to the right.  After reaching the busy A6, cross carefully and you will find Dishley Chapel under the pine trees a few meters down the road to you right.  Retrace your route back along Pear Tree Lane to continue the walk.
1. Turning left down Pear Tree Lane you reach a junction at the bottom of the hill.  (Optional shortcut – at reaching the path junction turn left towards the brook.  Rejoin the main route at  point 3)
Follow a footpath straight ahead to the left of the hedge which takes you soon along the Black brook and away towards Hathern Road.
When you reach Hathern Road turn left and follow the road until you reach the motorway bridge.  (Motorway traffic can be noisy.  If you don’t like it, find a day with an easterly wind.  It helps!)
Where the road crosses Black brook, you will pass Shepshed Watermill on the opposite side of Hathern Road. The mill is open to the public on certain days during the year and is well worth a visit.  Warning: the next path may be temporarily re-routed by motorway widening!
2. Just before the motorway, take the footpath on your left over two little bridges.  Follow this until you reach the footbridge over the M1.  There are steps up to the bridge; at this point take the track that leads left and back through Garendon to Thorpe Acre.  Follow this path until it eventually meets Hathern Drive, a track leading from Garendon Park to Hathern.  Turn right towards the imposing gatehouse that leads into Garendon Deer Park.
The Bavarian (or Red) Gate is one of Ambrose Philips’ finest 19^th century monuments.  Others on the estate are a Temple of Venus and Triumphal Arch modelled on the Temple of Sybil and the Roman Forum.
Garendon Abbey stood a few metres away through the gates.  The Cistercian Abbey was replaced by a more modern building for the March Philips DeLisle family until this too was demolished in the 1960s after a fire.
Before leaving take a quick look at the culvert in front of the gates.  Unless lichen obscures, you’ll see an inscribed stone set by Italian soldiers, imprisoned here during the 2^nd World War.
3. At the Bavarian Gate turn along Garendon Lane left towards Thorpe Acre, following a stone wall until you meet point D on Walk 1.
Follow the route of Walk 1 back to Thorpe Acre.