Led by me, with Barry and Gordon. Hilly, mostly good underfoot - some mud in woodland areas. Great views from Beacon Hill of course. Fine, warm, sunny afternoon. 1,161 ft of climbing. Around 13 miles including add-ons. Moving pace much better than over all pace - we did stop quite a lot, but - no way do I ever walk at 31 mph!
We - well, I, - suggested that we should try Shiela Dixon's Leicestershire’s three peaks challenge. In the event we managed two. According to our magic machines it was a twelve and a half mile walk, involving over 1 000 feet of
climbing – not huge by Yorkshire, Lake District or even Derbyshire standards,
but enough of a challenge for today.
The fact that it’s a good hour’s drive from home doesn’t help, and then I have to walk back to the car to park it in a much safer
looking layby - the one Shiela recommends in her blog - at SK458120 on the A511 between Bardon and the M1.So it was 10.20 before
we started.
Walking alongside the A 511 isn’t a bundle
of laughs, but there is at least a footway of sorts. Back towards Bardon for 200 yds or so, our footpath leaves to the right, almost opposite Forest House. With all the leaf growth this year it is not
exactly obvious. Once we find it, it’s
overgrown in places, but clearly marked – those lovely Leicestershire yellow
posts.
 |
| moat and bridge reflections |
On as far as Brook farm, where we walk past
the regimentedly reverse parked cars, and then the moated Old Hall and turn left to walk close behind the house.
 |
| Love Leicestershire footpaths. |
Our
path goes north east, and we turn left along the Ivanhoe Way when we meet it in
less than half a mile. We’ve been
climbing gently from the farm, and continue to do so towards Bardon Hill
Wood.
 |
| Chicken of the woods, I'm told, but I'm not brave enough to try it |
We cross a quarry road and now
climb more steeply through rocky scrub, up to the radio mast near the
summit. But where is the top?
 |
| View - avoiding the large industrial estate to our right. |
We don’t find the trig point, in spite of
using a magic machine to show our altitude – we must be almost at the summit –
I don’t realize until later that there is a trig point and rocks. I’ll have to go back another time. Will Barry and Gordon accompany me??
 |
| Barry checks out the accommodation |
The way down is simple – follow the road
behind the mast until we meet the quarry road,
then turn just after Kelhams Farm – there’s a diverted path clearly
marked which more or less follows the power lines. The OS map has a path marked going further to
the left, but this has been discontinued. No matter, we arrive at the road at Upper
Greenhill Farm by a slightly roundabout route.
We cross over and take the bridle way past
Charley Mill farm. Just before entering
Burrow Wood is a nature reserve with a bench – do we want to have a break? You betcha.
 |
| Well-earned break |
We walk through Burrow Wood, and then take the right hand path when it forks off. This joins a small road to go past Woodleys, Charley Hall and Rock Farm. At the T-junction we turn right and go under the M1. We follow the road for almost a mile
alongside woodland, and over the crossroads at Bawdon Lodge – this was
surprisingly busy!
A little further along and at a house marked on the map as
Bawdon Cottage Farm, and on the house as Charley Chapel, a footpath goes off to the left. This leads down a little way then we begin our long gentle climb to Beacon Hill. We meet the road from Shepshed - and turn right. What a delight!
 |
| Lovely quiet road! |
The road is closed to traffic for resurfacing - this is much better for us!
After a couple of hundred yards we turn left along an avenue of trees planted in memory of one of the early members of the Leicestershire Footpath Association.
The path climbs very gently - and about halfway along is a platform with a view.
We admire it briefly, then continue to the end of the avenue where we turn right. The approach to Beacon Hill from this side is impressively craggy.
None of the climbing is too severe and we are soon close to the summit.
 |
| The Old Man of the Beacon. |
There's an info board about the formation of these hills - volcanic activity from around 600 million years ago and folding about 400 million years ago, then erosion.
 |
| Bardon Hill on the skyline |
 |
| You got something good to eat?? |
After bagging the summit, we have another snack break. Is it all downhill from here?
We go down past the toilet block in the car park, then follow the path past the charcoal burner to the cross roads.
Easy walking again - no traffic today. Is this what royalty feel like? The road straight on is clear and quiet, and we turn off along the drive towards Black Hill Farm. A quick wave at the security camera, as we take the proper footpath along the drive a bit, then to the right towards Ulverscroft Lodge Farm.
We have a little difficulty finding the correct footpath here, as the signs disagree with the map. When we eventually find it we discover that it has been diverted - a sign at the start of the diversion would have been mighty helpful.
We carry on over the footbridge then up through woodland and alongside Poultney Wood, climbing steadily up to Copt Oak. It's only later that I discover this is the highest point of the M1, and a famously excellent spot for Radio Leicester's transmission mast. Almost as high as Beacon Hill. Perhaps we can count this as our third peak?
The church is an attractive building, and there are a few gravestones made of the local stone.
After this we walk through part of the village, past the former Youth Hostel, and the Copt Oak pub, then turn left and walk along a busier road over the motorway. After a short distance our path is to the right - almost hidden by vegetation again, but clearly signposted afterwards. We meet the tarmac road to some houses, and take this rather than the overgrown path, but have to negotiate a barrier to return to this when the roadway finishes. After a couple of fields a path goes off to our right and we follow it to Brook Farm and Old Hall Farm - with the moat.
Now it's just a case of retracing this morning's route for three quarters of a mile, and we're back at the car.
The Foliage is spectacular - rivalling New England's - there are more species of trees in the Smoky Mountains than there are in all of Europe
Babbling brooks, streams and rivers are everywhere
Cades Cove Loop is a scenic drive in the Northwest part of the Park with some of the historic buildings remaining. We had hoped to see Bear but missed a mother bear and 3 cubs that had passed by an hour before us.
The center of the Park is where the border is between North Carolina and Tennessee
Unfortunately, an ash borer is dessimating the Ash trees in the Park
We will continue on to Nashville to visit with Gary's Aunt and Uncle where an inverter we won on Ebay will be shipped. Soon we will be able to raise and lower the bed and make coffee without the Generator!
This was my best photo actually looking down at Albuquerque, NM from Sandia Crest. It was hazey this day, on better days you can actually make out buildings and streets in Albuquerque, and with field glasses you can see my house way, way west, almost 100 miles west of the mountains.