The Ivanhoe Way, section four

Saturday 12th March 2016

On the last day of my holiday in the Lake District at Christmas, the weather was still poor so I just wandered up to the nearby Castlerigg standing stones simply because I’d never been there before. This stone circle appears in many pictures of the Lake District, but because I have only been interested in walking up the fells I had given them a miss all these years until now, and the only reason why I was visiting them now was because I had a couple of hours spare before catching a bus that start my journey home. I have not walked up any mountains since and so I have no mountain walks left to describe in this blog, which always happens at this time of the year. However, last year I did many walks on a Saturday in or near Leicestershire that have not been described on this blog, and so I’ll start with this walk from early spring. While walking the National Forest Way in 2014 and 2015, I encountered signs showing the direction of the Ivanhoe Way, which is a thirty-five mile circular walk through north-west Leicestershire. The name “Ivanhoe” comes from the novel written by Sir Walter Scott that features Ashby de la Zouch Castle and the surrounding countryside.

I have never read “Ivanhoe” and I have no interest in doing so, but it seemed like a good excuse for a walk, so on the first bit of good weather in March I set off to north-west Leicestershire and parked beside Staunton Harold Reservoir, near Dimminsdale Nature Reserve. I had walked through this reserve the year before at this time of the year on stage five of the National Forest Way and was spellbound by the glorious display of snow drops that can be seen at Dimminsdale. I was eager to return to this reserve and see the snow drops once again and had deliberately started my circuit around the Ivanhoe Way at this point in order to do so. Unfortunately poor weather earlier in the month had meant that I was a little too late to see the snow drops at their best, as I’d done the year before, and most of the flowers were now going over. It was still great to be back at Dimminsdale and I was able to enjoy a lovely walk around the reserve before setting off on the Ivanhoe Way.

I soon veered off the route onto a permissive path that heads into the woods behind the car park, but it wasn’t long before this looped back onto the road that I followed all the way to Scotland, which isn’t as far away from Leicestershire as you’d imagine! Before I reached the buildings of Scotland Farm I turned right to head across many dreary fields while successive aeroplanes passed overhead from the nearby East Midlands Airport. I was already finding this walk boring and failed to inspire me as I continued to make my way towards the A42 trunk road and the village of Worthington. I never enjoy walking through farmer’s fields and on this walk I was already seeing far too many of them. Later in the year I may have seen some wild flowers to look at, but it was far too early for me to see much though the track to Worthington Field had been planted with some crocuses and daffodils that were a welcome change from the dull, grassy fields. After passing through Worthington, more fields were endured until I reached the Rempstone Road.

At the bottom of a valley I passed a small pond that was covered in reeds that were shining in the sunlight while their seeds were blowing away in the breeze. It was a lovely scene that contrasted sharply with the dreary walk that I’d had suffered up to this point. A steep climb brought me up to the road at Griffydam where the fourth section of the Ivanhoe Way mercifully ends. I was now on the edge of an astonishing area that is criss-crossed by a dense network of footpaths and roads that I believe is a legacy of the rich mining history in the area. Slowly I made my way across this complex area with the garden plants of the numerous houses providing my biggest interest until I reached the far side of Coleorton. I first visited this area in November 2014 on an aborted attempt to do stage four of the National Forest Way and I returned a month later to successfully complete the stage. Both times I had got lost in the open parkland that lies between the village of Coleorton and Coleorton Hall and now I had another chance.

This area is criss-crossed by many public footpaths, but none of them are very distinct, which makes a traverse of the park a tricky affair if you don’t know the area. I thought I would be successful this time as I was taking a route straight across, but I still had difficulty finding my way until I realised that I needed to climb up the hill to reach Rempstone Road beside Coleorton Hall. Sir Walter Scott got to know this area while staying at Coleorton Hall, but I couldn’t see any trace of it as I walked along the road and headed towards Ashby de la Zouch. Before I reached the Ashby junction of the noisy A42, I turned right onto a track that follows the trunk road into a young wood that is typical of the National Forest. I had a lovely walk through Rising Wood along a path that was so delightful and relaxing that it made up for the earlier section of this walk that had been so dull. When I reached a road I turned left past some lovely displays of wild flowers including celandines that were growing beside the road. After passing below the A42 I entered the grounds of the Staunton Harold Estate and followed a track along the side of Bignall’s and Jaguar Lount Woods.

Daffodils, celandines and snow drops greeted me as I started the walk into the estate and I had a pleasant stroll through the tranquil landscape that I wished had been on the Ivanhoe Way. After passing Staunton Harold Garden Centre I veered off the track and headed through a field of daffodils to Heath End where I joined the familiar route of the National Forest and Ivanhoe Ways. This took me back through Dimminsdale Nature Reserve where I got another chance to see the display of snowdrops. My first stage on the Ivanhoe Way was not very exciting and the walk only really started to get interesting when I left the trail and started my own made-up route through the confusingly complex Coleorton parkland, into the young woodland and past the Staunton Harold Estate. In the end I enjoyed this walk, but it was not the Ivanhoe Way that I enjoyed.