Walk 6 Claybrooke Magna to Burbage Common AKA Bobs Around Leicestershire

22th July 2012

"Sun is shining, the weather is sweet
Makes you want to move your dancing feet"

It certainly was and if not dancing, we were certainly going to move our walking feet.

The sun is shining and John has his hat (and gaiters) on.

First of all we had a bit of a walk to get to "the walk", but strolling down the lane with the sun on our backs we did not really care.  Of course, some of us could not decide if it was going to be muddy or dry, so John took the only sensible step of wearing gaiters and a sun hat.

Bob 2 Stanley 1

Again the observent will notice that although there are six of us this time, Ev is still not with us.  On the right in the photo though is Bob2©. There seems to be a bit of an attempt to change the name of the walk to "Bobs Around Leicestershire", but I shall resist this until I get a free biscuit from a pub landlord (and eat it).  So that's never then.

Memories of days past

Anyway off along Holly Tree Walk and into open countryside.  Suddenly John's gaiter decision looks sensible.  In fact, although it has been ark-building weather for the last 60 or so days, the ground was remarkably dry around the Claybrooks. 

It's easy being green

The grass and associated wild plants, though, had grown like mad and some of the paths were beginning to get a little tight to get through.

Colour in the hedgerow

The Photographer is obviously dragging his feet instead of documenting my intrepid voyage around Leicester. I missed this (must have been grass seeds in my eyes) so I have no idea where or what this is.  Colour in the hedgerow we will call it and move on.

Cacheing in Leicestershire

Ah ha, we are cacheing again.  There is something like 12 on the walk so let's see how the boys do.  More on that towards the end of the walk, but at this point it is "kerching" and the cache register stands at one.

My best side

My other best side

And then it is time for my (now) regular mug shot.  I think one from each side today. And then off we go again.  We are now going back towards Sapcote and then Hinckley and the M69 but first we need to get to High Cross.

Green fields and blue skies

More blue sky thinking

The weather is really beginning to hot up now.  I think I should have lost some of this coat before I set off; must have a word with the powers that be.  I'm down by the hedge in the photo above, interesting smells and coooool.

By the left...quick march

Anyway the ground is as hard as rocks and there is very little shade to keep the old paws cool.  Good job I'm super fit otherwise this one might do an old dog in.

Cow in field, not Daisy

Oh heck.  The Photographer likes taking pictures of cows for some reason.  We might be here for some time.  High Cross is just over the road, maybe we could distract him and move on?

There's a monument around here somewhere

And here we are.  Not quite High Cross, but a road to High Cross.

High Cross, but no shops anywhere

And then just when you thought it would never happen we stumble upon High Cross.  John vanishes at this point to find a monument [possibly a euphanism], returns to tell us (and I quote):

'If Traveller, you seek for the footsteps of the ancient Romans, here you may behold them, for here their most celebrated ways, crossing each other, extend to the utmost bourne' 

He must have had something out of his hip flask.  Anyway the momument is in pretty poor shape but The Core Project is attempting to renovate it.

Ahead of us lay the Fosse Way, so let's go and see what it looks like now.

The way is Fosse

Well, you certainly would not want to march an army down here these days.  

Bugging out

Although there was a bug army out to get us as the combination of heat and wet ground brought everything that could bite out to see if they could find a tasty meal.

Picture of a thistle

No flies on me

There was certainly a lot of colour down the Fosse Way, along with two horses and (I think) a couple of caches - although the Bob1©2© Army was striding out along way ahead of us (until they got lost that is and had to turn round - "it's straight on lads").

The Bob army - Bob1© and Bob2©

And then it was off through Fosse Meadows, and up to Sharnford and our "lunch" break, this time at The Sharnford Arms.  Now this is a story of two halves.  

Half 1

Nothing to eat, but really good beer.

Bob1© 1 Chips 0

And then Senor El Barkeep appears with free chips to go with the beer.  Sort of the Hinckley version of tapas I think.  Seems you get free supper after 8pm as well.  Try as we might we could not figure out a way to get back for 8pm, but seven chips to The Sharnford Arms.  But wait...what is this?  El Barkeep has just returned with two free biscuits for yours truly, well it would be churlish not to accept the hospitality and so this walk is officially the best walk ever and my mark goes up to eight chips. 

Stanley-Cam

In case you are wondering what exactly I see as we are sitting around, I got my photographing companion to take a quick shot using the new Stanley-Cam.  You will not be seeing Stanley-Cam again as I suspect it will be banned under a new SRL Walk regulation when Gillian sees this one.

Ragwort in Sharnford (and Bob1© and Bob2©)

Here we are striding out from Sharnford into a field full of ragwort.  Oh and horses.  As a dog I do not understand the significance of this but I am told there is one, so go Google it if you don't know. I've got a walk to do.

Warning: arty photo alert.  I thought we had done quite well with the pictures, but there is always a time in any walk where things get the better of The Photographer and these fields were it.  So rather like Gonzo in the scary bit of The Muppet Christmas Carol: "You're on your own folks, I'll see you on the other side".

Lil's around

So this one I can "Bucket and 'alf rope" but that's a Mike Harding tale and 'as' "nowt to do wit' walk." Never did meet a lass who carried a mattress around on her back in case she met anyone she knew - ah well. [Go listen toCaptain Paralytic and the Brown Ale Cowboys if you don't understand].  

Daisy being very precise

The dog (as he is now called seeing as he has left me The Photographer to it) mentioned cows so here are some cows in a rather odd location.  The one at the front is called Daisy, not sure which one Christian is.

The precision logisitics team

I suspect this is a discussion group on the best way to provide precision logistics but the cows were not telling.  Meanwhile the dog is miles ahead.

Knock on any door

And I was thinking of popping up there for a chat.  I wonder what it says on the other side of the door?

Bob2© contemplates a nice cup of tea

The group walk wearily past another closed cafe.  Note Bob2© looking longingly at the canteen sign, he could be thinking of grabbing the blue rope and hauling himself up for a cuppa, but trooper that he is he walked on by.

Anyway Stanley back in charge again (dog indeed).  So on we went getting closer to the M69, but first we had to traverse the black caterpiller field.  There were

Aliens in Leicestershire

thousands of these things all on the nettle bushes - didn't taste too good so I left them and walked on.

Aliens in Leicestershire 2

Bob1© is delighted to prove that his memory is not going by finding a cache he had found before.  Amazing....thinks Bob2©

Down to the camels

Crossing the M69 we began our decent towards Hinckley.  And boy what a suprise - they've got camels in Hinckley [edit: the dog means alpaca].  

It's a camel I tell you

They didn't like me too much so off I went in the lead again.

Overground underground...

It got pretty overgrown here, all that rain plus the even more recent heat had really made things grow fast.  Anyway, Gillian battled her way through to a great vista of the M69.

Stop the caravan

And then past the pylon, much loved of the Round Leicester book that John is using as his bible for the whole walk. I quote his mantra for this walk: "The book says there is a cafe on Burbage Common [the book was printed 10 years ago], let's go and get a cup of tea."

Kissing bridge ahoy

John gets felt up while Bob2© looks on

But first we have long grass, a very tricky (for some) stile, and for the first time today - mud.

Stile marks 0

Is this how you do it?

 

Ermm maybe...

...not (where has that hat gone?)

And then an injury (if you don't like blood, look away now)

aghhhh the pain

OK, so the blood is difficult [edit: impossible] to see, but it was there in torrents.  I need a lie down and a cup of sweet tea and maybe a biscuit.

Where's Stanley the Wally?

 
Instead of which we go through a very underused path indeed.  Actually "path" is not really the right word here.  

And then we were in Burbage and charging over the Common in search of the fabled tea rooms.  Bob1© and Bob2© were by this time cacheing in the woods.

Cup'O'Tea on his mind

John was on an absolute mission to get his cup'o'tea.  Here I am being dragged along at a rate of knots in his search.  But bless, look at his smiley happy face 

John's happy face

when not only tea but also tea cakes appear (Bob1© and Bob2© missed out on this treat, they were still in the woods).

Nearly walked into that - what idiot put that there?

And then it was all over - Burbage Common and the end of the walk.  Sadly the next tea shop closed at 3pm (before we got there), but we will pick that up next time no doubt.

So I have advised the recorder of my adventures that this would have been a four muddy boot walk less half a boot (or paw) off for the overgrown footpaths and barbed wire in Burbage.  So the scores on the doors (the nearest we get to Nuneaton is Hinckley so this is our tribute to Larry Grayson) is three and one half muddy boots.  The transcriber of Stanley's thoughts would add at least half a muddy boot for the free chips (and biscuits).

On the cache front I think the register for the day was another twelve.  Must do better boys, with 2 DNF's.

For those who are counting, the person carrying the GPS walked 9.2 miles.  That makes a total walked distance of 50.5 miles and 50.05 approx miles still to go.  So we are half way.  Are we having fun yet?

As an aside Gillian and Steve went to The Donkey in Leicester on 25th July and pinned on the wall was their LOROS challenge - do the Round Leicester in 4 days.  John would not have got his beer, chips, tea and tea cake if he was doing that!

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Next time: the Ashby canal and from then on it is  22^nd August 1485 and all that.  By my count just 2 pubs :).

® stanley the dog  © 2012