Walking—The Fosse Bridge Walk
Use the Car Park at the Grantham Canal between the A46 and Cropwell Bishop,
No Toilets but Post Office, pubs and cafés in the villages of Cropwell Bishop and Butler4 ½ miles 2 ¼ hours
Post Code (approx.) NG12 3B
1.Cross the disused canal at the road bridge and take the canal towpath north with the dry canal to the right, carry on all the way to the car park next to the old A46 Fosse Way.
2.Go down to the tarmac farm track at the edge of the car park. Follow this track on the hardcore surface away from the road, turn then left at the large pond and continue to the signpost in front of the metal barrier. Turn left upslope on the grass bridleway between hedges to a marker post next to a metal gate on the right. Turn and take a left hand diagonal across the field which may be under cultivation although a path should be well marked within any crop.
3.Carry on passing left of the houses to the road; turn right along the road in Cropwell Butler, bearing left downhill to the junction. Turn right, up to the footpath signpost and left along the driveway to the stile at the back. Bear right over the stile in the wire fence and turn left through the kissing gate to the sports field.
4.Turn right along the path past the pavilion to the stile on the right near the corner. Step over and turnstile between the fence and the hedge, as the fence ends cross over to the far corner. The path from here goes straight on from the stile on to the field for 300yards to an unmarked point where it turns right to the signpost in the hedge at the road. (It may be easier to follow the field edge to the right and left).
5.Take the road left for 90yards to the signpost on the right and turn right down this wide grass bridleway to the wide gateway on the right. Take a diagonal (a track should be visible within any crop) past the jutting out corner to the bottom right corner. Turn right along the left hand field edge to the wide gap on the left.
6.Turn left along the wide farm track along the field edge with the hedge and the dyke to the right, through the wide gap at the boundary. Follow the farm track right and left at the corner; go through another widegap at the boundary. Keep ahead over the field (a track should be well marked) to the marker post.
7.Continue with the wire fence and playing field to the right, step over the stile and bear left and right, up the right hand edge of the left hand field over the stile and on to the road. Turn right and keep direction through Cropwell Bishop, past the church and back to the car park on the other side of the village.
This walk takes you close to one of only six places in the world that makes cheese that can officially be called Stilton Cheese.
© Clive Brown This walk compiled by Clive Brown. You can order any of his walking close to guides from www.walkingcloseto.comSee his book from Bradwell Books, Walking for all Ages in Leicestershire & Rutlandhp://bradwellbooks.co.uk/walksforallagesleicestershirerutland581p.asp
