Ramblers go round the county on foot
RAMBLERS from Hinckley walked The Leicestershire Round in preparation for an even longer trek this summer.
Mike l’Anson and Tony Smith, who are both members of Hinckley Ramblers group, walked the 100 mile route in eight consecutive days, joined along the way by fellow group members.
The walk was seen in part as preparation for the pair’s planned trek of the Pennine Way, which they are set to begin, with two others, on June 13.
The Leicestershire Round was devised by the Leicestershire Footpath Association to mark its centenary in 1987.
It links field paths, green lanes and bridleways around the county including Foxton Locks, Bosworth Battlefield, Beacon Hill and Burrough Hill, mostly following public rights of way but with some sections on quiet roads, unsurfaced tracks and canal towpath.
The Hinckley duo completed the round on the last day of May.
Mr Smith said: “Apart from the pleasure of completing a local long distance route the walk was also part of the preparations for undertaking the Pennine Way.
“Leicestershire is considered by many to be a flat county but it didn’t feel like that as we climbed to the tops of Burrough Hill, Ridlington Ridge and Langton Caudle, among others.”
Mr l’Anson said his favourite part of the walk was a “tranquil and little-walked” stretch between Somerby to Owston which made quite a contrast to the bustling Foxton Locks on a sunny bank holiday Sunday.
The Pennine Way runs 267 from the Derbyshire Peak District, through the Yorkshire Dales and the Northumberland National Park ending just inside the Scottish border.