Coashe two

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Walked from Coalville to Shepshed. Apart from the unavoidable pavement sections this is a very enjoyable route, mostly unfamiliar to me. Bluebells everywhere at this time of year. A few muddy sections and one large puddle that was shallow enough to walk through. A few stiles, rough spots and one stream crossed on stepping stones.

Starting at the war memorial in Coalville, we follow High Street, Hotel Street and London Road eastwards then left along Charnwood Street to an alleyway across an old railway, and follow more surfaced paths through residential streets and playgrounds to the bridge over the by-pass, then continue on a gravelled cycletrack. This has one surprisingly large unavoidable puddle - fortunately I had a pole which established that it was mostly below boot depth. This takes us into a park, where the easiest exit is to stay on the surfaced track, so not quite the GPX line. More residential streets take us out to the edge of the village and a footpath right. A track takes us left, crossing a stream on fairly good stepping stones, but the exit up the rocky steps on the far side is a little steep.

Once off the main track we pass through a sea of bluebells, where the muddy paths do not correspond exactly to the ones on the OS 1:25000 map. Fortunately in this direction it is easy enough to guess which is best, and once the wider right of way path is reached at a crossroads (or crosspaths) navigation is easy. A few more residential streets bring us to Leicester Road, which has good pavements on both sides. A byway (little more than a footpath) leads us uphill through another wood to a small clearing with a large granite outcrop, where a little path left takes us down to the main footpath along the north side of the wood. We turn right uphill between fences, with fenced off granite outcrops to the left and the fenced off embankment at the top of the quarry to the right. Eventually we reach the edge of a field and turn sharp right, then left across three fields on a well marked footpath to Oaks Road.

This road has a fairly wide verge with a clear worn footpath on it, so no safety concerns. We then follow a footpath right uphill and left through fields with a couple of stiles to reach the entrance road of Mount St Bernards Abbey - even if not using the facilities Ken mentions it is worth a detour to see the church.

We follow the access road back to Oaks Road and go right a short distance (both verges are walkable) to the signposted footpath to Shepshed via Blackbrook Reservoir. The initial section goes fairly steeply down through woods (one fallen tree was a little awkward) with more bluebells. Lower down it has unavoidable muddy sections. A short stretch through a grassy field takes us to the edge of the reservoir, where another fenced muddy path takes us right to the wider and better surfaced track that crosses the reservoir on a causeway/bridge and continues to Charley Road.

We turn left here then take the unsignposted path into a small patch of access land wood. More fenced paths (and more bluebells) take us to Brick Kiln Lane, which has no pavements but is fairly safe as the traffic is sparse and slow moving. The rest of the route into Shepshed is identical to SheMar one, which I walked and reviewed early this year. Mostly on residential streets apart from one slightly muddy woodland path and another at the end between a park and a stream.

In addition to the SkyLink buses Ken mentions, there are also regular buses from Shepshed to Loughborough and Leicester, and an hourly bus from Loughborough to Coalville via Shepshed.

I walked Shepshed to Coalville, path conditions were dry. A very varied walk with a mix of woodland, open countryside and urban sections. Stiles and gates but no cattle seen. Exposed tree roots make for an uneven surface in places. Some permissive paths but they appear to be open long term. Mount Saint Bernard Abbey offers loos and benches about half way.

The exit from Shepshed could be through the adjacent park but this path is well used and fine. A section of woodland has the first tree roots then a step stile that serves no purpose. The dead end Brick Kiln Lane is a mix of old and modern housing. Exit this by an enclosed path followed by a short section of road with no pavement but a verge if required.

Blackbrook reservoir offers a change of scene, the level was well down in September 2022. Here again the path is fenced in and rough underfoot. The stone now tells us we are in Charnwood with the distinctive 'Lakeland' appearance as we climb to St Bernard Abbey through woodland.

Take a detour of 400 metres left here to a tea shop or right and along the Abbey approach road, no entry after 7pm. I paused on one of the many benches and enjoyed my packed lunch. No tea room here but the shop does sell Tynt Meadow ale brewed by the monks. There is also a loo block just off route at the car park.

The exit route offers good views north, stiles on the path can be avoided as a visit to the Abbey is a detour which you could miss using the road. The verge between the footpaths is well walked and the road not too busy. This route is required to circumnavigate Whitlock Quarry.

The twisting path through Forest Rock Wood climbs to what may have been a viewpoint, now surrounded by trees so the adjacent footpath may offer a level route. Another short section of estate roads then into Holly Hayes Wood. Here a labyrinth of paths caused me to go wrong until I found stepping stones of a sort to cross the stream.

A bit more twisting and turning to meet wide paths through housing and a cycle track along a long disused rail line. This leads to a massive bridge over a not too busy road before a section on the pavement alongside a busy road into the former mining town that gave it a name.

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