Hinbro one

Verified Slow Way

Verified by 100.00% of reviewers

Basically a country walk so rough field paths with stiles and perhaps cattle. Some metal gates to offer easy passage and good services half way at Sapcote. Seats and picnic bench in the park, a pub and just off route a Co-op. Good plotting for the most part except Hinckley.

I walked from Hinckley and wonder if the meeting point has been moved from the station by a poor plotter while the basic route had a good plotter. So it was rather an indecisive start but once in the park it was plain sailing. The walk across the common and through Burbage Wood was appreciated as a break from road walking which can't be avoided to make a crossing of the M69.

The field paths from the motorway to Sapcote were fine and a stroll through the park with seats and a picnic table offer a break if required. The pub can't be missed opposite where we meet the road and the Co-op is a few yards to the left.

Leaving Sapcote it starts well with a manicured lawn of a fenced path, even the field of Maize was not an issue as the path follows the cultivation rows. It's when the path joins an overgrown old lane that the fun starts with nettles and brambles which don't treat exposed legs well.

The short section of road had a mown verge which was essential as the road had a lot of HGV traffic. It was fairly short so acceptable. Our path takes a lane from the layby then a farm track to a bridge and from there we are back across fields which may have cattle.

At Glebe Farm a sign state that the farm yard is private 'No right of way' but they haven't diverted it so the sign is incorrect. There is a good permissive path around the farm which is misleadingly officially waymarked. The final approach to the meeting point has no merit except the old brick wall and stream so I'd suggest taking the pavement directly to the centre of the village.

Walked from Broughton Astley to Hinckley. A sound and fairly direct route. Quite wet and muddy. There is a minor diversion around a housing development on the east side of Sapcote which may require a change once the final layout is known. The GPX plotting immediately east of the Hinckley meeting point is sloppy - that straight line is obviously not possible. The line past the church in Broughton Astley could also do with more clarity - I passed the church on the west side as the east side didn't have a clear path.

From the war memorial at Broughton Astley we start off heading south down Station Road. The route past the church is ambiguous - I crossed the bridge and followed the paved paths through the churchyard but maybe the route designer intended us to stay on Church Close. Either way we soon reach the little path alongside the brook, which continues beyond our sharp right turn alongside the southernmost houses in the village. We cross Frolesworth and continue along the farm track into Glebe Farm. Note that the path has been slightly diverted from the middle of the farmyard into the field to the north, and there are stiles. We follow the path across a couple of fields and along field edges (plenty of gates) to the stream below Sutton Lodge, where we turn right and follow the field path out to the Fosse Way.

Here we go right a short distance then turn left into what is now a lay-by (with a burger van when I passed), then cross the main road and walk a short distance along the verge to find the signposted path than leads between hedges and across fields to the edge of Sapcote. The final stile has fallen, so a slightly awkward fence crossing is currently required. We follow the pavements and a couple of alleyways past the church, then take the surfaced path along the edge of a park. There is a pub enroute in Sapcote and a Co-Op just off route on Church Street.

We cross Park Road and take the path straight on, and we are soon diverted around a building site (the signs are inadequate but OpenStreetMap now shows the shortest detour route. It is possible that when the work is finished the route will be slightly different. Beyond this we cross more fields to reach a bridjleway where we go sharp right, then left along the field path that leads to junction 2 of the M69. We use the cycle tracks to cross the slip roads and reach the cycle track on Hinckley Road. A gate allows us through to Smithy Lane, where we pass a large mobile home site before returning to the pavement of Hinckley Road until the edge of the wood, where we turn right up another Smithy Lane. This takes us to a car park where we follow the footpath left (take care not to follow the wrong forest track. At the far side of the wood we cross the Leicestershire Round path and continue along muddy field edges to the track alongside the railway which takes us to London Road.

Our route continues across pavements and surfaced paths through two parks and past St Mary's Church to the meeting point in Hinckley Market Place.

This is the first Slow Way I've walked and surveyed. I knew most of the route, and was impressed with most of the suggested route - maybe my local knowledge could suggest some very minor alterations, but I was generally very happy with it. I used Komoot to download the route, and most of my photos can be seen there - https://www.komoot.com/tour/360197571?ref=wtd.

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