Ruglut two

Slow Way not verified yet. Verify Ruglut here.

I completed this route yesterday walking southwest from Lutterworth. I really enjoyed the route which roughly follows the route of the river Swift throughout, all in the long mid-summer evening after I had finished work. It misses out on the full five star treatment due to two precarious road crossings, as well as a couple of fields with planted rapeseed which had no clear defined path. Therefore, it really helped to use the GPS on my OS Maps app to navigate.

The route takes you out of Lutterworth along the main Rugby Road fairly quickly. Just past the Sir Frank Whittle Roundabout, you have to cross the busy A4303 dual carriageway, but there is a refuge in the middle (photo 1) to assist making the dash across the busy road. Immediately on the other side of this road is the gated footpath entrance to Lutterworth Golf Course.

The route through the course is straight and contains posts with a bell for ramblers to ring and alert golfers you are crossing the fairway (photo 2). This bell is present on the other side of the fairway for walkers travelling in the opposite direction (photo 3). The clapper was missing on my bell so I had to hit it with a metal key ring in my possession.

Immediately after leaving the golf course, the route is very clearly defined (photo 4) all the way to Cotesbach , and I found this section a real joy to be amongst. The village church in Cotesbach (photo 5) is an attractive looking building with an unusual off centre tower.

Leaving the village behind, and after passing Orchard farm, the path clarity disappears as you enter a field full of rapeseed (photo 6). There was a feint double track created by what looked like the wheels of the vehicle that sowed the field, which lay roughly parallel to the route as displayed on the map and which assisted the walk through the crop, but it was a bit heavy going in places. I also had to use the GPS on the app to find the exit through the hedge from this field into the next - but reassuringly the exit was there albeit a little overgrown.

After walking through a solar farm (photo 7), the route deposits you onto the very fast A5 Watling Street Roman Road which requires a heightened awareness to cross safely (photo 8). From here into Churchover, the route was easy to follow once again.

Once into the village of Churchover, the route takes you over almost 1 mile of metalled pavement and then road walking. The road was fairly quiet with just 2 vehicles passing when I did the walk, but did necessitate me taking cover at the side in the overgrown verges (photo 10). After leaving the road, the footpaths are clearly defined all the way from here. The route takes you under the M6 (photo 11) and then through the lovely Swift Valley Nature Reserve (photos 12 & 13).

After leaving the Nature Reserve, the route then briefly follows the disused canal (photo 14) to the junction with the Oxford canal where a footbridge takes you across the water. After walking under the A426, the route immediately turns right and follows the 'Black Path' all the way to the footbridge (photo 15) over the West Coast Main Line and then up into Rugby town centre.

I found the route well plotted and had no issues with any livestock at all. It does have it's fair share of stiles, gates, footbridges and steps to negotiate, but no drama here. I'd definitely recommend the route, and would walk it again. Thanks Ken!.

Once into the Swift Valley Nature Reserve this is a typical country walk across fields and along tracks. There are some stiles and there could be cattle along with ploughed and cropped parts of the legal path which here have been avoided. Crossing of the A5 and a major road approaching Lutterworth need care. No services were spotted only seats.

Departure from the clock tower and busy street market (Friday) is along the main road where there are shops and bus stops. A small detour taking in Caldecott Park is worthwhile before following Park Road which soon leads to an impressive bridge over the expanse of rail lines. The well used path takes a direct line crossing the River Avon to the Oxford canal passing a Tesco store for last minute provisions.

Turning left to briefly follow the canal towpath we cross a substantial footbridge then follow a well used but unrecorded path alongside the canal feeder that before the Oxford canal improvements of 1830 was the main route for boat traffic. The apparent absence of adoption by any authority of this path show with low hanging branches and a poor surface but as said it is well used and is recorded on Open Street Map.

We pass under Brownsover Road to meet Brownsover Lane. From here we enter real countryside and there is a choice of paths. The bridleway plotted here may not be the easiest to locate on the ground. Just before passing under the M6 we pass a structure in the canal feeder here the original canal crossed the River Swift and headed back south. Here also we meet Ruglut.

After passing under the M6 the diagonally cross field path had not been cleared through the crop as required by sec 134 of the Highways Act so the plotted route follows a track around the field edge. A quiet road then takes us to Churchover with a seat on the green. A Community bar, just off route, opens Sunday lunch or from 8.30pm other days.

Our northward travels are along an ‘Other Route with Public Access’ (ORPA) we can walk and perhaps cycle or take a motor vehicle. It a fairly well defined track across fields offering some pleasant Warwickshire countryside.

Crossing the A5 needs care even though sight lines are good. We then enter Leicestershire and some overgrown or faded yellow topped posts will assist direction if you spot them. I missed one and followed the farm track forcing a back track, so keep a close eye on the plot and lookout for those posts. The cross field bridleway was invisible and the headland overgrown. A crop of Oil Seed finally forced me off the definitive line so that alternative is the plotted route.

Cotesbach church offers a seat, in the sun, so a break for lunch. The next paths were impressive from afar but had only recently and too late been sprayed out perhaps following a reminder from the County Council. A Walk across the golf course leads to the edge of Lutterworth where again care is needed across the busy road. It’s then a noisy pavement walk into town and the meeting place close to shops.

A good direct country walk which I enjoyed and would happily do again. It would be nice to know who is responsible for the bridge and canal feeder path so that I could ask for the low branches to be cut back.

Share your views about this route, give it a star rating, indicate whether it should be verified or not.

Include information that will be useful to others considering to walk or wheel it.

You can add up to 15 photos.