A most enjoyable walk through the River Wreake valley between the Pork Pie and Stilton town of Melton to the crossing of the Roman Fosse Way at Six Hills. Pubs in most villages but no shops, stiles and cattle plus some road walking which I feel spoils an otherwise excellent walk on well maintained paths. A safe road crossing leads to the river path and we are soon into countryside although in the near future houses will dominate the river bank and spoil the open view of others. The field paths remain in good order and easy to follow. An easy crossing of the busy Fosse Way but then road walking which after the field paths I found unpleasant. The dead end road was easy and pleasant walking. More field walking on used paths or headlands. More road walking with poor verges and in places just a faint ancient footway now almost vanished in the vegetation. The Highway Code doesn’t help (Rule 163 .....allowing at least 2 metres (6.5 feet) of space and keeping to a low speed when passing people walking in the road (for example, where there’s no pavement) because there is a pavement so does the two metre rule apply? A most enjoyable walk through the River Wreake valley between the Pork Pie and Stilton town of Melton to the crossing of the Roman Fosse Way at Six Hills....

Ken

We head straight on into the centre of the village, where there are shops and pubs, then bear right through the churchyard and down Church Lane to a pelican crossing over High Street, from where a good path crosses a new estate and a small stream. The right turn into Carnarfon Road take us into a new estate, and we take the path left that leads into the cemetery. Nottingham Road can be crossed at a convenient pelican crossing, and here we turn right, crossing the canal and continuing into the station car park to the meeting point....

Hugh Hudson

The lane itself was under water, and what was beyond it looked even wetter, so at this stage I felt I had no alternative than to retreat and find another route!...

Hugh Hudson

If cycling be aware that the path from just after Garedon Park to the bridge over the M1 (outside Shepshed) is quite gravelly so care needs to be taken....

Ignatius the Slow

Eventually we reach a stile on the left where we join a well cut and popular field path that takes us to the edge of Woodhouse (the line through the final field is slightly longer than the right of way and is marked as a footpath on the OS 1:25000 map. Forest Road has a pavement on the left/south which we follow to the church, where we take the quieter lane straight on, then right through houses and up through fields and a sports field to reach Woodhouse Eaves, where we join the Leicestershire Round and follow more pavements to the edge of the village, then take the well marked path that crosses fields into a golf course. Beyond we turn right, crossing Launde Road and continuing onto Leicester Road, then using a fenced alleyway to reach Park Avenue, from where the rather undistinguished meeting point (no benches, and not much in terms of facilities) is a short distance down Main Street....

Hugh Hudson

This was a big enough safety concern for me to fail the route and submit a better plotted alternative (Marlou two)....

Hugh Hudson

Roadside walking does have pavement or a well walked narrow verge. I walked from Markfield, the pavement walk to Field Head is functional but the plotted route to cross the road is not advised. The derelict mill was a disappointment so I wonder if staying on the Round might be a better option especially as it would avoid the pavement walk alongside Sharply Hill. Opposite the large Bradgate car park at Hunt's Hill where there is a loo and may be ice creams a road verge is protected for walking by wooded posts before we head off, back on the Round, towards Woodhouse Eaves crossing a golf course on a fairly well signed path....

Ken

Bus to bail out on main road at Rempstone is the best bet. The exit road has buildings of interest then it's a well used track.  Care is needed to leave along the footpath which is obvious on the ground but not so on the plotting. The plotting follows the road but a better route is through the churchyard where seats or a stone pew in the porch would offer a break or shelter. Again an inn is just off route, in sight this time and the main road offers frequent buses. There was no sign of the cross field path being used or marked out and old maps show the direct track as bridle road....

Ken

Starting at Loughborough station, we cross the car park and walk along Nottingham Road to the canal, where we descend steep steps to reach the towpath. In normal circumstances the canal is a good route, as long as no shops are needed, but untoftunately a fairly long section from Nottingham Road to the bridge on Canal Bank was temporarily closed....

Hugh Hudson

A really good connecting route for the villages to Loughborough and extremely easy to follow....

Ben Fern

Using sections of a cycle route, then following the Black Brook before a short section of pavement walking and using the canal towpath to reach Loughborough rail station. I guess that turning right on the cycle route would offer a step free link from Shepshed to Loughborough. Meeting Black Brook cross over Stonebow Bridge and take the footpath on the north bank....

Ken

Most locals go straight up the field edge below Moat Hill Spinney, though the right of way goes across the field (I did the walk in December so I don't know how well cut this line is in summer. Eventually the bridleway goes sharp right, and our path goes left between high fences, then right along King's Brook just beyond the farm track.The A60 has a pavement on the left (west side) which we use to cross the brook, then find the signed footpath right that leads into a large open field. We go right on Widmerpool Road, then left through Tuckwood Court where a signposted path leads between fences to an open field, where the trodden path line goes right around the edge of the field then left along the right hand edge. We cross the lane and beyond the path goes immediately right along the field edge then left along the edge of the next field....

Hugh Hudson

We then follow the towpath through the bridge and out of the town, through fields and woodland past the marina, crossing the canal where it rejoins the Soar and following the right bank to Barrow Road. Here we cross the bridge left and turn right back to the canal, where we cross another bridge and follow the right bank to Mill Lane. The best trodden line does not follow the main road beyond Betty Henser's Lane but goes straight ahead to the river, where we turn right, and follow the riverside path under the road bridge and past a couple of fields to a bridge, which we cross (steps on both sides)....

Hugh Hudson

There is also a stepped footbridge over Pilling’s Lock at one point, plus a narrow bridge and a field crossing, so it’s a tricky route for wheels....

Mary Oz

I especially enjoyed the quirky cottage names (Dolls House and Rice Pudding Cottage were my favourites) Full review and photos to follow....

Saira

A nice easy walk on a good route....

Tim Ryan

I walked this route with Lara and Darren (from Slow Ways) as the sun went down....

danravenellison

A great walk between Loughborough and Sileby. Even works in the dark. Full review coming later....

Slow Ways Darren

From the Melton meeting place, take Park Lane down to the park and follow the path round the edge of the part to a bridge, which we cross and head up to Dalby Road. The path passes between the railway and a garden centre and emerges onto open fields, and leads easily (not without a few stiles) to Kirby Bellars, where we turn right and follow another open field path left just before the railway which takes us to Frisby on the Wreake, where there is a shop and a pub. In Ragdale we turn left up Main Street, and at the last house we follow the signed path right - this takes a direct and usually well cut line across to the Six Hills junction. Just beyond Walton Thorns farm we take a signposted path through a gate, following a wide grassy strip along the edge of the field then left through another gate onto the unsurfaced part of Six Hills Road. This leads easily down into Walton on the Wolds, where we pass another pub, following Loughborough Road out of the village to a path that leads right along the edge of a field to a footbridge over Walton Brook, where we follow a well cut field path (which is actually neither the right of way nor the path shown on OpenStreetMap but is in between. Go straight on up the hill at Barrow Road and turn left at the end of the field, emerging on Nottingham Road, which we follow right....

Hugh Hudson

There are a couple of big roads to cross and we had a herd of cows to contend with but there a quite a few nice pubs along the way....

JessGreen

Leaving Kegworth, rather than going straight down Nottingham Road and Mill Lane, the route uses the Lovers Walk path, which is narrow and a little overgrown in places - for me this seems like an unnecessary complication. We rejoin Mill Lane and take the short cut path straight on to join Station Road and cross the bridges over the Soar and the canal. Immediately beyond the canal bridge, the riverside path goes down steps to reach the track in the field - the gate where the track joins the road appears to be locked. Having crossed the canal on the road bridge, the route ahead follows the west bank of the Soar, but first there are three bridges to cross, and the third (southernmost) has steps either side of it....

Hugh Hudson

The map suggests walking through an industrial area but in reality it's mostly screened by a belt of greenery providing a good route out of town. After Bishop's Meadow Lock the canal joins the river proper and the path follows a wide grassy track close to the water offering very pleasant walking. It operates on summer weekends only but it offers an opportunity to access Normanton with its community shop and cafe plus the inn, then road and path walk to Zouch. The route crosses the road and joins the canal on the north bank so if you want use of the inn stay on the road, it's then possible to continue further to rejoin the route using a cross field bridleway. I'm not persuaded by the final loop, even those who have named the path would have difficulty walking hand in hand along this narrow neglected path, stay on the road unless a kiss and cuddle is your intention on Lovers Walk....

Ken

4 stars not 5 because there are better views in Leicestershire, but still a very nice gentle walk....

Frannie