The Waltham Winder - 10 mile route
The mist, or was it fog, was still about when,
after a brief résumé of some of the route details
etc. was given by the starter, he sounded his air
horn and at 9.16 am we were on our way – we
actually should have started at 9.15 but what’s a
minute when you are going to be walking for between
3 and 4 hours.
Ready for the "Off"
Having left the car park of the Village Hall our
route went right to cross the A607. After about 100
metres we went left to follow a road back to the
A607 where we immediately went right over a field
towards the radio mast adjacent to the Horse Racing
Track.
I think we were very fortunate that the previous
couple of days had been devoid of rain as walking
over the field after a good soaking would have been
difficult; the additional weight of Leicestershire
loam stuck to boots would have been inevitable.
Crossing the field on the way to the radio mast and
Croxton Racecourse.
We passed by the radio mast and, soon after, I
turned to take a picture of it but it had vanished
in the mist. Some weather reports said the sun
would come out soon after 9 o’clock, but where was
it? As we walked on the soft surface of the Croxton
Racecourse it continued to elude us as it did, with
minor exceptions, during the rest of the walk.
Walking along Mary Lane.
Having left the race course we soon reached the
harder surface of Mary Lane which was certainly
easier to walk on. However, this ‘enjoyment’ was
short lived after we left the lane to follow a
narrow path as our route went westwards. This was
one of the few times when I regretted not having a
walking pole with me as the surface was very muddy
and slippery. It was therefore a relief to turn
left off this path and follow the route along field
headlands to the first checkpoint at Croxton
Kerrial.
Keeping a dog under control on the muddy and slippy
path after Mary Lane.
The Waltham Winder is probably the only walk you
should never do if you are on a diet, as the
likelihood is that you will weigh more when you’ve
completed the walk than you did at the beginning.
Being aware of this I had only a very light
breakfast and was therefore in a good position to
enjoy the refreshments at Croxton Kerrial. Both
Mick and I agree that the Chocolate “things” with a
hint of nut were delicious.
We left the checkpoint at 10.25 and, as we reckoned
that this checkpoint was a good 3 miles from the
start, we were pleased with our progress.
Walking down School Lane before turning left into
Chapel Lane.
Having re-crossed the A607 our route, which with
the exception of the mile or so between Branston
and Eaton follows the 16 mile trek, we followed
School Lane before going left down Chapel Lane.
This bit was different to the 2004 route when we
missed these two lanes and followed a very muddy
path to the southwest of the village.
Sheep at Town End Farm.
At the end of Chapel Lane, having passed a flock of
sheep in the process of being dipped at Town End
Farm, we met up with the route I’d walked in 2004.
And then, phew, we got a whiff of the rather
unsavoury pong emanating from the local sewage
works. So we very quickly walked on along the track
towards Branston.
At the T Junction in Branston we turned right along
the Main Road and soon after Mick posed for his
picture to be taken outside of the Wheel Inn. I
think he would have liked to have gone inside but
it was not yet 11 o’clock so we continued on
through the pub’s car park and followed the obvious
path towards Eaton.
Mick, outside the Wheel Inn in Branston.
Two or three minutes later Mick told me to look
left and there, through the mist was glimpsed the
first hill of the day. Mick is of the opinion that
there are no real hills in this part of the country
and the main reason I like this challenge walk is
because it’s generally flat. I think Mick likes the
walk because of the abundant supply of Mars Bars
available at every checkpoint.
Mick insisted I took a photograph of this hillside
seen on the route between Branston and Eaton.
This part of the walk we had already done the other
way, when we did the Belvoir Challenge in 2005,
when we had our first encounter with the “Iron
Staircase” which we soon reached. Having descended
it we admired the skill of a walker with a dog as
she coaxed it down this obstacle before walking
along the old railway track to reach the road to
Eaton.
A tricky maneuver - getting a dog down the "Iron
Staircase"
It was pleasant walking downhill towards Eaton, but
I was less happy about the ascent into the village,
but the thought of more food and a drink encouraged
us, and at about 11.20 a.m. we ambled into the
Village Hall checkpoint for refreshments. And very
enjoyable they were too with us both sampling the
mince tarts and butterfly cakes, and being
particularly peckish I also enjoyed a very tasty
slice of chocolate sponge.
Approaching Eaton.
Having left the village we soon were went downhill
through a field, then it was up hill to reach a
road where marshals were stationed to point us in
the right direction.
One of the marshals was obviously very interested
in our eating habits and asked what cakes we’d
eaten at Eaton. “Mince tarts, chocolate sponge and
cakes with wings and cream” we replied – but not in
unison. He was not very happy about this as this
young man, a member of the local cub scout troop,
had spent the previous evening making, what he
considered to be a very delicious lemon cake, and
from his questioning of us and other walkers it
seems that very few had partaken of this treat. It
sounded so delicious I was almost tempted to
retrace my steps back to Eaton and try a piece, but
Mick was already moving along the road towards
journeys end, so I thought I’d better catch him up.
The Lemon Cake Making Marshall
We had travelled a short way along the road when we
were passed by a 26 mile runner who soon, having
turned right to follow the path along a field
headland, vanished into the distance. Soon after,
just before the “3 miles to go” sign, we were
passed by two lady runners who had on their backs
the largest rucksacks we had seen all day. I’m
still wondering what they contained; Mars Bars?
The two lady runners who passed us - But what was
in the rucksacks?
More mud was negotiated where a railway bridge
would have once crossed our route. Then it was up
an incline, through a few more fields and soon we
were on the road to the marshalled crossing point
at White Lodge, and the unexpected bonus of a drink
of water and another Mars Bar.
Mud by the old topless railway bridge.
The “2 Miles to go” sign was passed shortly after
and five minutes later we were passing the
impressive property at Goadby Marwood, which I
presumed to be Marwood Hall. Soon after with the
welcoming sight of the church at Waltham on the
Wolds in the distance, we turned right off the road
to cross a field.
The "1 mile to go" sign as we turned off the road
after leaving Goadby Marwood
Across the field we went, over two stiles - taking
care not to make contact with adjacent electrified
fencing - and down a grassy track back to the road
which we followed to the Village Hall and
refreshments.
The sign amused us as, according to Mick, my speed
had
been reduced since we left the Eaton Checkpoint.
The refreshment were very enjoyable. Tasty home
made soup, delicious fruit pie and custard and
refreshing cups of tea. The only down side was
there didn’t seem to be any lemon cake!
Inside Waltham Village Hall at the end of the walk.
Although the 3 hours 27 minutes it had taken us to
do the walk would certainly not break any records,
it had been most enjoyable.