Vale of Belvoir

We have a new lead for this walk, Jay Jastrzebski has very kindly offered to take us for a ramble through the Vale of Belvoir. This is a fairly flat steady ramble that is approximately 11 ½ miles.

We begin at St Peters Church, Redmile. Our route is to head to the canal, first we will go through a couple of fields. Look out for ‘Gryphaea’ the “Devils Toenails” These gnarled oyster shells get their nickname ‘Devil’s toenails’ because they once used to be the actual toenails of the devil himself.  

These are an extinct species of oyster commonly found in England. Folklore says they were created when the devil clipped his toenails, due to their curved, ridged appearance resembling a nail.

They lived in large colonies in warm shallow waters, sitting on the sea floor with their shells half-buried in the mud. Each fossil measures approximately 5-7 cm.

This genuine Jurassic specimen, around 200 million years old

We take a leisurely walk along the canal for approximately 2 miles. Along the canal we will come across many locks, some of which are under repair. Look out for the bench with a riddle engraved in it…. 

At lock 16 we leave the canal for our first stop at The Duck pub, Woolsthorpe, we will have a quick drink here for around 20 minutes. We will head through the village and head up a slight hill towards the castle grounds. The quietness here is amazing. Belvoir Castle is the home to the Duke & Duchess of Rutland, the castle came into Manners family in 1508 and has a very interesting history. Belvoir Castle – Historic Castle & Gardens in Leicestershire | Belvoir Castle  We will have lunch at the Belvoir Retail Village – Engine Yard. For those of you that have been here before, there are toilet facilities and a range of shops to have a nosey around. We will stay here for approximately 45 minutes. 

Food and drinks can be purchased here but I have heard it is expensive.  After leaving the Engine Yard, we head back towards Redmile back over farmers’ fields, eventually leading us to our final drinking hole, the Windmill, here we will wait for the bus to take us home, no later than 6 pm. (NB the photo is not taken on the Vale of Belvoir walk, but a previous club ramble around the Manifold Valley).

New walkers are always welcome. There is no need to book, just go to one of the pick-up places listed below. If you need any information or advice, please ring one of the contacts listed on the home page.

Coach Departure

The coach picks up at the following points.
(With the agreement of the leader other pick-up points
on the bus route may be available).

“Staff of Life” pub, Hack Lane	Sutton-in-Ashfield	9.15am
Priestic Road, opp McDonald’s	Sutton-in-Ashfield	9.20am
Eastfield Side, (Blue Bell)	Sutton-in-Ashfield	9.22am
Hermitage Lane stop, Sutton Road	Mansfield	9.25am
ASDA bus stop. Stockwell Gate.	Mansfield	9.30am