Vale of Belvoir Ramblers: March 2019

Bradgate Park, Woodhouse Eaves and Beacon Hill, 24th March 2019

Dave's 8½ mile walk today started in Bradgate Park before passing through the attractive village of Newtown Linford to Ulverscroft Priory for coffee. Then it was up to Beacon Hill for lunch, round the edge of Woodhouse Eaves and across the fairways of Lingdale Golf Club before climbing up to Old John Tower and back to the start.

The start In Newtown Linford

Climb up to the trig point on Beacon Hill

Lunch in the rocks

Old John Tower

Toposcope near Old John Tower

Sutton upon Trent, Grassthorpe and Marnham, 20th March 2019

John's flat walk today (highest point 22m, lowest 2m) started at All Saints Church, Sutton on the Trent before crossing fields to Low Marnham and Grassthorpe returning down the Trent past several holmes. The word has a Scandinavian origin and means an island in a river or lake. It also came to mean a low flat tract of land beside a river. As they were liable to flooding these fields were not used for food crops but as extra pasture and for growing hay.

All Saints Church

Grassholme Beck a lesser-known but important tributary of the Trent draining a large part of east Nottinghamshire

St Wilfrid's Church, Low Marnham

Self-closing clapper gates, unique to the navigable reaches of the River Trent

After lunch by the Trent

Cromford, Lumsdale and Tansley, 17th March 2019

Another attempt by John J to tackle this hilly (500m of ascent), 11 mile Lumsdale walk after last year's walk when snow put most people off. This year, we were well supported by Mick, Bob, Duncan, Brian, Diane, Liz and Carolyn from Gedling Ramblers, the weather was much improved but it was still very wet and slippery underfoot.

The Lumsdale Valley is a site of national archaeological and historic importance (see https://www.cromfordmills.org.uk/lumsdale). It is owned by the Arkwright Society, an educational charity devoted to the rescue of the industrial heritage buildings and associated landscape. The mills and the associated water management features form one of the best examples in Great Britain of a water-powered industrial archaeological site. Its uniqueness comes from seeing such an extensive use of water power in such a relatively small area.

The start at Cromford Wharf

Wet again today as shown by this 5-day plot of water levels on the Derwent - but still over 2 metres below the all-time peak!

Approaching Riber Castle

The Wishing Stone above Lumsdale - worth a visit for some but not all

One of the many information boards in the heritage site

Nature taking over the mill buildings

Waterfall in Bentley Brook - the not all group

Woods below Lumsdale Quarry

The thirteenth century, St John the Baptist Parish Church, Dethick has a rather tenuous link to Florence Nightingale

Distant view of Crich Stand Memorial Tower

Gregory Tunnel, the start of our route back along the Cromford Canal

Butterbur alongside the canal

Derelict building with some recently enhanced window openings

Renovations to Leawood Pump House (1849 - 1944) built to supply water to the Cromford Canal

Cromford Canal boat trips on the narrowboat Birdswood

Laxton, 10th March 2019

Marian led this wet and windy walk, exploring the fields to the south and west of Laxton and ending in a visit to the Laxton Museum or to the pub depending on your cultural interests.

The start outside Laxton Visitor Centre behind The Dovecote Inn

Coffee stop

As far apart as ever - Brexiteers and Remainers on some of the better tracks

Laxton is best known for its three-field farming system which survived the Enclosures Act of 1845 and can still be seen today

Radcliffe on Trent and Shelford, 3rd March 2019

Brenda led nineteen Ramblers on this six-mile walk from Radcliffe, over the Red Cliffs and across fields for coffee at St Peter and St Paul's Church, Shelford and then back beside the Trent.