Vale of Belvoir Ramblers: July 2025

Calverton and Oxton Five Woods Walk, 20th July 2025

Starting at Calverton Library, Paul's 8½ mile walk took eight members up to the high ground overlooking Woodborough with views over Calverton opening up gloriously (had the weather been good). Here, the route passed Fox Wood, an Iron age settlement, and then followed the ridge to Ramsdale Hill, from where the path meandered through the green fairways of Ramsdale Park Golf Course.

Next, we entered the Foxcover Plantation which merged into Watchwood Plantation, a beautiful section of dense woodland.

After passing close to and then crossing the deep cutting of the old Bestwood to Calverton Pit railway, the trail then took us through Oxton Bogs, then Gorse Covert before reaching the picturesque village of Oxton for a lunch stop at the pub.

From there we headed directly to Calverton passing Thorndale Plantation and crossing Dover Beck for the second time.

Climb up to Fox Wood from Calverton. It rained; a lot!

Fox Wood, site of an Iron Age hill fort and settlement

View over Calverton today and last week

Enercon E33, 330kW wind turbine. Oh, and some walkers!

Ramsdale golfers with golfing umbrellas

Crossing Oxton Bogs, drained by the Dover Beck

Lunch stop at Ye Olde Bridge Hotel, Oxton

Dover Beck on its way to Epperstone, Lowdham, Caythorpe and the Trent

Start: Calverton Library, Grid ref: SK617493

Cropwell Bishop and Owthorpe Evening Stoll, 15th July 2025

Jan's 4.7 mile walk took five members south along the Grantham Canal for two miles to reach Colston Bassett Lane. We then followed it into Owthorpe to stop for drinks at St Margaret's Church and then returned past Lime Kiln Farm and along Kinoulton Road to reach the canal again.

Thanks Angela for the photos and Rab for the route.

The start at the Memorial Hall car park

Canalside Industrial Park buildings next to the canal

Bench showing the route of Grantham Canal

Start point: Memorial Hall, Nottingham Road, Cropwell Bishop
Grid reference: SK679355

Nether Langwith and Whaley Thorns, 13th July 2025

Starting at the railway station car park, Sue's 8-mile walk first took eight members across the nearby railway line and into the Poulter Country Park through which passes the 11-mile Archaeological Way which will eventually link Pleasley Pit Country Park and Creswell Crags. The redevelopment of the Archaeological Way has inspired some excellent community arts projects, many of which now form the Sculpture Trail in the park. This is situated on the site of the waste tips of Langwith Colliery which finished production in 1978 after 98 years of production.

Poulter Country Park Sculpture Trail
There are seven unique sculptures in, and near to, Poulter Country Park: 1 - Dragonfly; 2 - Scimitar Flower; 3 - Flint Flower; 4 - Industrial Fossils ; 5 - Top of the World ; 6 - Commemoration; 7 - Bridging the Gap

Flint Flower by Ewan Allinson, said to represent the shape of a flint tool found locally

Top of the World sculpture by Ewan Allinson, inspired by the area's stone-age past

Not seen this time - Industrial Fossils by David Mayne, black ferns that represent the coal of Langwith Colliery

In World War 1 there was a munitions factory on the site, it was dangerous work and six people were killed by separate explosions. On a wet Saturday night during World War 2, a Canadian fighter plane crashed close to the pit tips, sadly both crewmen died.

We then crossed from Derbyshire back into Nottinghamshire, stopping for coffee beside the River Poulter in Nether Langwith before walking south to Cuckney Hay Wood.

River Poulter emerges onto Nether Langwith Green

Nether Langwith Green

Cuckney Hay Wood

Lunch in disused limestone quarry

Almost derelict Langwith Mill on the Poulter downstream of Nether Langwith was a cotton mill built in 1786. It was powered by a large water wheel fed from a lake nearby

Langley Mill House being renovated

Back at the station car park ...

...and then welcome refreshments at the busy Jug and Glass after a hot and steamy but enjoyable day

Start: Langwith-Whaley Thorns station car park
Grid reference: SK530708

Gunthorpe, River Tent and Caythorpe, 9th June 2025

A very pleasant stroll in glorious sunshine started at The Unicorn Hotel in Gunthorpe and took eight members past Gunthorpe Lock and along the River Trent to cross the Dover Beck where it meets the Trent. Leaving the river on field paths, we reached Caythorpe and the site of its water mill, now a private residence. More field paths took us back to Gunthorpe.

Trent ketches were built specifically for use on the Newark Navigation. They were able to travel long distances and could transport cargoes up to 40 tons between Newark and the seaports. Coal, grain and stone were the main cargoes carried.

View across to Gunthorpe Weir and the gypsum beds in the cliffs near Radcliffe

Dover Beck sluice gate

Clapper gate in poor condtion. Clapper gates are a distinctive type of self-closing double gate, unique to the navigable reaches of the River Trent. They were erected along the towpath of the river in the 18th century and allow people and horses to pass through the field boundaries on the river bank, but prevent livestock from straying

Caythorpe Mill, one of eleven on the Dover Beck

A diversion at the end to visit the newly-created Gunthorpe Riverside Nature Reserve was declined! This is "a community-led aimed at creating a peaceful haven for wildlife and providing public access to a natural space. The reserve features winding footpaths, diverse habitats, and riparian planting along the Cocker Beck to support local water quality and flood management."

View of the river near Gunthorpe Bridge taken from the path to Nature Reserve

Unfortunately, on the stroll, no photos were taken of the magnificent view of the Trent just downstream of Gunthorpe Lock. Here is something AI created instead

Fiskerton, Rolleston and Upton, 6th July 2025

Starting in unusual conditions (rain), Dave took six members and two visitors from the car park next to the Trent and immediately north onto the banks of its flood defences. These were then followed to Fiskerton Mill where we encountered the River Greet for the first time. After some field walking, we reached Rolleston, former home of the children's illustrator Kate Greenaway, crossed the Nottingham to Lincoln railway line and the Greet flood plain to climb up to Upton, home of the British Horological Institute. After a drinks stop at the church, we followed the Greet to pass by Southwell Racecourse and Southwell Golf Club to reach Rolleston Mill and then Rolleston Church. Returning to Fiskerton, we joined the Trent before walking downstream back to the start.