Vale of Belvoir Ramblers

Hickling and Vimy Ridge, 23rd August 2026

Angela led 21 ramblers on a 7-mile walk starting at Hickling Basin. We first walked along Grantham Canal to Main Street, Kinoulton and then along Owthorpe Lane to the track up to Vimy Ridge Farm. A coffee stop was taken as we crossed the canal before we resumed up a moderate climb to higher ground near Kinoulton Gorse. Lunch was taken in a grassy field corner with excellent views over the Vale of Belvoir. Then we crossed good field paths navigating a field of cows and a few stiles before finishing back at Hickling. A few of us had a pint in the Plough Inn, recently voted the No 1 pub in Nottinghamshire.

Thanks Steve and Rab for the photos.

Hickling Basin

Recently planted poplar trees replacing the originals

The original avenue of 184 Lombardy Poplar trees at Vimy Ridge, which runs between Owthorpe Lane and the Canal towpath here, had to be felled in 1998 for safety reasons. They were planted by Sir William Jesse Hind in memory of his son Lt. Francis Montagu Hind who was killed in action at the Battle of the Somme in 1916. The trees also commemorated the 187 other officers and men of the 9th Battalion The Sherwood Foresters Regiment who died between 7th July and 30th November 1916 (the official end of the battle)

Alpaca or llama? The former - it has shorter ears

Coffee back near the Grantham Canal

Up to higher ground

Brinsley, Bagthorpe and the Erewash Valley, 17th August 2026

The magnificent, Brinsley Headstocks (shown here in 2022) are the historic, rare, timber tandem winding frames from the former Brinsley Colliery. Dating back to 1842, they became a celebrated local heritage landmark and nature reserve with strong literary ties to the author D.H. Lawrence. The original deteriorating wooden structure was dismantled for public safety in December 2023 after being deemed a risk and are waiting restoration.

From Brinsley Nature Reserve, Scott took ten members on an 7.3 mile walk up to Underwood, Westwood and Jacksdale. After crossing the River Erewash into Derbyshire, the walk took us through the Erewash Meadows and Aldercarr Flash Nature Reserves before returning to Brinsley.

Thanks Bill for the photos.

The start in the Brinsley Nature Rserve

The Church of Christ Meeting House, Underwood (1873)

Down to Bagthorpe

Coffee stop

Across the Erewash

Waltham, Chadwell, Scalford and Goadby Marwood, 9th August 2026

Steve led 14 ramblers on an 7 mile walk. It was a very hot day with temperatures over 30C. Everyone became very hot despite the cooling breeze in the open.

The walk took us on good field paths from Waltham to the small village of Chadwell where we stopped for a hydration break at St Mary’s Church. Continuing across fields on the Mowbray Way we passed the Wycomb trig point (141m elevation) and then down into Scalford where we took another break at St Egelwin's Church (the only church dedicated to this saint in the whole UK).

From Scalford we walked along the Jubilee Way up to Goadby Marwood for a lunch stop at St Denys' Church. The final section of the walk passed through fields of horses and without any issues to finish back at Waltham Village Hall.

Thanks Steve for the photos and description.

Waltham Village Hall

Steve briefs us at the start

Heading out on parched fields

St Mary’s Church, Chadwell, one of a group of seven Anglican churches in north-east Leicestershire known as the Ironstone Villages family of churches - Chadwell, Eastwell, Eaton, Goadby Marwood, Scalford, Stonesby and Waltham on the Wolds

Hydration break in Chadwell

Our leader in Chadwell

St Egelwins, Scalford

St Denys' Church, Goadby Marwood - lunch stop

Well spotted in the churchyard - a Vale of Belvoir Angel. This gravestone is a distinctive type of 17th to 18th-century memorial found in churchyards throughout the Vale of Belvoir. The characteristic feature is the carved angel at the top, representing the soul being escorted to heaven. These stones are generally made from Swithland slate and date principally from about 1690 to 1759.

Goadby Marwood Hall, a seventeenth-century Grade II* listed house just behind the church

Huthwaite and Nottinghamshire's Three Peaks, 2nd August 2026

Dave led twelve members on a 7.7 mile walk starting at the Brierley Forest Country Park in Huthwaite. The park takes its name from the former colliery on the site, officially known as Sutton Colliery but known locally as Brierley Pit after the Staffordshire miners who came from the area of Brierley Hill to sink the pit in the early 1870s. After a pleasant walk in shade round the park and a diversion to a disappointing Hardwick View (an alternative peak at 190m - see later), we turned north to cross the River Meden and reach the Teversal Trail and the Teversal Visitors Centre for refreshments. We then climbed up on good tracks to our second peak (204m) at Silverhill with its iconic Testing for Gas sculpture with views in all directions. Returning to the Teversal Trail via Fackley, we lunched at Teversal Station and then followed the trail to Chesterfield Road which we took to reach our final peak at Strawberry Bank (202m) before dropping down to the start.

Commemorating the 20 miners who were seriously injured by fire and the five men that died of their injuries in the Sutton Colliery (Brierley Pit) disaster on 21st February 1957

Teversal Trails Coal Garden, incorporating a variety of artifacts from the local colliery, marks the entrance to the trails - coffee stop

Teversal Colliery plate. One of many in the Visitor Centre

Climbing up to the second peak - originally a mine spoil heap on the site of the former Silverhill Colliery which closed in the 1990s.

The bronze statue, Testing for Gas, shows a kneeling coal miner with a Davy lamp. It was created by artist Antony Dufort as a tribute to the miners of the Nottinghamshire coalfields and commemorates coal mining at the 85 Nottinghamshire collieries (see below)

The names of the principal collieries in the county, 1819–2005

Views of Lincoln Cathedral (perhaps) to the east and Hardwick Hall to the north (with a bit of help from AI)

The site at Newtonwood Lane (not visited this time due to overgrown paths), although unmarked (and unremarkable!) at a location on the edge of a service reservoir, like Strawberry Bank is considered to be natural and at 205m is now officially the highest point in Nottinghamshire

As seen in Fackley
Q - What's the connection between Teversal and King Tut?
A - The 5th Earl of Carnarvon owned Teversal Manor. He led the famous 1922 expedition with archaeologist Howard Carter which discovered the tomb of Tutankhamun.

Lunch at Teversal Station

Strawberry Bank (202m) - the highest habitation in Nottinghamshire

Brierley Forest Country Park Visitor Centre - more refreshments at the end

Showing both today's route and an earlier one to the Newtonwood Lane peak

Car Colston and Screveton, 28th July 2026

Three welcome visitors (and nine regulars) on Dave's 3.7 mile stroll from Car Colston taking us across very dry fields to Screveton for a short break inside the pinfold. Then we walked up Lodge Lane to Red Lodge near the A46 before dropping down to visit St Mary's Church before ending up back at the Royal Oak for a welcome drink.

Thanks Rab and Bill for the photos.