Londonthorpe Woods and Belton Park, 25th May 2023

 In October, we are proposing a tour of the Woodland Trust's Londonthorpe Woods and National Trust's Belton Park near Grantham, guided by a volunteer from the National Trust.  It would start either at the WT car park on Five Gates Lane or at Belton House.  The area has an interesting past which the guide will describe:  in August 1914, at the onset of WWI, the 3rd Earl Brownlow loaned Belton Park to Lord Kitchener as a training camp for the 11th (Northern) Division. The park hosted 13,000 volunteer soldiers initially in bell tents and later in purpose built huts.  

The camp also had a narrow-gauge light railway which after the war was bought by farmers in Lincolnshire and the fens for use in their fields to transport their crops, potatoes in particular.  One such system was the Nocton Estates Light Railway  which we became aware of on a recent walk near Nocton.

Then in 1942, the site became the HQ of the newly-formed RAF Regiment whose purpose was to defend airfields both at home and abroad.

Here are some photos of a recent recce.

Excellent surfaced tracks in the woods ...

... as well as grassy ones

Remains of firing range in Alma Woods

View of Belvoir Castle! over Grantham's Alma Park Industrial Estate

Old WWI grenade store

Estate cottages in Londonthorpe

St John The Baptist's Church, Londonthorpe, dating back to the early 1200s, with Commonwealth War Graves in the churchyard and fine views over the Lincolnshire countryside

Seventy two steps up the Bellmount Tower

View of Belton House from the Bellmount Tower

Looking back at the Tower

Deer in Belton Park

Belton House

Boardwalk down towards the recently-created wetlands near the River Witham

Well and reservoir in the Park

Route of eight-mile guided tour (in green) and two shortcuts which avoid entering the National Trust's Belton Park and reduce the length to three or four miles