Drive a few minutes from the cottage to find this hill walk out of Stathern through the top of the castle woods to the boundary of the castle gardens. A lovely walk with fabulous views north across the Trent valley and close encounters with flora and fauna along the way.
* = best guess for the total distance out and back to the car again.
Today you will be walking part of the Jubilee Way, named in 1977 for Queen Elizabeth II, and simultaneously the Cross Britain Way, established to raise funds for the charity Macmillan Cancer Support.
Instructions
- Passing through Stathern by car you’ll see the Plough Inn pub on your right and just after the next bend turn left into Red Lion Street. Pass the (currently) closed pub. Fork left at the end, immediately going straight on at the crossroads into Tofts Hill. After 50 metres park on the verge on the left just after the first street light. You’re walking from here!
- The next step’s simple: walk up the hill to the top! The road soon becomes a rough track with little traffic, but not none, so please be careful as you walk and keep an eye on vulnerable members of your group. Mountain bikers and motocross riders may appear quite quickly.
- Ignore footpaths and field entries as you ascend. Your goal is the bridle path at the very top of the hill and it should be clearly marked as such, on your left as you crest the hill (not the bridle path on your right slightly further alond). At time of writing there’s a gateway with a low step-over barrier to allow horse riders to enter. Recent clearance of trees has opened the track to the sky but you’ll see it dips down and up again as it enters the woods.
- Now you’re just following the bridle path through the woods, staying on top of the hill but following the left side of the ridge, with stunning views opening up as far as Newark Castle and – on a good day – Lincoln Cathedral. You can walk until you either decide to turn back or come to a small car park and road.
- If you’ve enjoyed walking through the wood then the car park needn’t be the end of things. The dog need only go on the lead for a minute as you turn right along the road for a few strides before finding a path on your left into the next part of the wood.
- Another mile or so of woodland and woodside walking will bring you to another road and, if you can manage more, a left turn for a half-mile walk by the roadside to reach the rewards of the shops and bars outside Belvoir Castle. You’ll deserve a treat if you get that far, but remember the car’s still in Stathern!
When you arrive back in Stathern we recommend parking up to enjoy an ice cream from the Coffee Shot shop by the garage on the right – they’ve got a little garden for you to sit in – or taking the traditional route of stopping by the Plough Inn for perhaps more robust refreshment.
Enjoyed your walk? You may wish to donate to Macmillan Cancer Support, recognising the hard work of their nurses and of the team publicising the charity by establishing the Cross Britain Way.