Leicestershire Round - 2008

Day three - Easter Sunday - March 23rd

"They said there'd be snow at Easter, they said there'd be peace on earth"
(corruption of Greg Lake's 'I believe in Father Christmas')



Ok, so the forecasters get it right sometimes, about the weather at least but no sooner had we arrived back at Sutton Cheney after a short taxi ride and the snow began to thaw. Shame really, here we were in the best possible position to enjoy the Leicestershire countryside under a blanket of snow and already it was disappearing. 

Through Market Bosworth and on the long, deeply rutted farm track up to Odstone and into Shackerstone Station where we joined family visitors and the Easter bunny in the tea rooms for a quick rest and snack.
A little further on and we called in at the Nut and Squirrel pub in Nailstone for a meal, drink and a few games of pool. Pubs took on a whole new meaning on this walk and made welcome breaks from the cold. 

 Eventually though we pushed on into Bagworth, through reclaimed mining areas, now planted up with thousands of new trees, standing like sentinels to a future generation. Our forefathers long ago would have cleared much of this country to make way for farming and later industry. Standing in this melancholy landscape now moved me deeply, a stark contrast to other areas of Leicestershire where you get the sense that nothing much has changed. Here, much has changed, ultimately I suppose, it'll end up looking pretty much like it used to.

On through Thornton where on a previous walk Michelle had become quite excited at the prospect of visiting the home of some of the worlds most delicious chocolates, he he he.Up the hills through more young trees of the National Forest where Joseph, John and I had spotted some wild deer on a previous walk. Under the M1 again. Our final motorway crossing and on into Markfield where we'd booked in at the Travel lodge. All very well if your'e travelling by car but not so easy on foot. Nonetheless, we eventually found a route past an industrial estate and carefully but quickly crossed the roundabout section to the Travel lodge where we met up with Lynne & Liam. 

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