WALKS AROUND GLENFIELD

If you don't want a walk as such we do have many open spaces and parks in the village where you can just go and have a walk round but if you want something a little more ambitious, these are a selection of suggested walks in, around, from and back to Glenfield or nearby. They are of varying lengths and some are easier than others. We trust you will find them of surprising interest. Most of the routes are circulars as we wish to discourage the use of cars given air pollution in Glenfield is on the high side. Some good walks can be had though by using public transport to get outside Glenfield with a view to a walk back where a circular would be too much for some. There are obviously many other walks slightly further afield which cannot be accessed from Glenfield on foot. The Charnwood Forest Regional Park is on our doorstep and we include a series of walks around there. Most of this regional park is within the boundary of the developing National Forest which itself stretches as far as Staffordshire offering many more opportunities. At the last count nine million new trees have been planted in the National Forest. We are not in either park but the roughly 5000 trees we have planted add to this transformation of this part of the Midlands.

The walks have been devised by members of the Parish Council in conjunction with members of the Ramblers Association and the maps give an indication as to where they go. Hopefully they will encourage people to discover the back ways around Glenfield and the surrounding countryside.

There is increasingly strong evidence of the health-benefits of walking. e.g., the fact that brisk walking improves circulation and the performance of the heart and lungs. Walking can lower blood-pressure; it can reduce risk of stroke and of heart disease. It can improve control of blood sugar in type-two diabetes and it has an important role in cardiac rehabilitation. Walking and riding also promote mental health and general well-being, and have the potential to be as effective as anti-depressants or psychotherapy in treating depression. Widespread take-up of walking generally could massively lighten the economic burden on the NHS caused by physical inactivity and provide a boost for rural economies.

Glenfield has been the site of a settlement since about 800 BC and was featured in the Doomsday Book. In more recent times it played a strong part in the early development of the railways and some former tracks provide easy walking routes. As is the case with many villages which have seen rapid expansion and urbanisation Glenfield is hardly a 'pretty' village and indeed is in reality a small town with a population of about 11,000.

Glenfield does however have many corners of historic interest and a number of wildlife havens, including the Rothley Brook corridor. The large-scale recent developments have actually created a number of new open access areas giving more opportunities for circular walks.

The walks are graded for you as either easy (*E), moderate (**M), longer (***L) or challenging ( ***C )

Every effort has been made to ensure that the details of the walks were correct when printed. If you do find any problems on the ground or find any element not perhaps as clear as it could be, please advise the Parish Council who will arrange for matters to be checked, resolved or updated. Also, if you wish to suggest another walk, we could include please feel free to do so.

You are responsible for your own safety at all times and we would recommend you carry a detailed map if you are going into the open countryside and woodlands around Glenfield. Please remember when walking in the countryside to follow the countryside code and to wear appropriate clothing and footwear and to carry protection against possible rain.

There are inevitable overlaps with some of the walks.

The 'Ramblers Association has an online library of 3,000 inspiring routes for walkers to follow of all different lengths which might assist you. Each route features a choice of digital maps, including Ordnance Survey Landranger and Explorer maps, with the option to print the route and download GPX data.

Routes include detailed directions so you won't get lost, plus points of interest and advice on how to get to the starting point. The elevation profile on each route also tells you if there are any hills or steep inclines on your walk.

http://www.ramblers.org.uk/go-walking/routes-and-places-to-walk/about-ramblers-routes.aspx

The Ramblers local groups also organise about 1000 walks each year which may interest you

and the Leicestershire Footpaths Association also organise many hundreds more.

See http://leicsra.org.uk/ or https://leicestershirefootpaths.wordpress.com/

• Walk 1 – Ellis Circular (*E)
• Walk 2 – Railway Heritage (**M)
• Walk 3 – Glenfields Southern Fringe (**M)
• Walk 4 – Castle Hill (***L)
• Walk 5 – Down by the Waterside (***L)
• Walk 6 – Woods Ancient & Modern ( ***C)
• Walk 7 – Burroughs Wood ( ***C)
• Walk 8 – Peartree Woods ( ***C)
• Walk 9 – Walk on the wild side (***L)
• Walk 10 – Ancient Bridges of Anstey (**M)
• Walk 11 - Glenfield's Boundary (***L)
• Walk 12 - Western Park (**M)
• Walk 13 – Leicester History Walk (bus in, walk back) (***L)
• Walk 14 – Groby Castle (***L)
• Walk 15 - Soar on foot (bus out, walk back) (***L)
• Walk 16 - Martinshaw Wood ( walk and bus) (***L+)
• Walk 17 – The Borderlands (***L)
• Walk 18 – Walk the Roman Way (**M)
• Walk 19 – Historic Glenfield (***L)
• Walk 20 - Stepping Out (*E)
• Walk 21 - Groby Circular (bus/car)( **M)
• Walk 22 - Ratby Circular (bus/car)( **M)
• Walk 23- Thornton Reservoir (bus/car)( **M)
• Walk 24 – Whitwick circular (bus/car)( **M)
• Walk 25- Anstey- Bradgate Circular (bus/car)( ***L)
• Walk 26- Anstey- Groby Pool Circular (bus/car)( ***C)
• Walk 27- Anstey Bounds (bus/car)( **M)
• Walk 28- Mountsorrel Old & New(bus/car)( **M)
• Walk 29- Markfield Tops (bus/car)( **M)
• Walk 30- Fieldhead (bus/car)( ***C)
• Walk 31- Swithland (bus/car)( ***L)
• Walk 32- Newtown Linford (bus/car)( ***C)
• Walk 33- Rothley (bus/car)( **M)
• Walk 34- Cropston Forest (bus/car)( ***L)
• Walk 35- Quorn Borders (bus/car)( **M)
• Walk 36- Quorn Forest Wander (bus/car)( ***L)
• Walk 37- Nanpanton (car)( ***C)
• Walk 38- Chitterman Hills (bus/car)( ***C)