Wednesday 8th May Elmsthorpe to North Muskham

We left Spicy Pete’s and cycled uphill to Barwell, we had realised we were near Bosworth Field the Site of The famouse battle, so we  agreed to do a detour. Cycling through quiet country lanes we came came to Shenton Station the start of the battle Trail, funny really a Railway station right on the battle field, Graeme quipped about the Henry Soldiers having it easy coming by train!!

We visited the Kings field plus the Visitor centre Very interesting. After this we picked our way across country via Market Bosworth a very nice town although we arrived by a hill, and then though some not so pretty villages as we cycled through industrial Leicestershire, Bagworth Stanton under Fosse, all very hilly, we crossed the M1 at Copt Oak and headed east, still climbing although the countryside got better it was still hilly, as we climbed Beacon Hill.

The sun was shining and the countryside very pretty but the climb went on and on. Eventually we crested the hill and saw one of the best sites I’d seen for a few days it said Long Descents. and it was a long long sweeping hill for 2 or 3 miles downhill to the town of Quorn, we followed the Sustrans cycle route into Quorn and stopped for lunch ,which was sandwiches and a drink bought at the local Supermarket where the lady was interested in cycling and asked Colin where we were going. She couldn’t have asked a worse person?

He doesn’t know where we are at the best of times. He used a stalling tactic of pointing back in the direction we had come from, saying it had been a long hill. Then I got to the checkout and filled the technical bits such as place names etc.

We sat in the local park and had milk and sandwiches very pleasant apart from the wino sitting sipping he’s Lager and smoking a cigarette, staring into space?

We cycled on towards Barrow on Soar and boy we were still climbing up and down through some pretty villages. As we cycled around Loughborough and onto towards Nottinghamshire, eventually we hit a small village called Wysal where we realised we had crossed the county boundary into Nottinghamshire, we were intrigued by a sign which kept pointing to Six Hills I think Colin was worried we were going there, but I satisfied myself Six hills is on the A 46 near Leicester so we wouldn’t be.

We crossed the A 46 and climbed gently we were rewarded with a view across the Vale of Bevior and Nottinghamshire and Lincolnshire ahead, it was a clear day and the view was amazing, one thing that was pleasing to the eye NO HILLS . We dropped down to Kinoulton and managed to follow the Grantham canal tow path which was laid down as a cycle track for a couple of miles to Cropwell Bishop.

We followed the road through some quiet villages and picked our way up to Bingham across the A 52 where we had to tuck in and cycle along a main road for two miles to cross the River Trent, fairly easy ride as the traffic was nose tailing so we could slip down the inside down to the River Trent along to Lowdham on another cycle track and then right along the Trent through some pleasant quiet villages and some god views of the River, however the wind was in our faces and it was the end of a long long day when we eventually made the Travel Lodge at North Muskham, it was 8 -15pm a long day, we showered changed and ate in the Little Chef which was still very nice and the food plentiful. After a good meal and a long day in the saddle, we all crashed out.

Email for further information or holiday planning