Burbage Parish Walks

6km (33/4 miles), allow 13/4 hours, optional short cut: 4km (21/2 miles). Mostly surfaced paths, relatively flat Millennium Hall, Britannia Road.
1. Turn right down Britannia Road, and just before Freeman’s Lane on the left, turn right along a narrow footpath.
2. Cross over the stile aiming for the far-left corner of the sports field.
3. Walk through the field to the stile ahead, then aim for the electricity pylon and farmhouse across the next field to reach another stile. Once over this bear right to meet a track.
4. Watch out for a footpath leading left (this is easy to miss). Cross the metal stile and then another on the far side of the field.
5. Keeping in the same direction walk through a small ridge and furrow field and to the left of a small copse before reaching the tarmac path by a housing estate.
6. Turn right at Coventry Road and after 420 metres cross over to enter Victoria Road. At the T-junction turn left into Salem Road and then at the next T-junction turn right into Grove Road.
Grove Road has many fine trees including Scots Pine, a Giant Sequoia (wellingtonia), and a Dawn Redwood planted in Pughes Paddock in 2000. (There is a short cut at this point. Turn right down New Road into Church Street, past Horsepool, right into Windsor Street and finally into Britannia Road to return to the Millennium Hall).
7. Walk the length of Grove Road then turn left into Hinckley Road. Enter a jitty on the right just beyond the church, which goes alongside the churchyard and comes out at Cambourne Road. Turn right and follow the road around, bearing right at the bottom into Salisbury Road. Take the second right into Sherborne Road. The hedge alongside Sherborne Road contains mature wych elms which are more resistant to Dutch Elm disease than the common elm. At the end join the footpath on the right to walk across the fields. This route is part of the Leicestershire Round. Pass through two fields then in the third go right over a stile, heading towards Cottage Farm. Leave the Leicestershire Round in the next field and turn right with the hedge on your left, aiming for the church spire.
8. Cross the stile and continue along the track.
9. When you reach the tarmac surface, bear right into Aston Lane then left into Church Street.
10. Go straight over at the cross-roads. Follow the road around to just past the Chequers Inn and turn right down a jitty to get to Britannia Road. Turn right to return to the Millennium Hall.

3 km (2 miles), allow 1 hour, two stiles and two small sets of steps in the Nobbies. Mostly surfaced paths, though Nobbies can be a little muddy. Parking in the service road just north of the mini-roundabout on Rugby Road.
Walk towards Hinckley on the right hand side of Rugby Road, using the service roads and continue across the end of Brookside before crossing Rugby Road at the pedestrian crossing.
S1. Continue on the left-hand side of Rugby Road turning left into Brookfield Road.
S2. After 200 metres turn left into the Nobbies footpath. After passing over Sketchley Brook, between the fishing lakes and over a stile, keep to the right of the field that has retained the old ridge and furrow. It contains pignut, buttercups, ladies smock and a variety of different grasses. The extensive nettle beds to the right support amongst others, caterpillars of the Peacock and Red Admiral butterflies
S3. On reaching Sketchley Lane turn left. Follow this to Herald Way and the mini-roundabout on Rugby Road. Sketchley Lane is bordered by a mature hedge containing common elm, elder, blackthorn, hawthorn, crab-apple, ash, dogrose, and wych elm. To extend this walk turn right down the bridleway at Sa

51/2 km (31/2 miles) allow 11/2 hours, (with optional short cut 33/4 km/21/4 miles). Open countryside, some paths can be muddy, relatively flat.Parking just in Herford Way, it is much quieter
Walk up the recreation ground and turn right along the footpath bordering Hastings School field. In the far corner of the field is a copse of native trees planted by the pupils of the school. Just north of these is a Scots Pine surviving from its days in a farmyard.
La. Follow the footpath to Hinckley Road and turn left towards Hinckley, keeping on the left hand pavement bearing left into Burbage Road.
Lb. After 250 metres cross the road to enter Woodgate Road. At the end of the road go ahead on the footpath to Burbage Woods. (There is a possible short cut along this stretch. Just after a kissing gate, cross a footbridge and stile on the left, and follow the path with the hedge on the left)
Lc. Before crossing a small bridge, turn left along the edge of the woods. The hedge and adjoining banks in the following field have a wide variety of trees, shrubs and woodland flowers. Of special interest are dogwood, holly, aspen, honeysuckle, wood millet, wood melick, wood anemone, sweet woodruff, figwort, yellow archangel and sanicle. The next field is an old meadow which has bulbous buttercup, red clover, knapweed, birdsfoot trefoil, field woodrush, ribwort plantain and pignut.
Ld. Cross a stile and brook, turn left towards the railway line and then left again to follow the track by the railway embankment all the way to Burbage Road. As you walk this path look and listen out for green woodpecker, greater spotted and lesser spotted woodpeckers as well as long tailed tits and bullfinches.
Le. Turn right towards Hinckley across the rail bridge and cross the road at the pedestrian crossing before turning left into Parson’s Lane.
Lf. At the T-junction turn left back over the railway and keep going in the same direction to cross Brookside and up the hill to reach St. Catherines recreation ground once again. (To extend the walk – once over the railway bridge take the footpath right and follow directions for Lash Walk 2 from point L1 making a walk of 61/2 km/4 miles).

2.75km (1.5miles), allow 45 minutes. Mostly surfaced paths, flat and suitable for push-chairs and wheelchairs.
From Rugby Road mini-roundabout take Herald Way  and bear right into Sketchley Lane
Sa. Just past Sketchley Manor Lane turn left into Chappell’s Drive bridleway.
Sb. Turn left on reaching the A5 trunk road and then left into Welbeck Avenue.
Sc. Turn right into Beechwood Avenue and then left at Wolvey Road
Sd. At the Post Office keep straight on into Herald Way and follow this to the Rugby Road mini-roundabout.

2 25km (1.5miles), allow 45 minutes. Mostly surfaced paths, no stiles. Suitable for pushchairs and wheelchairs. Parking just in Herford Way, it is much quieter
Walk up the recreation ground to meet the footpath, then turn left to go across St. Catherine’s Close, Duport Road and Brookside.
L1. Before the railway bridge, turn left along the footpath nearest the railway embankment. Courting Stile Conservation Area was planted on disused allotment land over the period 1987-1999. A variety of trees with both amenity and conservation value provide interest all year round.
L2. When the path opens out with houses ahead – follow a path left down to Sketchley Brook and footbridge. Looking down over the flood relief area the green mounds of hard and soft rushes can be seen throughout the year. In early summer there are colourful displays of ragged robin, cuckoo flower, buttercups and yellow iris.
From the bridge carry straight on to cross Brookside into Brookside Park. Keep to the left of the brook and towards the top of the Park bear left to pass to the left of Higham Way Baptist Church into Higham Way.
Turn right and then left into Sharpless Road which leads back to Far Lash. Then right to return to the starting point.