Barrow upon Soar Parish Walks

Walk along Cotes Road and turn left into Barrowcliffe Jitty between nos. 29 and 31.  Follow this over the railway footbridge (the site of the first station) and down (very steep descent) to the junction with Bridge St.

1. Cross towards the canal at Barrow Deep Lock and follow the towpath left to Mill Lane Bridge.

2. Go up onto the bridge, past the Navigation pub, then right into Ribble Drive and right again into Welland Road (notice the canal weir, which controls the water level, on the right) round into Avon Road. Between nos. 37 and 39 go into the jitty and on (with Fishpool Brook on the right) to Sileby Road.  Turn right along Sileby Road and cross to the bridleway between nos. 199 and 201.  

3. Cross the railway lines (extreme care).  Follow the path uphill (views of the village on the left) to join the path from Breachfield Road (there are several informal paths in this field so look for the Breachfield path coming up from the left) and go through the second gap in the hedge.

4. Turn left down to Fishpool Way / Melton Road roundabout.  Cross through the Millennium Park (go and see the large sundial) to emerge back onto Fishpool Way.  

5. Continue along to the Fishpool Way/Nottingham Road roundabout, then turn left back to the Three Crowns car park.

Walk along Cotes Road past the school and to the end of a granite wall that fronts park-like gardens of Strancliffe Hall on right.

A. Immediately after, turn right up the metalled track signed as bridleway, known as Strancliffe Lane. Follow the lane until you reach Nottingham Road. (The big dips in the lane and surrounding fields are the remains of small quarries for limestone used to produce building mortar. Such quarries were called “delphs” from the old word “delve” meaning to dig or excavate).

B. Cross this busy road with care and turn left, walking for 20m along verge then take footpath on right. Cross two stiles and walk diagonally across large field (note the large limestone workings on the right) heading for solitary tree on horizon. Cross another stile to join bridleway through two fields.

C. At end of second field, turn right along farm track. Follow this to Fishpool Brook at the valley bottom.

Continue in same direction up next two fields, following the bridleway. Enter an enclosed lane past buildings on left that were once part of the Quorn Hunt (which moved here from Quorn Hall in 1906).

D. Cross Melton Road (caution fast road) into the enclosed lane opposite. After 150 yards, the bridleway is crossed by a footpath coming from Seagrave. You turn hard  right, leaving the bridleway and aim for an isolated stile in wooden fence. After the stile, keep to the same line down next field, heading towards its bottom right corner. (The skyline, as you return to the village, is dominated by the Charnwood Hills and, in the middle distance, the industrial works using granite from Mounsorrell and gypsum from the Barrow mines). Follow waymarks (looking out for diagonal crossing of second field) until you reach a broad mown ride and bridleway.  Ignore these and go straight through the gap in the hedge and continue in the same direction, downhill, to Breachfield Road.

E. Bear left then take a jitty on the right between 59 and 61.  Cross over Melton Road (slightly to the right) to New Street.  At the top follow another jitty past the Hall Orchard Primary School to Church Street.  Turn left, past the church (and the Roundhouse lock-up and the Old Men’s Hospital almshouses), to get back to the car park.

From car park, turn right down High Street then Bridge Street, passing to the river. Cross the Soar Bridge then turn left through the gate onto the Slabs Footpath (paved in the 1800s to give a dry path from Quorn Hall – the original home of the Quorn Hunt – to Barrow railway station). Cross the A6 via a footbridge, then through a small field onto a lane to Meynell Road (Hugo Meynell started the Quorn Hunt).

i. Turn left, and then follow the road round to the right into Soar Road, which borders the river. Continue via School Lane until T junction with the old A6 (the main road route through the Soar valley for centuries).

ii. Turn left and later, straight over a mini roundabout (a roman settlement has been found near here indicating, perhaps, the importance of the road even then). 150 yards further on, turn left at the footpath sign down to the river (too shallow for navigation by barges). Keeping the river on your left, follow the stiles, pass under the road (You are walking through the ‘water meadows’ used to hold water in times of flood and excellent for producing hay and grazing for cattle).

iii. Continue left to the footbridge over the river, with Barrow in sight. From the bridge, cross the meadow to meet a lane, then turn right up to the canal. (this ‘cut’ through the neck of the river loop created a navigable canal). Turn left before crossing the bridge and follow the towpath to Barrow Deep Lock. Cross the bridge and go up the hill then at the roundabout turn right back to the village centre.