Cycling round Loughborough

This year I challenged myself to a personal Tour in sixteen stages with plenty of rest days. It would start from home going to every district in the County and and two neighbouring counties. It was low-tech using OS maps and Sustrans National Cycle Routes NCR6 52, 63, 15 and 48 as well as many other lanes favoured by cyclists. The eight local routes are as different as possible from each other, trying not to repeat too many lanes. They were ridden in clockwise succession planning for about two hours each or twenty miles for me. None were very difficult but the mountain stages across Charnwood Forest the most spectacular. The river basin ones following the river Trent, the Soar and the Wreake were also memorable.

Next were four Stages of double the distance to reach four landmark destinations: Repton the ancient capital of Mercia, Bosworth Battlefield, Tilton-on-the-Hill in High Leicestershire and Belvoir Castle in the Vale.

The final Stages were to the three East Midlands cities: Leicester, Derby and Nottingham, finishing with a tour of celebration.

On leaving I took the lanes along beside the Trent to Swarkestone. Its famous bridge and causeway is said to be over a kilometre long. The Trent is not a wide river at this point but lies in wide flood plain. Bridges are plentiful. From just north of Swarkestone, along the river basin, the NCR6 cyclepath following the old railway track to Tonge and home.

So, I reached Market Bosworth within a couple of hours using pleasant country lanes and took the gated lane to Ambion Hill. The battle was fought on 22nd August 1485 and diplaced the dominant royal line with the Tudor line at a time of great cultural change. Hence it is described as a watershed in history. Its well worth visiting the Heritage Visitor Centre on Ambion Hill and the King Richard III visitor centre next to Leicester Cathedral where Richard III of York is now interred.

The Battlefield Visitor site maintains a wide path to the true battle site and to Shenton Heritage railway station on the National Cycle route 52. This route is a fantastic ride, on the flat bisecting with 63 which took me on unsurfaced rides through Grange and Battram Woods and eventually to Stanton under Bardon.

On reaching Tilton-on the Hill, there is a deserted medieval village at Whatborough OS Grid Ref: SK 77152 05861. In 1495 the Augustinian Priory at Launde 'enclosed' Whatborough parish and turned it over to pasture land, thus bringing about its depopulation. Less than 50 years later the Priory was closed by Henrry VIII and given to Thomas Cromwell for his son Gregory. It was then ironically renamed Launde Abbey, presumably the fashion of the time.
So, leaving on the Halstead the before reaching the site of the deserted vilage I passed the Tilton railway cutting, a geological treasure trove, on the right. There is little if anything to see of the deserted village, but Whatborough Hil is the highest point at 230m. This contrasts with Beacon Hill at 248m and Bardon at 278 but height isn't everything because the landscape and geology are rather different.

Returning via John O'Gaunt, after passing under the railway bridge and approaching the wonderful railway viaduct comes into view on the right. The disused line was a joint enterprise in 1879 between Great Northern and London & Northwestern railways.

The Clocktower is still the central point, like Loughborough's Sockman! There is more space around the Market and the Fish Market has been turned into retail units, but still kept its exterior. The area surrounding the small Cathedral is now smarter with lots of heritage references. The Guildhall and Richard III and museums all add to the interest.

Before leaving I cycled up New Walk (not normally allowed) to my old address on Regent Road, and then returned to the city centre. I then found the easier route to Abbey Park and then the Space Discovery Park emerging from Watermead Park near King Lear's Lake That cycle way passes by Thurmaston and near Syston before emerging at Cossington.

Derby has improved more than its neighbours in the last fifty years. The riverside walks and cycleway provide a great approach to the city centre. Although the Assembly Rooms are not yet refurbished after a fire, there are some grand buildings lining the river. The War Memorial is notable and appealing; it is not a statue of a soldier but of a mother protecting a child. Most of the extensive shopping centre is pedestrianised, though like other towns there are many vacant units.

The loss of work at Rolls Royce will have severe repurcussions for Derby which, above all, is a manufacturing and engineering city. Besides Derbyshire County Cricket Club, the people of Derby have a deep loyalty for the 'Rams' Derby County Football Club. The football stadium, which is aptly named Pride Park, pulls a bigger crowd than many Championship and Premier League teams.

I left the city on the same cycleway in arrived on but this time took it the full distance to Tonge in Leicestershire, cycling smoothly along the old railway path.

The joy of cycling is not just the places and countryside in between but also when a cycle route leads you straight into the city centre on a dedicated and tranquil route. The village of Wilford provides just that as does the cycle/tram bridge over the Trent and tree lined walk to the train station. Since I know Nottingham well I decided to make a single stop at the Robin Hood statue outside the Nottingham Castle walls. The early hour and absence of tourists provided a chance to look at the tableau surrounding the statue. King Richard blessing the union of Robin and Maid Marion, Robin and Little John fighting Guy of Guisboro (Friar Tuck was in there somewhere), and Robin shooting his final arrow.

I returned through Wilford and Ruddington, forcing me onto the busy A60 for a little less than a mile before picking up the quiet lanes home.

In future I'll be able to ride with others and take longer stops in the lovely tea shops along the way.
Thanks particularly to the Loughborough Wednesday Cyclists for their fantastic reports which gave me new routes to follow. I don't use the latest routing and timing apps, I'm just a fair weather tourer after all. I do have some great cycling tours behind me in England of course, but also Poland, Belgium, Brittany, Normandy, Languedoc and Provence. I am also a campaigner for better and safer cycling infrastructure in Leicestershire and a founder member of Loughborough & District Cycle Users Campaign