Cropwell Bishop Village Parish Plan

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South side walk (22-5-08)

Nottm Road Public Footpath Richards Close Stile Next stile Tree

South of the Village, the landscape is flatter but every bit as interesting as Hoe Hill on the Northern edge.

Go along Nottingham Road (1) to Richards Close. You will see the new sign (2) at its entry. Walk up Richards Close (3) and after about 10 metres you will see fine concrete steps going up on the right. The homeowner has made the start of this walk really beautiful with shrubs either side. You will probably hesitate to go up the steps fearing that they must surely lead into the back garden. Fear not; go up the steps and you will immediately see ahead of you the stile that leads into a field (4). The small yellow pointer (5) accurately points in the direction you must walk to reach the gate and stile into the next field.

As you make your way across this first field, have a good look at the old tree on the right (6). You might reflect at what has happened in the world since it stood as a sapling in this corner of Cropwell Bishop.

Second stile Path ahead White flower Seed head Cowslip Pink head Stile in fence To Kinoulton Road

When you reach the stile beside to the metal gate, (7) you should see a path worn in the direction of the Lime Kiln building. As you follow this path, take time to look at the wild flowers growing around you (9-12). If you are lucky, you will be accompanied by skylarks singing in the sky above.

The next stile is, at first, hidden in the hedgerow, but just continue in a straight line (8) and it will appear in front of you (13). The small plastic 'path pointer' on the fence is not clear but, once you have climbed over it, turn right and you head towards the Kinoulton Road (14).

Kinoulton Road Lime Kiln Water in canal Canal path

If you are less than 90cm tall (3 feet) you can walk under the metal gate; those of us who are old enough to pay taxes may clamber over the stile on the right. Turn left and walk along the road (15) and in no time you will reach the Grantham Canal (16) which, at this point, is now dry.

Turn onto the towpath and enjoy the peace and wildlife as you follow the beautifully kept path. Before the path was made, this could be a very muddy journey. Have a look at the photo that appears on the 'History' page of this web site to see how it looked 20 years ago.

Take the opportunity to enjoy views on your right. Look for where the canal widens: is this where the narrow boats pulled in for the night, or did they turn round here? You may be lucky and see some water (17). Turn around occasionally; the view is sometimes better in that direction (18).

Colston Bassett Road Path sign Gap in hedge Path beside field Rape seee flowers View to left Purple seed head

In 1 km (about half a mile) you will reach the Colston Bassett Road (19). Here, turn left, and,in a matter of 3 or 4 steps, turn left through the gap in the hedge (21). There is a sign but it may well be obscured by foliage (20). This path leads back to the Village. On this May day the scene ahead was a mass of yellow rape-seed flower heads (22).

Walk along the left hand side of the field and you will soon be looking down the gently sloping hill towards Cropwell Bishop (23) . As you do so, take the opportunity to glance through gaps in the hedge on your left (24). I wonder how much these views have changed over the last 80 years: some people in the Village could tell us! Look carefully and you will discover successful competitors of the rape-seed (25).

Path ahead West view Path to Village Path sign path through Rape seed field Foot bridge Path ahead Houses ahead Church view gap in fence

When you enter the next field (26), continue along the left hedgerow. Once again there are fine views on the left. Sometimes, there is little evidence of being in the 21st, or even 20th, century. (27). A few hundred metres ahead you may, for a moment, wonder where the route lies (29). The yellow arrow on the post tells us to veer to the right. On this day, it looked more like a tunnel through the shoulder high rape-seed (30).

At its end is a fine wooden bridge (31) – a good place to stop and enjoy the views in every direction. Continue along the left hand side of the field (32). As you pick your step along the edge of the ploughed field, don't forget to look up and enjoy views of the houses ahead (33) and a less common view of the Church (34). Eventually, you will come to a fence with a small gap and a chain across it (35). Lift it to let yourself through but don’t forget to replace it.

Path to road View to left The 'Turn' Alpaca

Head towards the gate in the gap between the houses (36) and in no time you will be back in the centre of the Village with the Church on your right (38). The view on your left is of Skylark Hill where Cropwell Bishop's goats cheese is made (37).

If you are lucky, you may see animals that are very much part of the 21st century; alpacas (39). How many jumpers could this one provide?

Hope you have enjoyed this virtual tour: the real journey is even better!
(22-5-08)