Three lovely villages set among pleasant rolling countryside in South Derbyshire, parkland and a stroll along a former railway line make up this fascinating walk.
Main Street, Kings Newton
LOOK OUT FOR
Route Point 1 – Castle Square is on the site of a medieval marketplace. On the north side stands the White Swan with the inn sign clasping the corner of the building and a large thatched cottage – divided into seven cottages in 1824, but now restored to one. On the other side, there was once a substantial castle, but it fell into disrepair in the 17th century, and enterprising local builders were not slow to take advantage of such a good supply of stone. All that remains above ground is a wall made up of infillings of the castle wall on private land at Castle Farm.
Point 2 – Kings Newton is a gem of an old English village, with a great variety of well-cared-for old houses covering a wide age range, that all blend superbly together as a whole. It was described by Nicholas Pevsner, who wrote a series of 46 volumes of county guides, under the title of ‘The Buildings of England’ (1951-1974) as having, ‘one of the most attractive main streets in Derbyshire’. The prefix Kings was added to differentiate it from other similarly named places.
Kings Newton HallCastle Square, Melbourne
Point 5 –The former Derby to Ashby Railway, opened in 1867 and closed in the 1980s. During the Second World War, the line was taken over by the War Department and used as a railway training centre by the British Army and Allied engineers for training purposes, from 1939 until late 1944. Here preparations were made for the invasion of mainland Europe; engineers practised the demolition and rebuilding of railways, and the running and maintenance of a railway line and its rolling stock. Following the closure of the Derby line (Derby to Worthington), it has been converted by Sustrans, into a footpath and cycle track, known as the Cloud Trail. The trail is 13 miles in length with numerous access points.
Point 6 – Wilson is a tiny village situated on the border of Leicestershire and Derbyshire. Until administrative boundary changes were made in the twentieth century, part of the village was in Derbyshire. It is an ancient village, originally with a strong agricultural base with several farms. As the 20th century progressed agriculture became less dominant and no working farms remain. The old farms and redundant outbuildings have been converted into private housing. In recent years, other houses have been built, making Wilson a sought-after area for potential buyers.
WilsonCloud Trail
Point 7 – The Bull’s Head is a delightfully situated inn set in a row of timber and brick cottages alongside the Melbourne to Breedon-on-the-Hill Road. It is said to date from the early 1700s but may go back further than that. During the 1820s it had several outbuildings which included a malt kiln, brewhouse, warehouse, cart-house and stables and brewed its own beer.
Point 9 – Melbourne is a fascinating little town. It has a wealth of historic buildings. A famous country house with formal gardens and one of the finest Norman churches in the country. A lovely 20-acre Pool where you can feed the ducks, or just rest awhile and admire the scenery. Melbourne Hall and Gardens, once the home of Victorian Prime Minister, William Lamb, are open to the public on a limited basis during the summer.
Melbourne Hall view from PoolBull’s Head, Wilson
WALK DETAILS
Length: 4.5 miles.
Start/Finish: Castle Square, Melbourne.
Location: On the B587 just off the A514 Derby to Swadlincote road.
Terrain:An easy walk with very little ascent or descent. The farmland can be muddy.
THE ROUTE
Melbourne PoolFrom Castle Square walk up the street in an easterly direction. At the end of the street turn left, and then right by a triangle of grass along Pack Horse Road.
Opposite Queensway, turn right signed for Kings Newton down an enclosed path. When the path bends to the right, you go to the left to walk across the bottom of a cemetery. The path continues through bushes and at a fork in the path keep to the left. Continue straight on to reach Kings Newton.
Turn left and walk up Main Street; at a ‘mini-roundabout’ go to the right down Ward’s Lane, signed ‘Holy Well’. After viewing the well, turn around and walk back up the lane for approximately 20 yards and cross a stile on the left into a field. Head straight across the field, to an intersection of paths.
Take the path heading diagonally downhill towards a house, but before reaching it, go over a stile on the right by a metal gate. Cross the next field keeping close to the hedge on the left and go over a stile in the bottom corner of the field onto Trent Lane.
Walk down the lane for 25 yards, before turning left along an access path. At the end, turn right along Cloud Trail, for the use of cyclists and walkers. Follow the trail for about one and a half miles, and then at a sign for the Bulls Head, turn right up an access track onto a bridge.
Melbourne Hall and GardensTurn right at the top and walk up a rough track to reach Melbourne to Wilson Road. Turn left and follow the road around through the pretty village of Wilson.
Thirty yards after passing the Bulls Head, turn right down Green Lane towards Breedon Priory Health Club. Immediately turn right by a gateway, by a footpath sign. Walk up a wide field aiming about 15 yards to the right of a line of trees in the middle of the field.
Maintain the same direction to the top of the field, where you will find the stile in a gap in the hedge, approximately at the midway point of the field boundary. Go straight down the next field, keeping close to the hedge, to join the farm access track through another field.
Continue straight on and after leaving the field, follow the road past the pool and between Melbourne Hall and the church. Keep straight onto a road junction, where you cross the road and maintain the same direction up Castle Street back to the start of the walk.
