Walk 4: Enderby to Braunstone Town

A distance of 4 miles taking approximately 1 hour 20 minutes through the back ways (jitties) of Old Enderby Village through attractive countryside viewing the Thorpe Astley Development in Braunstone Town.

Parking

Parking may be available at the New Inn Public House after seeking the Landlord’s consent.

Bus Services

Arriva operates bus services through the village passing along King Street and Co-operation Street where bus stops are located.

Ease of Access

This walk is suitable for prams and wheelchairs until you reach the footpath at the side of the M69 Motorway.

Start

START at the front entrance of the New Inn Public House on Chapel Lane, Enderby. Proceed uphill along Chapel Lane passing The Nook on your left. Continue as far as the United Reformed Church on your left where a footpath to your right takes you by the side of the Council Properties. The path turns right and left where you skirt the rear boundary wall of Cliffe House to your right.

The enclosed path now opens to meet a wider access leading to Moores Lane to the right. Ignoring this right turn veer to your left and right where the enclosed path takes you between the houses fronting Conery Lane. Pass through a ‘kissing gate’ to reach Conery Lane, turning right to take you down the hill to the junction with Mill Hill.

Turn left and proceed down Mill Hill, which is the busy B582, passing over the M69 Motorway to reach a footpath on your right, identified by a waymarker.

(not suitable for prams and wheelchairs beyond this point)

Climbing over the safety barrier go down the steps set in the embankment to reach another waymarker where you cross the stile proceeding as directed along this enclosed footpath, with an Industrial Unit to your left and the M69 Motorway to your right.

Continuing alongside the Motorway cross a further stile and waymarker. Keeping parallel with the Motorway you will see the Electricity Power Station through the hedge on your left.

The path reaches a stile with a waymarker either side of a stream. On crossing the footbridge proceeds as directed by the waymarker skirting the M69 Motorway to your right. You now reach the next waymarker which directs you along the field edge alongside a hawthorn hedge to your right.

Follow the line of the hedge passing a further waymarker pointing ahead. Looking ahead you will have a view of New House Farm which you will pass later. Going down a slope you arrive at a gap in the field boundary hedges with two gates ahead. It is very important to take the exact direction shown on the waymarker across the field to reach a footbridge in the far boundary hedge slightly to your left.

Cross the footbridge and head diagonally across the field aiming for the far left hand corner.

On arriving at the corner, cross the stile and head across the field towards the left hand side of New House Farm outbuildings. You go over a gate and a stile skirting the boundary fence of the Farm where you pass through a gate and along the grassed verge at the side of the farm track.

On reaching the junction of the metalled Lubbesthorpe Bridle Road turn right and proceed along this road until you arrive at a track on your left, with a prominent tree at the junction.

Turn left into the track continuing onwards to a point where the track narrows to form a footpath. Continue as directed by the waymarker skirting a spinney on your left where you cross a stile (noting the attractive natural pond to your left). Directed by the waymarker you proceed across the field to the far hedge crossing a stile and ditch to reach a waymarker indicating a crossing of two footpaths.

Take the way ahead as indicated by the waymarker keeping the hedge to your right to reach a waymarker pointing the way over a stile at the field hedge boundary.

You are now on the brow of a slope where you continue onwards between two posts and downhill to reach a crossing of the footpaths at the field hedge boundary.

Turn right and continue with the hedge to your left until you reach a stream where two waymarkers direct you across a footbridge and onwards along the field edge bounding the M1 Motorway Leicester Forest East Service Station.

Walk 5 joins the walk here ***

The path now crosses a stile and gate with the waymarker leading you along a track which veers to the left and through the Motorway subway. The footpath continues along the field edge with the book and hedge to your left until it gives way to a tarmac path at Jewsbury Way.

Cross Jewsbury Way and re-join the route which ‘snakes’ its way by the ends of Attenborough Close and Birchall Close on your right. Be certain to take a sharp left turn. The route now takes you by the end of Little Mason’s Close on the right to Foxon Way.

Cross Foxon Way and keeping the brook to your left take a left turn at the footpath junction, where the Aldi Superstore can be seen ahead, crossing the footbridge over the brook and taking a right turn with the brook now on your right. The path now takes a left turn and meanders through a landscaped area which brings you to the Withers Way roundabout on your right. Cross the road and turn right going under the Lubbesthorpe Way Subway.

The wide footpath and cycleway takes you to the junction with Kingsway North between Winstanley and Kingsway Schools. Turn right onto Kingsway North passing the Winstanley School entrance and playing fields on your right. On reaching the bollards in front of you turn left into Lubbesthorpe Bridle Road passing more bollards and onward to Avon Road.

Cross Avon Road and go through the entrance to the Car Park of Shakespeare Park. Pass by the play area on your right and head across the playing fields to a gap in the fence at the side of the Shakespeare Public House and into the Pub car park which is the FINISH of this walk.

TO RETURN TO ENDERBY: FOLLOW DIRECTIONS FOR WALK 1.

TO RETURN VIA LEICESTER FOREST EAST FOLLOW WALKS 2 AND 6.

Map

Acknowledgements

This webpage uses the text of the 2002 Golden Jubilee Walks leaflet, by permission from the Stepping Stones Countryside Management Project