Myself and a few friends are hoping to have a few days touring in and around Rutland and Leicestershire in April, we will be based somewhere in the Oakham/Ashwell area.
We are looking for circular rides ranging in distance of approximately 30 to 60 miles (with of course the obligatory café stop).
The general area that we are looking to ride in is as far North as the Trent, as far West as the A46 - A6 staying clear of Leicester, as far South as Rockingham and Market Harborough, as far East as Stamford, Corby Glen, Boothby Pagnell. The Vale of Belvoir and surrounds is a key area we would like to visit with an emphasis on quiet rural roads.
If anyone has any suggestions regarding day rides in this area it would be greatly appreciated.
Touring in Rutland/Leicestershire
Re: Touring in Rutland/Leicestershire
Head to the west of Leicester and you can pick up a lovely route from Bradgate Park, above Coalville and through Osgathorpe to Worthington. The area above Bradgate park, around Beacon Hill and the Outwoods is lovely. I wouldn't wander into Loughborough unless you are really really interested in steam trains. It's also rather hilly around there.
From Worthington you can pick up the Cloud trail through to Melbourne (The Welcome Cafe is a complete time warp and highly recommended). Melbourne is a very nice little town and the house and lake is worth a visit if you have time.
Other things to see over that way: you can head over to Ticknall and come through Calke Abbey (a national trust site) and out the other side is Staunton Harold which has a nice little cafe and craft centre place.
Ashby is probably not worth going to for the town itself, but the castle and St. Helens church are probably worth a visit if you are interested in that sort of thing. Ashby is also one of the few places in you can stop at Birds. Definitely stop at Birds. Have the caramel doughnut. Have 2.
To the west is Conkers and the new National Forest. It's ok.
To the south of Ashby it's worth heading over to Shakerstone for the train station and the canal marina. Market Bosworth is a nice (not least because of the Velobici shop in the centre of the town). Finally you can head on out of Market Bosworth to the Battle of Bosworth visitors centre. its a field with some flags. It's ok I suppose. The gated lane out the back end of Market Bosworth towards the Sutton Chaney is decent though.
Places to miss. Coalville. Hinkley. Nuneaton.
Edit. Sorry I misread your post and thought you said as far west as Burton on Trent. Re-reading your boundaries, everything is going to be far too west. Oh well.
From Worthington you can pick up the Cloud trail through to Melbourne (The Welcome Cafe is a complete time warp and highly recommended). Melbourne is a very nice little town and the house and lake is worth a visit if you have time.
Other things to see over that way: you can head over to Ticknall and come through Calke Abbey (a national trust site) and out the other side is Staunton Harold which has a nice little cafe and craft centre place.
Ashby is probably not worth going to for the town itself, but the castle and St. Helens church are probably worth a visit if you are interested in that sort of thing. Ashby is also one of the few places in you can stop at Birds. Definitely stop at Birds. Have the caramel doughnut. Have 2.
To the west is Conkers and the new National Forest. It's ok.
To the south of Ashby it's worth heading over to Shakerstone for the train station and the canal marina. Market Bosworth is a nice (not least because of the Velobici shop in the centre of the town). Finally you can head on out of Market Bosworth to the Battle of Bosworth visitors centre. its a field with some flags. It's ok I suppose. The gated lane out the back end of Market Bosworth towards the Sutton Chaney is decent though.
Places to miss. Coalville. Hinkley. Nuneaton.
Edit. Sorry I misread your post and thought you said as far west as Burton on Trent. Re-reading your boundaries, everything is going to be far too west. Oh well.
Re: Touring in Rutland/Leicestershire
I live on the northern edge of the Vale of Belvoir in Bingham, at the junction of the A46 and A52. I do a lot of riding in the area you are looking at, although I ride down from the north to get there.
You can do a circuit of Rutland Water itself. It's about 25 miles round and there is a rideable path for most of it. Several cafes around the shoreline.
There's a lovely cafe at the old windmill in Wymondham, just to the east of Melton Mowbray. Other cafes in the Vale itself include Dove Cottage, on the canal between Harby and Plungar. The Cakehole cafe at Barrowby near Grantham. The area around Belvoir castle is very nice and quite hilly to the south of the castle. There's a delightful ride via Harston, Knipton, Eaton and Branston. There's another cafe at the Fishing Lakes near Scalford, just north of Melton and yet another at Asfordby Hill (Alpine Cafe).
The whole area north of Rutland Water to the A52 is filled with lightly trafficked little lanes and a great place to ride. Most of the traffic travels on the A roads, so other roads are quiet.
You can also ride on parts of the Grantham Canal, which winds its way through the Vale of Belvoir. Further east and south, Woolsthorpe by Colsterworth is the Birthplace of Sir Isaac Newton and you can visit the house where he lived, with the famous Apple tree in the garden.
Stamford is a nice olde worlde town worth a visit. There are also some nice lanes to the west of Oakham and a cyclists cafe at Tugby ( Cafe Ventoux). Many of the local roads round Oakham are used for the Rutland to Melton Cicle Classic race.
You could even venture north of the A52 as far as Newark on Trent. Nice cafes at Bottesford (Little Jacks garden centre) and Long Bennington (Cafe 52 opposite the Co-op). Newark itself had several nice cafes if you venture that far north (Gannets and Feeling Peckish near the castle). The Castle and the Civil War Museum are worth a visit.
If you need any more detail, let me know.
You can do a circuit of Rutland Water itself. It's about 25 miles round and there is a rideable path for most of it. Several cafes around the shoreline.
There's a lovely cafe at the old windmill in Wymondham, just to the east of Melton Mowbray. Other cafes in the Vale itself include Dove Cottage, on the canal between Harby and Plungar. The Cakehole cafe at Barrowby near Grantham. The area around Belvoir castle is very nice and quite hilly to the south of the castle. There's a delightful ride via Harston, Knipton, Eaton and Branston. There's another cafe at the Fishing Lakes near Scalford, just north of Melton and yet another at Asfordby Hill (Alpine Cafe).
The whole area north of Rutland Water to the A52 is filled with lightly trafficked little lanes and a great place to ride. Most of the traffic travels on the A roads, so other roads are quiet.
You can also ride on parts of the Grantham Canal, which winds its way through the Vale of Belvoir. Further east and south, Woolsthorpe by Colsterworth is the Birthplace of Sir Isaac Newton and you can visit the house where he lived, with the famous Apple tree in the garden.
Stamford is a nice olde worlde town worth a visit. There are also some nice lanes to the west of Oakham and a cyclists cafe at Tugby ( Cafe Ventoux). Many of the local roads round Oakham are used for the Rutland to Melton Cicle Classic race.
You could even venture north of the A52 as far as Newark on Trent. Nice cafes at Bottesford (Little Jacks garden centre) and Long Bennington (Cafe 52 opposite the Co-op). Newark itself had several nice cafes if you venture that far north (Gannets and Feeling Peckish near the castle). The Castle and the Civil War Museum are worth a visit.
If you need any more detail, let me know.
Sherwood CC and Notts CTC.
A cart horse trapped in the body of a man.
http://www.jogler2009.blogspot.com
A cart horse trapped in the body of a man.
http://www.jogler2009.blogspot.com
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chickenlegs
- Posts: 4
- Joined: 4 Feb 2014, 6:05pm
Re: Touring in Rutland/Leicestershire
Hello All
Firstly my apologies for not replying to you sooner, I have been away for a few days.
I greatly appreciate all the really useful advice (especially all those café stops) it will help me to start planning some of the day rides.
"honesty" as you gathered we will be further East, however there is a possibility we will be up in that area next year, thank you though for the info.
I used to live in Melton Mowbray over 45 years ago and at one time knew the area like the back of my hand, however memory fades with time.
Regards
Chickenlegs
Firstly my apologies for not replying to you sooner, I have been away for a few days.
I greatly appreciate all the really useful advice (especially all those café stops) it will help me to start planning some of the day rides.
"honesty" as you gathered we will be further East, however there is a possibility we will be up in that area next year, thank you though for the info.
I used to live in Melton Mowbray over 45 years ago and at one time knew the area like the back of my hand, however memory fades with time.
Regards
Chickenlegs
Re: Touring in Rutland/Leicestershire
Cyclists cafe Cafe Ventoux tucked away in Tugby in Leicestershire's alps is a delight and has a warm welcome any cyclists, not just the seriously hip 
There's also some lovely gated roads not on Streetview, around Skeffington
There's also some lovely gated roads not on Streetview, around Skeffington