To Tilton on the Hill from Frisby on the Wreake via Ashby Folville

Today's next problem was the fog. We had expected poor visibility in the morning, and had a Plan B (which we didn't use in the end) with a shorter walk, starting later, but we had reckoned without the fog lasting all day. We didn't see a huge amount of the scenery, which is a pity as I suspect it is most attractive. Leicestershire (which we were walking through) finds itself with Northamptonshire on our mental list of counties we would like to explore some more. However, the walk was atmospheric and strangely peaceful and we very much enjoyed it. Unsurprisingly, given the time of year and the weather we have had, it was also rather muddy in places. We'd decided to walk today's leg backwards (i.e. north to south, the opposite direction to our overall direction of travel) because we were more sure of the parking at the southern end - and this was nearer to home. The fog was not too much of a problem on our drive via Peterborough to the lay-by at SK737055 on the B6047 near Tilton on the Hill, the same place as we parked last time we were here. Richard was immediately behind me for the last 20 miles or so of the journey and we drove on together to Frisby on the Wreake, where we parked on the road on Main Street almost opposite the village shop at SK 695177. We started walking around 9.40.

Frisby on the Wreake is actually a couple of miles off the Midshires Way but we had struggled to find parking an appropriate distance from Tilton on the Hill, so decided to divert slightly, making use of the Leicestershire Round which does go through Frisby (the "on the Wreake" bit refers to the River Wreake, which is known as the River Eye upstream of Melton Mowbray, and is used to distinguish this Frisby from a hamlet and deserted medieval village about 10 miles to the south). We had soon left the village behind and were walking across a misty ridge and furrow landscape, with sheep for company. We crossed the A607 and continued across fields, sometimes rather muddy. Our route was always sufficiently clear, from a combination of other people's tracks across the fields and occasional Leicestershire Round signs, but it was so foggy that the wind turbine to our right was not visible until we were almost upon it.

We rejoined the Midhsires Way on a minor road to the north-east of the village of Gaddesby, and here we had a choice of route, either to the west then south then east on the Leicestershire Round or to the east and then south on the Midshires Way. The Leicestershire Round route is probably slightly shorter, and definitely has less road walking, but we decided that we were meant to be on the Midshires Way so that was the route we followed, and the road we took to the east was extremely minor and quite pleasant walking. A signposted path then took us south, crossing the route of the Leicestershire Round for the final time today, then crossing a stream by a ford which would have been rather picturesque had someone not left a hay bale in the stream. We skirted around Mill Farm, with the remains of its windmill visible through the mist before a section of road walking brought us to Ashby Folville. We'd hoped that there might be benches on which to sit here and although the entrances to the cricket pitch, where we could see benches, appeared to be locked, and it would have been rather cheeky to sit on the benches right outside the Carrington Arms, there was a well-positioned and fairly dry bench right on the corner between the two. Should you be walking the Midshires way with different legs from ours, note that there are several possible parking places here, on the lane past the pub or in a little carpark down the lane between the church and the cricket club.

After a quick lunch (the bench was not as dry as we had thought it was and the cold and damp was beginning to bother my hips) we continued our exploration of Ashby Folville, with pretty cottages (visible behind the church) and the Manor House (hidden from sight by a wall and then a fence). Shortly after leaving the village we took a track, initially with a concrete surface but then heading off across large fields. The route was marked by tall posts with their tops painted yellow and these were usually clear in the distance, even with today's poor visibility, but the OS maps app was useful for checking we were on the right path. Bizarrely, at around the point where the route was the least clear and it had begun to feel as if we were just wandering round in the crops, another couple of clearly quite serious walkers appeared across the field to our left (and yes, there is a path that way too) and waiting politely for us before turning onto the "path" the way we had come.

We went through a gate onto a more distinct track that led past Freezeland Farm to a road which we turned left onto for a rather uncomfortable half-mile of dodging the cars. We turned right then immediately right again off the road; phew! We were approaching the final subsection on the walk as described in the guidebook, from Carr Bridge to Tilton on the Hill, but we couldn't work out why this started at Carr Bridge, which is in the middle of nowhere. However, it turned out to be a pretty little bridge in attractive rolling countryside. Our meandering route turned left and headed more purposefully towards Tilton. We crossed a couple of minor roads, the second of which, Skeg Hill, is one of the places we would definitely like to return to in clearer conditions. As we crossed the road we could just make out a building that we suspect was Cold Newton Manor House. We took a surfaced track signposted "Hamners Lodge Farm" which climbed and turned to the right past the derelict farm buildings...and continued to climb. There must be stunning views from here, but sadly we couldn't see them.

The final approach to Tilton on the Hill is shown as heading in undefined fashion to a minor road, and we set off in the right direction. However the route was not terribly clear so when we came across a clear footpath heading east we decided to follow it, as we knew this would take us straight to our parking place. It took us a little while to get to the right side of a barbed-wire fence but once we'd done that route was indeed clear and we were soon back at the car. After driving back to Frisby on the Wreake to collect Richard's car, we drove the short distance to Melton Mowbray. We haven't had a chance to explore the town properly, but what we have seen is a bit disappointing. However, the Melton Mowbray Premier Inn, one of their modern ones, was most acceptable and we had a peaceful evening.

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