South Kesteven Round.co.uk - 8 Acaster to Dry Doddington

North of Ancaster

Ancaster to Dry Doddington 16 miles

By Heath and Lowland to a Leaning Spire

I'm not sure if its just that this section is the longest at 16 miles or that the people to the North of South Kesteven just like their beer more, but with a total of 5 pubs on this section you won't go thirsty If walking to the pub is your thing then section 8 of the walk is for you. Cheers!

Map of this section of the walk

Print a copy of the walk instructions

There are pubs to visit on this section of the walk

Camping Available

Fulbeck Waters

Ancaster to Fulbeck 5.7 miles

This section of the walk takes you to the Northern most point of the round near Fulbeck, but it's not so far north that you will need extra layers to keep you warm. As you enter Fulbeck you will see Fulbeck Hall which has been the home of the Fane family since 1632, and was largely rebuilt in 1733. The Hare and Hounds is the perfect end to this part of the walk. .

If you visited the Railway Inn head back up the track to rejoin the Round. Continue uphill on Pottergate to cross the Ancaster/Sudbrook road onto a farm track ahead signposted Restricted Byway. Continue along this track, walking uphill. After reaching the top of the incline follow the path past a row of trees on your left. Shortly after these trees follow the track as it veers to the left passing through a gap in the hedge in front. After approx 100 metres go through another gap in the hedge on your left (you are continuing in a straight line) to reach a track, turn right and walk with the hedge on your left, and then straight ahead across a field
At a 4 way footpath sign (you are now crossing the Viking Way) continue straight ahead on a narrow track with a dry stone wall on your right (hidden at first under all the bushes). When you reach Heath Lane/Pottergate Road, proceed straight ahead on the lane for a short distance, where it turns right, continue straight ahead into a field initially on a short grass track, then veer half left across an arable field, heading for a footpath sign in the far hedge. On reaching this turn right and follow the farm roadway, with the spires of Caythorpe Church on your left and Cranwell College on your right. Walk between farm buildings to Pottergate Road on Caythorpe Heath.
Continue straight ahead on this road for about one and a half miles continuing past two cross roads. Some distance after passing the second crossroads turn left at a Public Bridleway sign opposite a stone house. Walk down the grass lane between hedges and then past Fulbeck Hill Top Plantation on your right. There are some lovely views here across the valley looking towards Caythorpe Church in the distance. After passing through a gate, continue walking downhill, after passing the end of the wood continue straight ahead heading towards a lake in the next field. Pass through an unusual stile over a disused railway line, then a kissing gate and walk to the left of the lake.
Walk down a narrow track with a hedge on the left and a fence on the right, when you reach the playing field, cross the stile and turn right heading towards the Church Tower and pass through a gap in the roadside wall. If you look to your right you will see the handsome wrought iron gates of Fulbeck Hall. Cross the A607 to the pavement on the other side and turn left to pass the Village sign, the lychgate to the Church and the Hare and Hounds pub.

Fulbeck to Gelston 4.3 miles

You can see the spire of Caythorpe Church from some distance away, According to the Church website is stands at a height of 156 feet and has a pronounced entasis or incurving of the steeple. In 1859 the steeple was struck by lightening with the top of the steeple being shortened by 12 feet when it was rebuilt. If you missed the Hare and Hounds in Fulbeck you'll be pleased to know that Caythorpe has two pubs the Red Lion and Waggon and Horses.

At Hough-on the-Hill you walk past All Saints Church which has a Saxon tower, with only one of four remaining semi circular extruding staircase turrets in England. You can see the extension to the tower which was added in the 15th century. If all this ecclesiastical information is getting too much you, why not call at the Brownlow Arms on High Road.

Immediately after passing the pub, turn right into Rectory Lane and after a short distance left onto High Street. Where the road bends to the right, keep straight on down the hill passing the canopy over the village pump on your left. At the bottom of the hill continue straight ahead onto Sudthorpe Hill. At the top of the hill, walk to the end of the cul-de-sac and proceed straight ahead on a footpath between two houses. After passing these houses turn half right across a field heading for a marker post in the hedge on the crest. Look back here for a final view over the village.
Cross a wooden footbridge and turn left along the edge of a long arable field. At its end cross a stoned roadway by a footpath sign and continue almost straight ahead across another field to a stone wall by the road, follow the path around to the right until you see a footpath sign. Turn right over a stile, walk straight ahead with a hedge on your left until you come to a wooden footbridge on your left. Cross the bridge and follow the path heading towards the spire of Caythorpe Church and passing Caythorpe Hall on your right. At the end of this field pass through a gate into a paddock continuing in the same direction and crossing a stile over a metal fence onto the Hall drive. Turn left and after passing through the ornamental gates turn right Church Lane.
Walk past St Vincents Church and then turn left into High Street passing the Red Lion on your left and the Waggon and Horses on your right. After passing the Village Shop on your right, turn right into South Parade. Where this meets Brick Lane turn left, then immediately right at a footpath sign onto a footpath which leads around the field edge beside houses. About 100 metres before reaching the end of the field turn left over a stile, by a multi fingered footpath sign, and turn immediately right to walk along the field edge with the hedge on your right.
Continue ahead for the next three fields, keeping a hedge and then a ditch on your right. passing the narrow Billy Roose Wood on your right and with views ahead to Hough on the Hill. Cross a stile into a grass paddock, heading slightly left of the Church Tower. Leave the paddock by another stile and continue straight ahead on a tarmac lane into Hough on the Hill village. with buildings on your right.. At the end of Thompson's Lane, turn right and then immediately left to a footpath leading up the hill. Continue straight ahead after the kissing gate and turn right, through a second kissing gate into the Churchyard of All Saints Church
Walk ahead to the right of the right of the Church and through wooden gates to High Road, with the Brownlow Arms on your left. Continue across Grantham Road into Folly Lane. After passing the last building on the left, cross over a stile and continue straight ahead on the track to another two stiles on the left which cut across the corner of two fences. Walk along a paddock over another stile then head slightly left up a field to a stile in the hedge. Turn right, walk alongside an arable field, follow the path around to the left until you see a stile in the hedge on your right. Walk down into the dip to a stile between two trees. Continue down hill to a wooden bridge. Cross the bridge and go up the other side walking between trees until you reach a white house. There is a stile on your right, the path takes you through a garden, cross over the stile at the end of the garden to join Manor Lane, Gelston.

Gelston to Dry Doddington 6.0 miles

You will be pleased to know that the name Dry Doddington, is in no way associated with the temperance movement and you can celebrate the completion of this longest section of the Round at The Wheatsheaf Inn. If you have managed to call in to all the pubs on this section , it will probably come as a relief to know that the spire of St James Tower leans at an alarming angle of 4.8 degrees (the Leaning Tower of Pisa leans at 3.9 degrees), it's nothing to do with your eyesight or the alcohol.

Dry Doddington Church is also unusual in that it stands unfenced on the village Green and does not have its own graveyard. In the past the Church had subsidiary status to All Saints Church in nearby Westborough where the dead of both villages are buried.

Continue past the village green on your left and turn right on a tarmac lane which soon turns into a track as it leads down the hill. This pleasant green lane skirts Loveden Hill and then joins a tarmac road which passes Gelston Grange Farm, to reach the Lincoln Low Road. Turn right and follow the Low Road, please be careful as cars do appear to travel quite fast along this stretch of road and take advantage of the wide grass verges on either side of the road. Continue for about half a mile until you reach a public bridleway on your left, opposite Grange Lane.
Turn left here and walk along the farm track. Keep on this track and eventually you pass a broken concrete Ordnance Survey Trig Point on the left (21 metres above sea level). The track then swings right then left and you join a public road at Littlegates Farm. Continue straight ahead until you reach a road junction where you turn right onto Doddington Lane (signposted Stubton). Continue straight ahead for about one third of a mile, then after passing electric poles on either side of the road, turn left on to a farm track.
Continue along this track passing two three way footpath signs, then crossing a footbridge over the railway line and continue along a track heading towards the spire of Dry Doddington Church. Cross over another track at the side of a phone mast and continue straight ahead. This becomes Coach Road leading to Dry Doddington.
When close to the village, turn right at a 3 way footpath sign winding between trees and bushes. Continue straight ahead on a stoned track, keeping the houses on your left (do not follow the track as it sweeps round to the right) and then continue straight ahead at a 3 way footpath sign following a footpath to Claypole Lane, emerging opposite 'The Paddock' Turn left here and then right onto main street. Bear left at the Church and you will see the Wheatsheaf Inn on your left.

Page updated

Google Sites

Report abuse