Melbourne Park and Pools
This is a lovely morning or afternoon walk, it took us just over an hour and a half. Just by where you park there is a tea rooms, perfect you if you’re in need of a rest and refreshments!Leave Ashby via Wood Street and Nottingham Road. At the roundabout by Tesco, take the 2nd exit onto the B587 towards Lount. Continue through Lount, taking the left turning towards Melbourne. After a couple of miles you will come into Melbourne village centre, turn right, signed Parish Church & Wilson. Opposite the turning for Castle Street turn into the right where there is a parking area opposite the church.
The walk starts along the tarmac driveway which leads between the stone gateway to reach the lovely, Melbourne Pool. Continue along the driveway with the Pool on your right, and keep an eye out for the wonderful hedge on your right hand side. You will pass Pool Cottage on your right and continue straight on the as the driveway become rougher and passes by a footpath that leads off at the end of the Pool. A little way after this you come to another public footpath, marked by a wooden arrow, also leading off to the right.
Follow this path through the wooden swing gate to enter a grassy field. At the far side, cross a wooden stile into the next field where the track goes straight over to a third stile. Here the track follows the edge of the wood for a while before continuing around the field edge before dropping down to a stile on your left.
You can now see a farm on your left and the path is well marked with yellow arrows as it goes alongside the fence before passing through a gateway to join the grass driveway leading from the farm. At the end of this driveway turn immediately left onto a new footpath which goes down over a field to reach a strip of woodland in the valley. Cross a wooden stile and follow the path over a wooden plank bridge across a pretty stream before climbing out of the woods, over a stile to go steeply up the side of a field. At the top is another narrow strip of woodland, the path through is quite steep with steps carved up to a stile leading into an large open field near the hilltop. Whilst crossing this look out for views of Breedon church straight ahead.
The path now meets with a bridleway and you should turn left along the field edge to follow the bridleway with the golf course visible in places on your right. Keep going, bending through a gateway, and look out for the drive to Park Farm on your left. Shortly after passing this you will see a public footpath sign leading on the right. Although not marked this path actually goes off to the left too and this is where you need to head, going through a gap in the hedge and up the field towards the buildings. Cross the driveway by the buildings and a stile leads you into a field where the path goes diagonally downhill to the right. You will cross a further stile before reaching the driveway. Crossing the cattle grid follow this driveway back to Melbourne Pool.
Walk by Liz (Ashby Life)
