Staunton Harold estate to Staunton Ridgeway
A great Sunday afternoon walk starting at the Staunton Harold estate and following a permissive path along Staunton Ridgeway. This is a new path, opened in 1994 and the 13 stiles are each carved with lettering. Take a pen and paper with you and note what they say - the stiles South to North are parts of a quotation from Hilaire Belloc and North to South they tell a different story. It is a 'there and back' walk, enabling you to read the stiles in both directions and taking about 2 hours.Leaving Ashby on the B587 past Lount, turning left towards Melbourne and then immediately left into the Staunton Harold estate. Follow the estate road round to the open car park behind Staunton Harold Nurseries.
At the bottom end of the car park take the path across the footbridge towards the Ferrers Centre and then bear right to follow the main driveway down towards the two lakes. Pass through the impressive gates between the lakes and continue up the drive for a short distance until you see a yellow marker post which you should follow to your left. Bear right at the next marker post, before the gate and you will find the first of the 13 stiles which form the Permissive path. Proceed over the stile and through the woods, following the yellow marker posts to stile 2. From stile 2 you go alongside a wall - look for the gap where there are fine views over the reservoir. At the end of the wall, continue straight ahead up the field edge to stile 3. Go slightly downhill and bear right (keeping the car park below you and to your left) to follow the path through a wooded area to stile 4. Follow the field edge alongside the road to stile 5 - care is needed as the path crosses the road immediately after the stile.
Stile 6 leads you into Spring Wood where you bear right slightly and then left down a wide track to follow the yellow marker to stile 7 on your right. The track winds through the outskirts of the woods before turning left to stile 8 and back into Spring Wood. Continue along the edge of the wood for a short distance to stile 9, where you emerge to cross a small field to stile 10. Care needs to be taken again, as you will now cross the Melbourne road, to go down steps to stile 11. Keeping along the right hand edge of the field, go downhill and bear right at the bottom of the field to go through a swing gate, over a stream, and up steps to stile 12. Turn left and follow the field edge round to stile 13 and the end of the Permissive path.
You should now have your complete quotation, and can retrace your steps back to Staunton Harold, where you may like to enjoy a well deserved cup of tea at Staunton Stables tea room - don't forget to note the new wording on the return walk!
Walk by Liz ( AshbyLife )
