Rutland Round Section 2 Uppingham to Barrowden

Sometime back before isolation started, we parked up on the edge of Uppingham so not seeing the best of the town really and headed down the Stockerton road and into the fields.












The fields haven't recovered from the endless rain and storms of January and February and it was going to be a day of mud for sure.















And whilst there were some views to be had, we were walking fast and it was mizzly so nothing stunning to take away the pain of the brown stuff underfoot.

But we were definitely on the round.

There were some views of Eyebrook Reservoir which is Rutland's 'other' water.  Used by the RAF during WW2 to practise dam raids.

The paths continued in the same muddy vein.















To the very interesting church at Stoke Dry.

It is linked to the gunpowder plot.  We were walking in an unexpectedly larger group than planned which makes it more difficult to break to look at things like this, as what might be a brief look for a few becomes an epic break for the many and you run a risk of not finishing before dark, so we pressed on.

In the mud again towards Lyddington.
















Never ending seas of mud! But of varying colour and consistency!

Lyddington is an interesting town and worth going to for a visit in it's own right.

There is the Bede  House which was a Bishop's Palace until it became a Hospital used until 1930.














The Church has medieval paintings on the walls still, and we ate lunch there.






































Through the Bede House wall and off towards Seaton.

Past the large medieval fish ponds, needed to keep the Bishop and all his household stocked with fresh fish.


There's a lot of old medieval fish ponds around Leicestershire and Rutland, I assume because they are such a long way from the sea.

In the distance was Seaton viaduct.

It has 82 70ft high arches built by the Victorians by 3000 navies.  It cost £82,000 and used 20 million bricks.

It is the longest masonry viaduct across a valley in the United Kingdom

We went through a considerably smaller arch and continued through even more muddy fields to Morcott

And its windmill

And onto Barrowden
Posh enough there for the pheasants to catch the bus!

Barrowden is another well preserved 16th village.

There is a lot around here that is unchanged and untouched.










This was a 13 mile stretch. fairly easy going despite the mud so it would be incredibly easy in the dry.