Walk FactsIntroductionWalk LocationA delightful circular walk throughwoodland and park land.

Starting PointStepping Out Car Park atPeacock Lodge, signposted toMount Farm off the B1191.(Grid Ref: TF 0429 5368)

ParkingStepping Out Car Park atPeacock Lodge

Public TransportFor information call the Traveline on0871 200 22 33 or visitwww.lincolnshire.gov.uk/busrailtravel

Walk Length3.4miles/5.5km in length andshould take 1½ to 2 hoursat a leisurely pace.

Type of WalkA mix of footpaths and farmtracks. There are stiles on thiswalk and some of the woodlandpaths can be muddy in wetweather.

Ordnance Survey mapsExplorer 272 and Landranger 121

Picks Butchers89 Main StreetDorrington LN4 3QATelephone: 01526 830831

RAF Digby Sector OperationsRoom MuseumRAF DigbyLincolnshire LN4 3LHTelephone: 01526 327619www.airops.freeserve.co.uk

North Ings Farm MuseumFen Road, DorringtonLincoln LN4 3QBTelephone: 01526 833100www.northingsfarmmuseum.co.uk

RefreshmentsDigby Post Office and Stores27 Beck StreetDigby LN4 3NETelephone: 01526 320223

The Musicians ArmsMain Street, DorringtonLincolnshire LN4 3PXTelephone: 01526 832310

The Red Lion3 North Street, DigbyLincolnshire LN4 3LYTelephone: 01526 320490

AccommodationThe LodgeBloxholmLincolnshire LN4 3QFTelephone: 01526 860347

Digby Manor B&BThe Manor, North StreetDigby, Lincolnshire LN4 3LYTelephone: 01526 860347www.digbymanor.com

Sunnyside Farm B&BLeasingham LaneRuskington, Lincolnshire NG34 9AHTelephone: 01526 833010www.sunnysidefarm.co.uk

You will find Bloxholm andBrauncewell at the edge of thelimestone dip slope of Lincoln Heathas it meets a narrow zone of claysand gravels (never more than five orsix miles wide) that disappearseastwards beneath the fens.

This distinctive area, sandwichedbetween the B1188 and Car Dyke ismore sheltered than the heath, withits straight-sided Enclosure Actfields, crumbling dry-stone walls andisolated farmsteads. Here smallerfields have hedges stocked withtimber trees; there are coppices andplantations, while lanes and drovesare clustered with settlements, allfeatures typical of medievalenclosure.

Tucked away to the southwest ofBloxholm is the site of the desertedmedieval village of Brauncewell.Only the tiny All Saints Churchremains standing, but the paddockseast of Manor Farm still bear thefaint scars of forgotten streets. Theabandonment of the site has beenattributed to many things, includingclimate change and the comingof the Mini-Ice Age in approximately1300.

Places of interest to visit nearby

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Go Stepping Out!

Whilst great care has been taken in compiling this information into this leaflet, North KestevenDistrict Council cannot be held responsible for any errors, omissions or alterations containedwithin it. The inclusion of an establishment within this leaflet does not imply any official

recommendations by North Kesteven District Council.

Stepping Out

Walk

10

North Kesteven District Council Heart of Lincolnshire

Distance 3.4 miles/5.5km

www.countrysidenk.co.uk

Bloxholmand Brauncewell

For more Stepping Out walks, further information on local attractions oraccommodation, please call or visit:Sleaford Tourist Information Centre, Money’s Yard, Carre Street,Sleaford, Lincs, NG34 7TW Telephone: 01529 414294Email: tic@n-kesteven.gov.uk www.heartoflincs.comDownload all the Stepping Out walks by visiting www.countrysidenk.co.ukwww.countrysideaccess.gov.ukwww.visitlincolnshire.comwww.spiresandsteeples.com

��Country Estate Walk1. From the Stepping Out Car Park

at Peacock Lodge, walk straightahead, through the wooden gateand down the wide farm track,originally the carriageway toBloxholm Hall.

2. Just before you reach Mount Farmon your left, look for a trackleading right alongside a largeblackthorn hedge. Turn right ontothis path.

3. Continue down this path, passinga pond on your left, until youreach a long strip of woodland.The path on your right leadsthrough the plantation, back to theroad where, for a shorter walk,you can turn right back along theroad to your car. To continue thecircular route, turn left intowoodland known as Ten AcrePlantation.

4. This path winds its way throughSpruce Covert and Four AcrePlantation where many of thetrees are hornbeam. Violets andcelandine can also be seen inspring. Follow the way markersthrough the wood until youemerge onto a single track road.The road bends to the right to HillFarm. Carry on straight ahead andtake the left hand road throughopen fields. The village ofBloxholm can be seen ahead,while Dorrington Church tower is

clearly visible in the distance.5. This track joins the public road,

bear left here, towards Bloxholm.Continue along the road until youreach a curious round hexagonalhouse (called the round house) onyour left. This house was built forthe estate in 1825.

6. Just after the round house, takethe path off to the left, along acinder path which leads lefttowards the old walled gardenbelonging to the hall. Continuepast the old gates until you reachthe corner of the garden wall.

7. At this point the cinder path bearsright into a private property, followthe grassy path leading off to yourleft. Take this path, keeping thehedge on your right. The pathbends right over an old footbridgeuntil it reaches a farm trackleading around the edge of a field.

. Turn right onto this track. You willsee the walled garden across toyour right and the pastureshowing signs of medieval ‘ridgeand furrow past cultivation.’Continue until you see a woodengate on your right with the hall inthe distance.

Reproduced from OS Mapping with the permission of the controller ofHMSO c Crown Copyright. Unauthorised reproduction infringes crowncopyright and may lead to civil proceedings. OS Licence 100017926.2009

9. Turn left here onto the broadgrassy path which leads betweenfields towards the wooded moundknown as The Mount.

Before ascending the gentle riseto The Mount you will reach ahedge. Here, a way marked pathleads off right. This path takesyou around the edge of a field toa bridge. Turn right at the bridgeand follow the stream around theedge of the field past a copse(The Thorns) until you reach themain B1191 road. Turn left at theroad to return to the car park.

To continue the circular route,pass through the gap in thehedge, cross a stream and a stileinto the pasture beyond. The pathcontinues up the slope to TheMount.At The Mount, continue along thetrack, through four sets of metalgates and past the farmyard atMount Farm and return throughthe metal gates and back toyour car.

A15

B1191

KeyCar ParksA Country Estate WalkAlternative Stepping Out Route

North Kesteven’s landscapeof contrasts is reflected in thevalue of rents collected by18th Century landowners. Afarmer working the infertileheath might pay eight shillings(40p) an acre, on the boulderclays south of Sleaford 18s(90p) and for the un-drainedfens to the east, 2s.6d (7½p).In 1808 Land Tax returns forthe 2,535 acres of theheathland parish of Cranwellshow land values of £34.6d,while the 729 acres ofStragglethorpe were worth£40, more than twice asmuch per acre.

The original Bloxholm Hallwas built during the 17thCentury by Cyprian Thornton.In 1825, the Manners familywho owned lordship and wererelations of the Duke ofRutland, extensively‘enlarged and beautified’ thehall and gardens.

Please note - During lambingseason, some of the fencesmay be closed.

Brauncewell Medieval Village

Brauncewell had a population of 100or more in 1086. The subsequentabandonment of the site has beenattributed to many things: fire; asuccession of land grants to religioushouses; and in 1348 the BlackDeath, the plague which killed a thirdof the population of England. But it isalso possible that climate changeplayed a significant part in thedemise of Brauncewell and other lostvillages like nearby Dunsby,Hanbeck, Old Rauceby and Burgh.

Climate scientists believe thatbetween 900 and 1300 Europe wasmuch warmer than today and that thisera (sometimes known as theMedieval Warming Period) wasfollowed by the so-called Mini-Ice Agewhich lasted for about 600 years from1300 to 1900. The effects of sosudden a drop in temperature wouldhave been catastrophic onsubsistence farmers, resulting inagricultural recession, famine andpossibly the loss of English vineyards.

Whatever the cause, by early 17thCentury, Brauncewell was completelydeserted. Today the site can bereached by taking the minor roadfrom the A15, which leads to ManorFarm. Cars can be parked on thegrass verge by All Saints Church. Apublic footpath to Brauncewell canalso be accessed from the minorroad that leads from Bloxholm toLeasingham, approaching the siteacross the paddocks from the east.

Many of the paths have been providedby the goodwill of local landowners.These are marked by Highways Actsigns. No special permission is neededto use these paths, but walkers areasked to help to ensure a continuedwelcome by only using the waymarkedpaths and keeping dogs on a lead.Where paths cross pasture young stockmay be present. If you have a dog withyou please make sure it is under firmcontrol in these sensitive areas.

Bloxholm

BrauncewellDeserted Village

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