Home Thoughts from Middle England: The walk to Horace's Seat

Date: 24th February 2011

Distance: 3 miles

Beautiful weather today - sunny and almost warm. It was lovely. This walk took me down Moira Road along to the junction with Willesley Woodside and to the Heart of the National Forest (http://www.nationalforest.org/visit/index.php?control=see-and-do&action=map which is marked by a plaque and a tree. Also at this spot is a relic from the second world war which was shown to me by the two old boys who I sometimes meet on this walk. Lurking in the untidy hedge and broken down railings is an old concrete base on which a searchlight was placed. This would light up German bombers on their way to places such as Leicester, Birmingham, Tamworth and Derby. It's neglected, unnoticed and unloved by the locals - long may that last. One of these days I'm sure the health and safety brigade will notice it and have it either moved or marked by a sign saying 'do not touch - this may harm you'. Willesley Woodside is a quiet road that leads to Hicks Lodge. This is the site of an opencast coalmine. The mining finished a few years ago and now the area has been landscaped and beautified and nature is taking over again. There is a large lake and ranks of trees. There are new paths, picnic tables and, most recently and due to be finished soon, a cycling centre where the public will be able to hire bicycles and drink tea. This area, which I didn't know even had a name until the National Forest people helpfully put up a sign telling me, is a lovely spot. The large lake has ducks, geese, swan, coots and moor hens. The sky, on this walk, was full of Skylarks (it's great to see so many on my walks as it seems they are declining in other areas and are on the endangered lists). The Buzzards were circling round and calling to each other way up in the clouds. I feel they are watching for a moment of weakness, a stumble, a fall....

The high point, literally, of this walk is climbing up to Horace's Seat. This a great vantage point to survey the surrounding area. The whole of Moira, Donisthorpe and Oakthorpe are laid out before you and in the far distance the lorries trundle along on the M42. Horace Sankey was a local miner who dreamed of and helped to bring about the transformation of this former industrial landscape into the blossoming recreational environment we are lucky enough to be enjoying now. .http://www.le.ac.uk/emoha/community/resources/landshapes/sankey.html It must be wonderful to have such vision and have the motivation and energy to do something about it.

After a short respite admiring the view from Horace's seat it was then time to walk down the hill and round the lake and past the almost finished cycling centre (which has a large car park....)! The walk home was quiet; only one lonely jogger, who looked like it might be a jog too far, spluttered "good morning" to me. The last interesting sight was just around the corner from home... a pair of small, pink wellingtons, stood on a drive, with no one around...was this an invisible child? A glimpse into a parallel universe where wellingtons rule the world...?