Fancy a walk?
The season of mists and mellow fruitfulness can yield some perfect days for walking – not too hot, not too cold. So, how about tackling the Leicestershire Round this autumn?
The Round was first devised by the Leicestershire Footpath Association (LFA) to celebrate its centenary in 1987. This route of one hundred miles (for one hundred years) encircles the city of Leicester in a big sweep, taking in some of our county’s best countryside. But, if that sounds like too big a walking project, or if you’d like a taster of The Round to start with, there is an alternative.
Shorter options
In the year 2000, the LFA published a guide entitled ‘32 Short Circular Walks Based on the Leicestershire Round’. The walks were designed for those wanting to sample the long distance walk without the challenge of attempting the full 100 miles. When the book went out of print, the walks became available on the LFA website as downloadable PDFs.
It’s now 25 years since the book was originally published and a team of LFA volunteers have been revisiting the walks and, where necessary, re-writing the instructions. To date, more than half of the walks have been re-written and the new versions uploaded to the website. To access the 32 Walks page on the LFA website, go to: lfa.org.uk/32walks and select a walk by clicking on the numbered circle on the map, or scroll through the short walk descriptions below it.
The Leicestershire Footpath Association is the oldest footpath preservation society in the country that’s still in existence today. Its volunteers work to protect the public’s rights to enjoy freedom of movement through Leicestershire’s countryside, actively seeking issues that affect rights of way and working closely with the County Council to remedy them.
The LFA is keen to recruit some new members! If you like walking in Leicestershire, why not join? There’s a membership form on the website, or you can email lfa.members2021@gmail.com
Happy walking!
Janina Holubecki
Leicestershire Wildlife Hospital – Oct ’25
