Louth - Stewton - Legbourne - Cawthorpe circular

Barry Benson

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This walk introduces a visitor to Louth to the areas in and around the town that are normally missed. As a food town it is full of shops selling every type of fresh produce and locally baked bread and cakes. This tends to focus the visitor on the High Street and the Georgian centre of the town.

The walk starts on Newmarket, so called when Louth town centre market outgrew the town centre and moved to open ground on the southern edge of the town. From here it drops into the centre of the town and then takes a restored path behind the shopping centre and out along the line of the old stream that rose from springs in the town centre. It then turns south along a path built on the line of the GNR railway closed in the late 60's by Dr Beeching until it meets Stewton Lane. Here it turns east along the lane and proceeds to the hamlet of Stewton, just a church and a few houses. From there it strikes out across country over rich farmland at the foot of the Wolds, with beautiful views of the Eastern ridge of the Wolds. It arrives in the thousand year old village of Legbourne (Lekeburn in Domesday) and crosses the village to head up into the Wolds. It follows the line of the stream (the burn) back up to Little Cawthorpe and then climbs onto the edge of the Eastern Ridge to return to Louth across Kenwick Park Golf Course. The golf course is relatively new but beautifully laid out and with views across the Marsh just walked.

From the Golf Course it returns by a back lane, again with panoramic views across the Marsh revealing its history and the growth of modern technology in the area. It rejoins the main road that enters Louth and becomes Newmarket

The walk is blessed with a wealth of facilities for the walker, a wide range of accomodation from 5 star hotel to B &B and a touring caravan site, every type of fast food in Louth, the best of fresh meat, sausages, cheese and bakery produce on sale in Louth and regularly spaced pubs and cafes along the route.

The walk is largely on either grass or paved paths or paved country lanes. There are three short sections totalling about 300M that cross cultivated land. Unfortunately this area is blessed with the culture of cultivate and reinstate where many paths cross farmland. This means that where paths cross farmland it can be a lottery as to whether there is a path or plough. This can mean sections of paths that are muddy and rough, particularly after harvest when fields have been ploughed or cultivated ready for the next crop. For this reason boots are recommended for this walk.

The walk is dog friendly with no stiles. Dogs must be on a lead when they are on the golf course.

England - East England - Lincolnshire - Lincolnshire Wolds

Features

Birds, Butterflies, Cafe, Church, Food Shop, Gift Shop, Great Views, Mostly Flat, Pub, Public Transport, Restaurant, Tea Shop, Toilets, Wildlife, Woodland
4/2/2019 - Steven Wainer

Did this walk on 27/03/2019 with my Rottweiler starting from Legbourne Village Hall. No stiles on route and very easy to follow. Louth is a nice town with lots of independent shops and antique shops and worth a visit.

8/16/2014 - Paul and Tracy Dawson

Just a note to start, the pub is The Boars Head pub not Blue Boar, might have changed its name? Really enjoyable flat walk on mainly country roads, paths and disused railway line. We haven't had too much rain recently, but the short section through the fields were pretty boggy in places, but easy to find your way round them. Although flat, you can see for miles on lots of stretches of the walk. Nice looking golf course to, almost makes me want to play again :-( Lookout for the ape in the garden, where the water mill wheel is, at the ford. Excellent guide, with lots of info. Thanks Barry.