The Grantham Canal Walk (4): Harby to Redmile

Stage four of the Grantham Canal Walk begins at Harby and follows the ancient waterway to the picturesque and popular village of Redmile.

Four go ‘fourth’ – that’s the fourth section of the Grantham Canal Walk on a stroll which almost didn’t happen due to wet weather. After a series of phone calls discussing various problems including a lack of the two cars necessary on the day to carry out our linear walking routine, we finally awoke in the morning to pouring rain. A quick rain check confirmed that we should postpone today’s walk. An hour later the show was back on as the heavens cleared enough for us to go for the Harby to Redmile section.

Four walkers today then, Mel, Barbara, Stu and Gino Dog! Gino came along to protect us from any killer rabbits along the canal. Gino enjoyed himself immensely sniffing, exploring and even in the early stages taking a dip in the canal – from which he had to be pulled out of!
We began today’s walk at Harby Mill Bridge, the point we had left the canal the previous week. The afternoon was now a surprisingly warm one with clear skies and the foliage around us drying in the sunshine. The early stages were characterised by little in the way of views due to the high hedgerow on one side and the very tall reeds clogging the canal. At times the canal could not be seen at all.

The Grantham Canal Walk (3): Kinoulton to Harby

Further on along the Grantham Canal see’s today’s walk take us from Kinoulton to the historic village of Harby. The route passes through the charming Hickling Basin.

Hey-ho, let’s go! It’s off and strolling with stage three of the summer 2006 Grantham Canal walk! After last week’s brush with inclement weather there were no such problems this time on a fine and sunny day of around 24C. Starting earlier by necessity on this occasion, we left a car at Harby and duly backtracked cross country via Colston Basset to the pretty village of Kinoulton, scene of the conclusion of last week’s walk.

A Portrait of Harby, Leicestershire

The village of Harby lies nine miles north of Melton Mowbray in the heart of The Vale of Belvoir. With a population approaching a thousand, the village still retains a sleepy atmosphere in its position adjacent the Grantham Canal.

Harby, first recorded in the Domesday Book of 1085 under the name of Herdebi has a long history reaching back to the Viking era when it was known as the ‘village of Hjorti’.