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Walks & Explorations

A rough, illustrated, guide to three circular walks of 2-4 miles in extent taking in a variety of historic and ancient sites.

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The walking routes are shown in various shades of green green as several circular or figure eight combinations are possible. All start or finish at Foremark church which is accessed via a rought track (signed for the Foremark Hall Prep School HGV access) from the Milton to Ingleby road.

The shorter, western loop takes in the village of Milton and the route encompasses fields where the viking winter camp of 873AD is believed to have been held. Research in the area is ongoing but ties in neatly with known viking graves in Repton to the west and a documented Danish burial site to the east (see below). Be aware that the pub in Milton only seems to open evenings and weekends currently.

The south eastern route is a pleasant rural walk which includes Heath Wood where the aformentioned burial site included 59 mounds - many of which were excavated in the mid-late 20th century (the academically minded can download a complete pdf of the research paper [May be downloaded in several places eg here ). Heath Wood is probably the original site of the first Foremark Hall - replaced by the Burdett family (interred in Foremark Church) when the curent hall was built. The haha on the edge of the wood is a bit of a giveaway for the site because this type of wall/ditch combination was used to give an uninterrupted view of ones estate whilst keeping the animals (& peasants?) out. I have yet to look up the significance of the 'Hangman's Stone' on this route.

The north eastern loop takes in the so-called Anchor Church - a fascinating group of caves once used as a dwelling by a series of anchorites (google it!). This walk also gives easy acces to a handy pub serving good beer and food, however the walk alongside the river is prone to flooding and the footpath along the top of the cliff requires a fair amount of scrambling. Its worth it, but take care!