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Old Bolingbroke & East Keal circular

Lincolnshire Walk

County/Area - Lincolnshire

Author - Christine Hurrell

Length - 6.0 miles / 9.8 km    Ascent - 450 feet / 136 metres

Time - 3 hours 30 minutes    Grade - easy

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Ordnance Survey Explorer 273Sheet Map1:25kBUY
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Ordnance Survey Landranger 122Sheet Map1:50kBUY
Anquet OS Landranger 122Digital Map1:50kBUY

Walk Route Description

Photo from the walk - Old Bolingbroke & East Keal circular
Click image to see photo description.

This beautiful walk takes you over the gentle slopes of the Lincolnshire Wolds. The village of Old Bolingbroke is steeped in history. In medieval times Bolingbroke Castle was owned by the House of Lancaster and it was here that Henvy IV was born in 1366. The castle is now in ruin. There is an interesting information board just outside the church explaining a little about Bolingbroke's past history. The majority of the fields you will pass through will be ploughed, so wear sturdy boots.

The walk starts in the village of Old Bolingbroke (grid ref. TF348651) where parking is available on the road. Locate the war memorial in the village centre and then walk along the narrow lane beside the now closed Black Horse pub. This lane will take you past the castle ruins (on the right). Follow the winding lane to a crossroads. Keep ahead along the lane signposted to East Keal and West Keal. At the fork, take the right-hand lane and bear left on joining another lane. This lane leads you over Keal Hill.

At the fork at the top (grid ref. TF362643), continue along the left-hand lane until you reach a T-junction. Here, cross the road and climb the stile opposite you. Turn immediately right through a gate and walk diagonally across a field to a stile on the far side. Climb the stile and continue in the same direction across the next field to a footpath post by a hedge gap. Go through the gap and now go downhill across a field to a post in the trees on the far side. Go through the trees and climb a stile to continue across the next field. Climb a stile on to a track. Turn right and where the track bears left, keep ahead over a stile and through a gate on to a road in East Keal (grid ref TF378640).

Turn left. Take the second lane on the right (Church Lane). Follow Church Lane almost to the church. Just before the church, turn left at a public footpath sign along an enclosed path that enters a field. Continue across the field, passing beside a gate in the far corner onto a road (grid ref TF380642). Cross the road and take the lane opposite signposted to Old Bolingbroke and Mavid Enderby.

Follow this lane around a left-hand bend and at a public footpath sign (grid ref TF378646), turn right along the track to Glebe Farm. At a fork in front of a barn, take the right-hand track. Just after passing through a belt of trees, turn left at a crossing of paths and tracks. At the next crossways to the left of a barn, turn left on to a track which runs along the right-hand edge of a field. This track will become narrower and will keep along the left-hand edge of the next field. The path widens again into a track. Keep on this and continue across more fields. At the yellow way marked post, bear left on to a path that continues in a straight line across the field and goes through a hedge gap onto a lane (grid ref. TF371655).

Turn right and at a public footpath sign turn left along a track which runs parallel to the right-hand edge of a field. Before reaching the field corner, bear left to a public footpath signed. Keep ahead through a wide hedge gap and head downhill to cross a footbridge on the far side of the field. Climb a stile and cross the next field, joining a track on the far side. Continue along the track. At the public footpath sign, turn left and walk along the right-hand edge of the next two fields. At a hedge corner, continue across to the far side and follow a narrow path through an area of scrub by a wire fence on the left. You will come into a field. Bear slightly left across it. Go through the kissing gate and continue downhill and through another kissing gate into a lane. Turn left and follow the lane around a left curve into Old Bolingbroke. At a junction, turn right towards Asgarby and Hareby and return to the start.

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