Election Day Hickling Hike Around Nottinghamshire, the Grantham Canal & a bit of Leicestershire too

It’s polling day 2024 for the UK, which means a perfect time for me to set off on yet another hike. So, welcome, Llama Paws striders, walkers and explorers to a challenging hike around the Hickling, Nottinghamshire and Grantham canal area.

My walk begins alongside the Hickling Old Wharf, where geese, ducks and swans congrgate for attention. Just beyond the village, I pick up a long and winding route across the fields for many miles of scenic splendour – admiring the pre-harvest crops along the way. I arrive in well-to-do Colston Bassett, and despite the absence of geese, enjoy everything this quaint village has to offer as I traverse its entire length. From here it’s back into the fields, past a solar farm and plough on through several fields of pre-historic length grasses towards Langar.

Declining to visit the nearby wildflower farm on the airfield, I find a route to Langar’s twin village of Barnstone. Here I have to negotiate a less than welcoming field entrance, but the challenge is worth it, as beyond is a glorious forest tunnel running for the best part of a mile. I come out across a classic ridge and furrow field on the outskirts of Granby village and its infamous public house, but I have no time to linger. That’s because a long straight road south awaits me towards the amusing sounding village of Plungar – which hosts the entrance to the Grantham to Nottingham canal today.

Then it’s across many miles of towpaths, many of which have spectacularly returned to nature and make for a fair bit of resistance to the old Llama paws passing on their way. At Hose thought I leave the delights of the canal behind to take to the fields once more – although a massively overgrown path presents a unique challenge for me to overcome. Once through it, and the farmlands beyond I get the chance for a little road walking and then…(mild) disaster strikes!

A misread or poorly maintained sign sends me nearly a mile off course through a very heavily cropped field, but thankfully eventually I’m able to find my way back to the original track. Which is just as well as it soon leads back to Hickling – and its polling station – and my starting point once more.

And if you’ve enjoyed this walk – don’t forget to vote Llama by giving me a like!

Location Guide (What3Words): Start & Finish: ///gurgling.listen.response
Timecodes
00:00 – Introduction & Route Maps
01:44 – Hickling Old Wharf (Start)
02:50 – Fields to Colston
06:10 – Colston Bassett
07:53 - Langar
09:22 – Barnstone & Forest Tunnel
11:08 – Granby & Road South
12:57 – Plungar & Grantham Canal
15:38 – Hose & a Bit of a Jungle
17:49 - Farmlands
19:18 – Fields to Hickling
20:43 – Return to Hickling
21:56 – Hickling Old Wharf (End & Outro)