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Out to the north of the County today, starting from the picturesque village of Denesthorpe. Parking is at a premium as are any signs of life.
The House is an eclectic mix of architectural styles, having evolved over six centuries and grew from a substantial quadrangular-plan medieval manor into a Tudor and Georgian mansion, whose main front now faces south across the Park and Lake.
Seven of the Brudenell family were Earls of Cardigan. The most famous being the 7th Earl who led the Charge of the Light Brigade at the Battle of Balaclava in 1854.
It's not possible to get very close so the photo to the left is the best I can manage unfortunately. Brudenell Estates comprises of approximately 10,000 acres of land divided between Northamptonshire, known as Deene Park, and the Welland Valley in Leicestershire.
The early rain has now cleared and it has become very humid with the odd glimpse of the sun.
It really is picture postcard around here.
If you look closely, and you can't actually see from the photo there is a Teapot sitting on the top! Now that is quirky!
Surprisingly you can't see very much of the House from the main gates. St Peters Church is also located within the grounds of Deene Park.
The church dates from the 13th century. Since the 16th century it has been the estate church of the Brudenell family. In the churchyard are four items that have been designated Grade II listed buildings. One is the headstone of Stephen Eaton dated 1691. There is a row of chest tombs of the Yorke family dating from the late 18th to the 19th century.
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We leave Deene Park via the Boating Lake and the weir.
To continue the route we have to cross the the busy A43 taking our lives in our hands. We get across safely and now we are out in the fields.
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We are in prime wildlife spotting territory now. The obligatory Red Kites are plentiful as you would expect. In the distance there is a heard of at least a dozen Deer. Hard to tell but they were probably Fallow Deer. They vary in colour from a light brown to a very dark colour.
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| Deers in the distance |
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As we reach Southwick Woods we start to circle back towards Deenethorpe.Probably a good thing as I ran out of drink a long while ago. Mistakenly thinking that I had another bottle in the bag. As we pass Boars Head Farm there is a very realistic looking crocodile next to a tree. I bet It's not as thirsty as I am right now! There are more and more Deers, I think that we must have seen around thirty all told on this walk.
The Deers are very alert and see you way before you see them. The seem OK until you stop and start watching them. As soon as you do that they are off.
We have also seen a few Hares from a distance too.Particular favourites of mine but were too far away to photograph. The walk has been in the heart of Rockingham Forest. The former Royal hunting forest is an area of some 200 sq mi (500 km2) lying between the River Welland and River Nene and the towns of Kettering and Stamford.
The area became a royal hunting ground for King William I after the Norman Conquest.
Just before we get back to Deenthorpe we pass the top end of the old American Airbase. Deenethorpe was constructed in 1943 and was allocated to the United States Army Air Forces Eighth Air Force. (Assigned USAAF designation Station 128).
The 401st Bomb Group flew B-17 Flying Fortresses from Deenethorpe, Northamptonshire, from November 1943 to June 1945. Starting their missions at that time meant the focus was very much on the coming invasion attempt of France planned for the following summer.
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| Deenethorpe Airfield |
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It has been quite a hard walk in the humidity (and lack of drink) so it is a relief to get back to the starting point. The walk in total comes out at 9.58 miles.
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