Fourteen walkers met in the main car park at Hardwick Hall under a cloudy sky but with a forecast of better things to come. We started the walk in Lady Spencer’s Wood and continued on to meet Norwood Lane, passing Norwood Lodge as we went along. Not too long after passing the lodge we reached the Teversal Trail which was once a railway linking pits in the area. It is now a gravel track ideal for walking, running, cycling and horse riding. We followed the trail until we reached a byway leading to Teversal village.
We walked in a loop around the village which was very worthwhile as it incorporated views of St Katherine’s church and Teversal Manor (inspiration for Lady Chatterley’s Lover). At this point we called in at the Teversal Visitors’ Centre and Cafe which is a volunteer run cafe and community space.
We rejoined the Teversal Trail and re-traced our steps up to the point where we first joined the trail but rather than taking a left turn towards the start point we continued on the trail until we turned left to join the Rowthorne Trail which is also a multi-use track that was formerly a railway line. This track took us all the way up to the Rowthorne Gate entrance to Hardwick Park but before entering the park we had our lunch on benches next to the Rowthorne Trail car park.
The final leg of the walk took us along the main driveway through the park and then through Park Piece and back to Lady Spencer’s Wood. Many thanks to Richard and Phoebe for leading us round this very enjoyable walk.
