Get Lost Mountaineering

Walk 10 Old Wood NW, W & SW following inner and perimeter paths

Start/Finish

Five Way junction where there is some rough parking for a few cars. From Skellingthorpe Co-Op, take the road towards Saxilby but soon turn left, on a right hand bend, onto Woodbank and follow it to its end near a pillar box where there is space for a few cars. Fork right, pass some houses to reach the five way junction where there is a sign post.

Distance/Time

6 km/3.5 miles     About an hour and a half

Introduction

Skellingthorpe Old Wood is one of the largest woodlands in the area and is relatively quiet to walk around. It contains a mixture of good tracks, boggy tracks and many footpaths. Boots are needed and gaiters after wet weather. The wood is very natural and, in March, white wood anemones abound which are followed by bluebells in mid April. There is much to explore in this wood. This is the longest of the walks in the wood and explores the main paths within and along the edge of the wood.

Route

(1) Go left on a good track, for Old Wood House, at the five way junction. Soon reach the main entrance to the house. Continue a little further and before, the house is passed, look for a path gtoing into the trees on the left. Take this easy to follow path and follow it through the trees. A shallow ditch has to be crossed but this is not normally a problem. Continue on the path which ends when it joins a major track at a short fence. Turn right and soon reach another short fence where a path goes off to the right. Follow this path, passing a coppice area, to reach another track which has come from the five way junction.

(2) Turn left onto the track. Pass the major track left a few minutes earlier and continue for about another 300 m to reach the edge of the wood on its northern side. Just before the edge of the wood, a footpath goes off left which shadows the edge of the wood but is about 20 m from the edge. Further this path becomes boggy and almost a swamp so bypass this section by going into the trees nearer to the edge of the forest. This is dry but a little awkward in places. Rejoin the path/track after the very boggy section and continue. Further on, reach a sign suggesting you go left but, instead, fork right onto a minor path nearer to the edge of the wood. This follows the edge of the wood for some distance and goes around a left hand corner at one stage before joining a better path further on by a sign post. Soon after, reach a wooden bridge (path to Carr Farm). Do not cross the bridge but continue along the path close to the edge of the wood. About 200 m further is an obvious path going back into the wood but continue past it. Further on, the path bends to the left with another bridge on the right. Stay with the path around the bend ignoring the left fork soon after. Follow the wide path/track which can be boggy. Reach a crossroads and turn right onto a path. Almost reach the edge of the wood again but follow the path which turns left and back into the wood. Reach a pool on the right with a bridge soon after. Continue to a T junction with a large open field beyond. Turn right and soon pass under a large wooden arch just before joining the sustrans track from Skellingthorpe to Harby.

(3) Retrace back through the arch on the same path, passing the path used earlier, and continue until it meets a minor track with a short fence and path straight ahead. Take the delightful weaving path into the wood. Follow this through the wood to emerge on a major track. Turn right and follow the track to a gate where there is an information map. Just after the gate, take the path on the right which goes back into the wood. Follow the path to its end where it rejoins the minor track. Turn left onto the minor track and continue until almost at the houses where another signed path goes off left. Follow this path, which can be muddy, back to the five way junction.

Notes

(a) This walk took place in April, 2020.