Viking Way at 50 - Walk of the Month

It takes you right to the point where Lincolnshire meets Leicestershire so well worth a go. It's not a big walk at 6.7‑miles long, but it is a nice circular route that wanders through Buckminster, over to Sproxton and back again, giving you a good feel for this stretch of countryside without needing to take on the full Viking Way. Nothing too demanding with plenty to look at along the way. Buckminster is where you set off. It's a small, tidy Leicestershire village tucked into rolling farmland, the sort of place where the views get good as soon as you leave the centre. The route heads out towards Sproxton, another quiet village with its own character, before looping back across fields and old trackways. One of the most interesting bits is the section along The Drift (or Sewstern Lane as it's also known). It's an old drovers' route that's been used for centuries and now forms part of the Viking Way. It also marks the county boundary, so you'll find yourself stepping between Lincolnshire and Leicestershire as you follow it. It's a reminder of how these landscapes have always been connected. You'll also cross the old Saltby airfield. During the second world war it was a busy operational site, starting out as a grass airfield before three hard runways were added and later it became a USAAF base before closing in 1945. Today it's home to Buckminster Gliding Club, but you can still sense the scale of the place as you walk across it. There's a memorial there to the service personnel who served on the site, too. This part of the Viking Way has had a lot of attention in recent years. Drainage work and surface improvements have made the route easier to use, and the changes have also helped the local nature habitat. In summer the verges are full of wildflowers, with more species appearing as the area has improved. Don't forget, if you're heading out with children, take the I‑Spy sheets or the list of 50 Things to Look Out For along the Viking Way. They're a good way to keep younger walkers involved and make the route feel more like an adventure. Maps, directions and activity sheets are all on the Viking Way page at Visit Lincolnshire, so it's worth having a look before you set off. And if you're doing the Viking Way badge challenge, this 6.7‑mile loop counts towards your total. Walk 50 miles for bronze, 100 for silver and all 149 miles for gold. So, this is another good month to tick off another section for all of you badge hunters! The Viking Way was created in 1976 and runs for 149 miles from the Humber estuary down to Oakham. It was a partnership between Lincolnshire, Leicestershire and Humberside County Councils with The Ramblers. Its name reflects the area's links to the Danelaw in the late ninth century, when Lincolnshire formed part of historic Mercia. The route passes through some of the county's most scenic landscapes, including the Lincolnshire Wolds National Landscape, the Lincolnshire Limewoods, the cliff villages south of Lincoln and the Kesteven Uplands.