Walking For Health
The Shipley Common Loop - Part 02
w/e 17 April 2016
All of this week's pictures were taken with a Kodak DX6490

The outward leg of this route sticks mainly to public footpaths even though some of it passes through the Shipley View housing estate. This would have been even more true but for the enforced detour due to a footpath to the Nutbrook Trail being closed. Much of the return leg though is through the housing development.

Barclay Court

Foxton CloseJitty to Barclay CourtPicking up the planned route again at the end of Atherton Road the route crosses Pentridge Road into Foxton Close (left), one of many cul-de-sacs on the estate. An alleyway or jitty as we call them in these parts (right), leads through to another cul-de-sac called Barclay Court. To the uninitiated, some of the jittys are not obvious and here one starts in front of the houses in the distance.
Jitty To Summerfields Way

This jitty links Barclay Court with Summerfields Way, one of the main roads through the estate.
Hidden Jitty

Grassed AreaJitty to Keddleston DriveThe route crosses Summerfields Way into Newstead Road North where entry to the next jitty is again not obvious. It lies from what looks like a drive to a pair of semi-detached houses and can be seen towards the centre of the image above. This jitty is actually in two halves separated by a grassed area (left) surrounded by more properties with the second part (right) leading through to Kedleston Drive.
Kedleston Drive

Kedleston Drive is another of the main roads through the estate and the route takes us to the right all the way along it to Summerfields Way South.
From Newstead Road South

From the junction with Newstead Road South, Kedleston Drive can be seen meeting Summerfields Way South. Kedleston Drive continues to the left to Heanor Road but the route of this walk is to the right down Summerfields Way South.


At about two miles from the start of the walk we turn off Summerfields Way South to leave the estate and follow the drive to the Abbotsford Community Centre.
Community Centre

Abbotsford Community CentrePlay AreaAs well as providing facilities within the building itself, there is a large car park (left) an area with play equipment for children and football pitches. There was also someone practising their golf swing as we passed and at the far end of the site, children were still playing on the skate park (right) that we had passed on the outward leg of the walk. The return walk though was straight ahead along the path.
Behind Rose Crescent

This path runs with trees on the right and is behind Rose Crescent on the left. Ahead can be seen some new properties on a small estate off Heanor Road that have been built since we last walked this route with the Monday Strollers Walking Group some years ago.
Manners Industrial Estate

The path turns right at the new estate and soon joins with the same path we used on the outward leg behind the Manners Industrial Estate. From there the route returns to the Victoria Park Leisure Centre retracing the early part of the walk past the Recycling Centre and along Manners Avenue.
Victoria Park

It has to be said that this is not the most picturesque of walks but it does fulfil the requirements of a Walking For Health route in that it is up to three miles in length over mainly flat terrain with no stiles and it can be recommended for people with health issues who are striving to improve their fitness levels. And at the end of the walk there's always the opportunity to cross the road from the Leisure Centre to enjoy the floral displays in Victoria Park.

So here's a bonus picture of the park taken this week in the spring sunshine.

Flowers In The Park

Back to Part 01

To see a map/aerial view of the original planned route in a new window follow this link.

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