Gumley to Saddington & Saddington Reservoir 4 miles (6.5km)
Sue on her mother’s seat near Gumley
Quite steepish hills across lovely pasture land with beautiful views then a quiet reservoir lane.
Saddington reservoir, popular with anglers and water birds.
Gumley is built on a lovely site. There was a settlement here in Mercian times. The Mercian kings met at Gumley in 749 and 775 AD The Church was rebuilt 1759. Gumley Hall, built by Joseph Cradock in 1764, has now gone. Cradock was a friend of Dr Johnson and the actor Garrick. He spared no expense on the house and built a private theatre in it but ran into debt and was forced to sell it. He died modestly aged 84. Only the stable block remains, now converted into housing. The woods are one of Hanbury’s plantations. The Rev. William Hanbury (1725-1778), who became vicar of Church Langton in 1753 when he was 28, had already done gardens and plantations at Gumley and Tur Langton. He believed there could be large profits from scientific tree planting. At Gumley the plantation was for several years the local tourist attraction. The gales of 1756 “blasted the tops of my elms and ashes.”
Please read the introduction to the original book updated for the web published walks.
The written description and map is a .pdf file which you can print and take with you on the walk.
Download walk 18 (.pdf file 250kb)
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