Belvoir

Castle, Village and First Pint

Belvoir Castle stands on a hill above the Vale, visible across the surrounding landscape. A Norman stronghold was followed by Tudor and seventeenth-century rebuilding, then the Gothic Revival castle seen today. The small estate settlement of Belvoir sits below it. The name means “beautiful view” in Norman French; from the castle gardens, the meaning is easy to grasp.

Belvoir village is small, and its strongest draw is the landscape around it. The castle looks across the Vale, while walking routes lead towards Woolsthorpe, Redmile and the canal. Plan food and shopping as separate stops around the estate and neighbouring villages.

The Engine Yard, Belvoir's retail village below the castle, is the practical stop for shopping or a meal. A farm shop and a pet shop sit alongside bistro dining and woodfired pizza. The retail village car park offers up to 2.5 hours free parking.

Country pubs in the surrounding villages offer cask beer, gardens and dining after a walk across the Vale.

The Chequers Inn at Woolsthorpe by Belvoir serves three real ales and keeps a permanent cider hand-pull. It offers bar and restaurant dining as well as a garden. Dogs are welcome in the bar and garden, but not the restaurant; reserve a bar table if you plan to eat with one.

Pubs Around the Vale

The Wheel Inn at Branston is a traditional ironstone pub more than 200 years old. It selects cask ales from local microbreweries and larger producers and serves food made with local ingredients. It has won the Vale of Belvoir CAMRA Leicestershire Pub of the Year award.

The Canal Towpath

Between Belvoir's hilltop and the canal, the land slopes into the low-lying clay Vale. From the towpath, the castle stands out against the ridge.

At Woolsthorpe Locks, three locks are part of the work to restore the canal to full navigation. Duck Lane is the visitor approach, with limited parking off the lane.

From Woolsthorpe, the towpath offers an easier outing through the Vale. For a longer walk, the Jubilee Way heads towards the castle and the Viking Way also passes through Woolsthorpe. Allow for a climb when leaving the canal for the castle.

Walking the Vale and Rebuilding the Castle

The 14-mile Woolsthorpe circuit follows the canal to Longmoor Bridge, takes the Viking Way back to the village, then follows the Jubilee Way through Old Park Wood, Plungar Wood and Stathern Wood to Stathern before returning to Woolsthorpe. Expect moderate climbs; for an easier outing, walk a shorter stretch of towpath.

The Vale of Belvoir is low-lying clay country, drained by the River Devon and the Smite. Broad river valleys, large hedged fields and gentle slopes reflect its strong dairying tradition. The castle stands on a conspicuous scarp visible across the Vale.

Robert de Todeni established a Norman castle at Belvoir and founded a priory below the hill. After the medieval castle fell into ruin, Thomas Manners, the 1st Earl of Rutland, began rebuilding soon after 1523; the work was completed by the 2nd Earl in 1555. Parliament ordered the castle's demolition in 1649 after the Civil War.

Rebuilding began again in 1654 under John Webb and was completed in 1668. Early nineteenth-century work under James Wyatt created much of the present Grade I castle. A fire in 1816 destroyed two fronts, the grand staircase and picture gallery, including about thirty paintings; the Reverend Sir John Thoroton led the reconstruction.

Witches, Churches and Practicalities

Belvoir's witchcraft story reaches beyond the castle. In 1619, women remembered as the Belvoir Witches were hanged at Lincoln Castle after accusations surrounding the death of a Rutland child. A family monument in Bottesford's parish church still records the witchcraft claim.

In Bottesford, Grade I St Mary the Virgin, known as the Lady of the Vale, holds monuments to the first eight Earls of Rutland and a memorial linked to the witchcraft accusations.

A car makes it easier to connect the castle, canal and outlying villages. Drivers can reach the estate from the A1 and A52, while buses from Grantham to nearby villages are limited. Grantham station is the rail connection, with a taxi onward to the estate.

The castle has a changing programme of visits and events. For a quieter finish, Woolsthorpe's canal towpath brings the hilltop landmark back into view across the Vale.