Walks from a Village Loop to a Long-Distance Trail
A circular walk through Willoughby On The Wolds and the Notts Wolds Way offer two very different walking distances. The village walk is 1.8 miles (2.8 km) long. The Notts Wolds Way is a 26-mile long-distance trail from Bunny to Cropwell Butler; its first stage runs from Bunny to Willoughby On The Wolds. The stage description refers to the section ending in the village, while 26 miles is the total length of the trail. This allows a village loop and a long-distance trail to be considered as different options when planning. The Notts Wolds Way is marked throughout with a distinctive black arrow on a white background. For the circular walk, the parish council recommends suitable footwear and care when walking near traffic. Converted, the total length of the trail is approximately 42 kilometres.
Millennium Wood is another named natural feature of the village. It is part of the Woodland Trust’s “Woods On Your Doorstep” programme and is also called Willoughby Wood. Both names refer to the same woodland. This connects the village’s natural setting with a specific place and a clearly named project.
Churches and Historic Traces
The Church of St Mary and All Saints is a Grade I listed parish church. Its fabric dates from the 13th, 14th and 15th centuries, spanning several centuries. The Chantry Chapel of St Mary & All Saints contains nationally significant alabaster tombs. A brass plate in the church floor marks the grave of Michael Stanhope, who was killed at Willoughby Field at the age of 24. The church fabric and the grave marker highlight different aspects: one concerns a longer building history, the other commemorates a particular person.
At Broughton Lodge, a settlement is identified with Vernemetum, which is mentioned in the Antonine Itinerary. Another archaeological feature is the Anglo-Saxon cemetery at Broughton Lodge, which is a Scheduled Monument. It comprised about 90 inhumation burials; the finds are dated to the late 6th or early 7th century. The area’s history thus points to different periods: the settlement is associated with the Roman identification, while the burials belong to the later Anglo-Saxon period.
Another precisely dated historical reference is the skirmish of 5 July 1648. It took place in a field northwest of the church in Willoughby On The Wolds and was the last major engagement of the English Civil War in Nottinghamshire. Its exact date and location distinguish this historical reference from the archaeological periods and the church fabric, which spans several centuries.
For the broader travel overview: Nottinghamshire.
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