Colin Crosby Heritage Tours

John Clare Tour Was Great

The Recent “John Clare Country Tour” was enjoyed by everybody who took part.

I organised this morning excursion as one of the many Coach Trips that I run from St. Margarets Bus Station in Leicester every year. These trips start at 9.30am and the coach returns about 2pm.

This time, we toured the area, on the borders of Rutland, Cambridgeshire and Lincolnshire, most associated with John Clare, the peasant poet, whose poems celebrate the beauty of the English countryside.

We stopped for coffee at Sacrewell Farm and Country Centre, near Peterborough. It was the first time I had used this as a coffee stop, and everybody thought it was a good choice.

Then after going through Crowland, where I was able to point out the extraordinary Trinity Bridge and the ruins of Crowland Abbey, we traversed part of the Fens.

We made a brief stop at Helpston, the village where John Clare was born. There is an impressive memorial to him in the village street.

Then we drove through Barnack, past Burghley House and through the exquisite town of Stamford, before returning via Rutland to Leicester.

I don’t think I will get away with not repeating this very popular trip.