Belvoir - Knipton to Bottesford

Navigating The Route

This is a driving Treasure Hunt from Knipton to Bottesford in Belvoir, with Explorers helping the Exploration Society track down gold stolen from a 14th-century tax collector after an ancient map was found during church restoration.

The quest covers approximately 10 miles and should take around 3 hours to complete. You'll travel by vehicle through five villages, beginning in Knipton before continuing to Denton, Woolsthorpe, Muston and Bottesford, with on-foot investigating around village streets, churches, greens and historic corners along the way.

This Trail is suitable for wheelchairs and pushchairs. The route uses roads, lanes, pavements and public footpaths, and includes a footbridge and a path around a churchyard. There are also places with no pavements and no pedestrian crossings, so keep Mini Explorers close and take care when moving between clue-hunting spots.

This is not a circular walking route back to the start. You'll continue by vehicle from one village to the next. Cautiously cross the road at the start, take great care on streets and lanes with no pedestrian crossings or pavements, and be aware that there is a busy A52 to join. Cyclists should dismount to cross this road.

Getting There

By car: Begin in Knipton, by the Village Hall at the bottom of Church Hill (NG32 1RN). Park up here to begin in Knipton. After following the driving directions into Denton, park by the church (NG32 1LG). In Woolsthorpe, park by the small green on the left before the Chequers Inn (NG32 1LZ). In Muston, park up on the right hand side along Main Street (NG13 0FB). In Bottesford, park along Church Street (NG13 0BX) before continuing on foot to the village centre.

By public transport: Make your way to Knipton, by the Village Hall at the bottom of Church Hill (NG32 1RN), to begin the quest. As this is a driving Trail through five villages and does not return to the start on foot, plan how your squad will continue from village to village and travel on from Bottesford once the treasure trail is complete.

Need the Loo?

Plan ahead, Explorers - there aren't any public toilets along the route. Belvoir Castle, which is suggested as an extra place to visit once you have completed the expedition, has toilets.

Bring Your Furry Sidekicks

Four-legged Explorers are welcome to join the hunt 🐾

The route includes village streets, lanes, public footpaths, a footbridge, churchyard paths and sections with no pavements or pedestrian crossings, so keep dogs close around traffic and when moving between clues. Take extra care near the busy A52 too, especially if your crew is travelling with cycles.

Food & Drink Stops

Treasure-hunting across five villages calls for decent provisions. You'll pass a couple of pubs for refreshments, and Belvoir Castle is also described as having shops and refreshments if you visit once the expedition is complete.

Pack a picnic to enjoy after Clue 16, when your Explorers may be ready to swap map-squinting for sandwiches.

Want to Make a Day of It?

Belvoir Castle

Belvoir Castle is visible across the valley from the route and is home to the Duke and Duchess of Rutland. It's suggested as a great place to visit once you have finished, with toilets, shops and refreshments. It also has one of the stranger bits of local intel on this quest: in 2010 its website was hacked by a radical Algerian group, who mistook it for the Belvoir Fortress in Israel.

Knipton Churchyard

Early in the expedition, take a moment to explore Knipton's simple, attractive country church. South of the tower, you may find a fine example of a 'Belvoir Angel' headstone, dated 1698 - just the kind of old clue-worthy detail Explorers love.

Muston Parish Church

Muston parish church makes a striking stop, with a spire rising 210 feet and counted as one of the tallest in the country. Inside are the tombs of the Earls and Dukes of Rutland, including the 'witches tomb', which records the death of two heirs to the earldom by witchcraft.

Dr Fleming's Almhouses

On the corner of Market Street and Chapel Street in Bottesford, look out for Dr Fleming's Almhouses, dated 1620. Dr Fleming was a local philanthropist and the Rector of St Mary's Church from 1581 to 1620, and the bridge across the River Devon in Church Street is also named after him.