[1] Leave the car park through the gate onto the common and walk north along Smithy Lane for 50 metres to a gate and stile on the right. Go through and follow the hedge on the right all the way round to the far corner, ignore a path going right through a hedge gap, and join the road by a railway bridge. Cross the bridge and immediately turn right on a bridleway to Bridge Farm.
(A) The Nuneaton to Leicester railway was completed in 1864 and is now part of the major Birmingham to Peterborough route. It is also a busy freight line, taking containers from Felixstowe to the Midlands.
[2] Go Straight ahead through the farmyard and pick up a track going straight on along the right side of a hedge. Follow this to a path crossroads just in front of a gate. Take the path going left, which goes along the left side of a wooden fence. Cross a small stream and head over a field to the far hedgerow, swing right, following the hedgerow on the left, to a gate and stile at a protruding corner. Go through and down the right side of two fields, and along the track ahead to reach Leicester Road.
(B) Hinckley United Football Club was founded in 1997 after a merger between Hinckley Athletic and Hinckley Town. They moved to their new stadium in 2005. Their most notable achievement has been to twice reach the second round of the FA Cup, in 2002 and 2005. On the second occasion, only going out to league side Brentford after a replay.
[3] Cross the road by the bus stops and turn left on the wide path past the football ground. Turn right into the entrance to the Rugby club and go ahead up the drive with pitches to the left and the club house, then tennis courts, to the right. Go ahead across a field to a white house.
[4] You are now on the Leicestershire Round and will be following it for approximately 4 Kilometres.
Turn left in front of the white house and follow the right field edge to a stile in the corner. Go along the left edge of a large lawn to reach a road. Cross over and go down a narrow path that leads onto Burbage Common.
Watch out for golfers teeing off to the left.
Go ahead 25 metres to a waymarker post by a line of trees, go through the gap and half right to a green gate leading into a wood. Do not go through the gate, but turn left on a grassy track that goes through trees then along the edge of the wood. On reaching a finger post, continue ahead in the direction signed to Smithy Lane car park. Go under a railway bridge. (If you decide to cut the walk short, you could continue ahead here a short distance to the car park.)
(C) Burbage common was traditionally the poorest grazing land in the area, where the locals were allowed to graze their livestock. It is now a beautiful open space for Hinckley residents and other visitors to enjoy. The grassy areas are maintained as traditional hay meadows and the woods are still coppiced.
[5] Take the rightmost path which leads to a bridge & stile in the far right corner. Cross and go ahead with the wood on the left, ignoring any paths going left or right. When the wood ends, continue ahead with a large hedgerow on the left. At the end of the field, go over to the left side of the hedgerow and continue alongside it to a road.
[6] Cross over and go along Winchester Drive and turn left on Salisbury Road. Take the 2nd left, Sherbourne Road and follow it to a footpath at the end. Go across two fields. 20 metres into the next field turn right over a stile, ahead to another stile, then right of a hedge to a stile on the left by the corner. Follow the hedge on the right along the next field to another stile, and continue in the same direction across the next field. Fork right in the following field to cross two stiles in the far right corner. Go ahead to a footpath junction by the M69.
[7] The Leicestershire Round now goes right, but the route follows the path to the left, which goes alongside the motorway and up an embankment to a road. Turn left for a short distance and right onto a road by a white gate that is marked as closed to traffic. The road narrows and deteriorates but stays clear until it reaches another road at a second white gate. Cross over and turn left all the way to the start of Smithy Lane, by the petrol station. Turn right up Smithy Lane and follow it back to the car park.