(S)Enter Hubbard's Hills and either walk through the valley floor by the River Lud or climb the steps and use the upper path. Continue through to Westgate Fields. Cross Westgate Fields, turning left along the road at the far end (Westgate) to soon pass the junction with St Mary's Lane. Then turn right up a signed lane and from a stile by a barn at the end keep ahead over a meadow to Louth by-pass.
(1)Cross carefully and keep ahead over a farm lane and over two meadows enter Cow Pasture Wood; at the far side walk down to the road. Cross to a stile opposite and proceed down another meadow, veering right slightly to reach a footbridge a stile at either end. Climb these and turn right, soon joining a track. Keep forward on this (there's a short concrete section) continuing on grass and keeping by a fence until you reach a bridle gate. Go through this and follow the path (ignoring all side paths) through Elkington and you will come to a 3-way footpath sign at two whalebones.
(2)Now turn left to descend Welton Vale. Just before reaching the main road watch for a narrow footpath branching to the right. Cross the A157 to join a permissive path along a meadow edge to a stile, footbridge and steps. In the next field walk (quite steeply) uphill from the nearby corner, soon cutting through a hedge gap to complete the climb to Jack's Furze where a track begins. Have a breather here as you take in the fabulous views; then continue ahead to another road.
Note: It seems the permissive path above has been closed recently. Has anyone any ideas for completing the route without using this path? At the moment the route can't be completed satisfactorily.
(3)Bear left and take the first right turning into Hallington. Just after the entrance to Home Farm, another permissive path begins on the left cutting through an orchard. From the far corner walk by a fence until you can head diagonally over a large paddock to its far left hand corner. A stile here exits onto the old railway close to the former station. Take your bearing from the footpath signpost and walk across the arable field ahead and, when it can be seen, aim just left of Raithby church tower. From the stile in the next hedge continue over Raithby's lost village site and pass round a large house to meet a road directly opposite Raithby church.
(4)From the church re-cross the road into the field but now veer right to pass a small brick building and locate a footbridge on your right; from it walk up through a bridlegate to the left of a house. Now turn left along a grass headland path. At a 3-way footpath sign go left again over a causeway between two lakes, then from a footbridge re-cross the old railway before veering right over an arable field to another footbridge. Now bear left past a house and walk up its drive to a road.
(5)Finally turn right to return to Hubbard's Hills. (Alternatively there is a right of way in the meadow opposite; it keeps parallel to the road, which can be rejoined by steps at the far end.)
