Pytchley - Broughton - Badsaddle Wood - Pytchley

Friday 3 June 2011.  With Marta.  Around 7 miles - almost 3 hours. Sussing the scene for a Monday walk.
Conditions, hot, sunny, bit of wind, very dry underfoot. 
Wildlife - another hare.

 The walk is adapted from the series Walking Close to - the River Ise near Kettering booklet, by Clive Brown, with the starting point at Pytchley.

Espaliered pear tree on a house in Pytchley.

1. Park opposite the Overstone Arms, walk up to the crossroads, turn left along  the High Street. take the right fork to Top End, walk to the end of the End, and turn left through a farmyard.

Turn right after a black barn, and take a bridleway past farm buildings and then between fields.  Follow the bridleway between hedges as it swings left.  As this ends you come to a field where you bear right to cut across the corner, through a gap in the hedge, then follow the right hand edge of the field, keeping trees to your right.

A well-earned rest - after - ooh - half a mile!  And only space for one of us.

2. The track goes down to Underwood's Hill  Spinney, then across a footbridge and up a slope to the right to join a bridleway. Turn left and follow the bridleway to a gate.  There is a gap in the hedge leading to a narrow overgrown path - follow this to the stile at the other end and turn right. (There are plenty of notices here telling you to keep to the footpath!)

Over another stile and along a narrow fenced-in path. Another stile, and the path continues between walls, through what looks like a private yard, and out through someone's garden, more or less.Broughton church is on our right.

The clock face is red. Lots of local ones are blue. 

3.  Walk down the path to Church St, and go left to join High Street and a little later the Northampton Road.

This sign shows the Broughton Tin Can Band in action, chasing away evil spirits - or it's rumoured it was once gypsies?

Is this one of the evil spirits?

 Walk a fair distance to the end of the houses and there is a garage. It can't be seen until you are pretty close.

The latest superpowered police car?

Opposite is a footpath sign through a gate.  Turn left and cross the field - you can see the paths cleared through the crops. Walk with the hedge to your left, and keep your eyes open for a stile part way along the field edge - you cross this to your left,  and continue in the same direction, but with the hedge on your right.  You cross two footbridges - both over dry stream-beds this time.

4. Go through a gap in the hedge, and turn right, crossing the field diagonally to the left to a gate in the opposite corner. Cross the minor road and walk along the farm track, continuing past the farm (Pytchley Lodge) which you pass on the left.

5.  Continue for 400 yards, ignoring a wide track to the right,  until you reach a waymarker pointing right. Follow the path across the fields. (if the field is sticky, after crops have been lifted and the field has been ploughed you can continue to the next field boundary and make  your way along with the hedge on your right until you join the original path). The path goes over a footbridge and round to the left of abandoned Badsaddle Farm. Follow the grass bridleway to the left, which takes you down the right-hand side of Badsaddle Wood.  Keep on through the welcome shade and you reach the A43 at a lay-by.

6. Go through the lay-by, turn left along the first wide track leading down the right hand-side of a large field. We couldn't see a sign post for this footpath.  At the end of the field there is a cross-paths.  You go ahead, turning slightly to the left, then joining a farm track - grassy rather than metalled.   You cross a farm road, close to a pylon, and in the next field keep to the left, with trees on your left.

7. At the bottom of a slope, turn right for about 30 yards and cross a serious footbridge.  Continue in the original direction, keeping the trees on your left.  You walk along a bridleway between hedges ( a bit overgrown) until you reach a minor road (Orlingbury-Broughton). Cross the road.

8. Head slightly diagonally left to the hedge corner. The gap is right in the corner - there is a large gap slightly to the right of it, but ignore it.  Carry on with the hedge on your left. In the next field, move away from the right hand edge, following the path through a dip and past a lone tree.  Carry on through field to a gap in the hedge, and across another field.

In a few days time, this may look like a lake from a distance .

You reach a stile just past some farm buildings.

9.  Turn left through the small farmyard, and down a path between the house and a wall.  You emerge at the corner of Butcher's Lane. Follow this to High Street, passing the primary school with its raised veg beds and mini-pond.  Follow the High Street back to the Overstone Arms.


Once more, with thanks to Clive Brown's booklet  Walking Close to the River Ise near Kettering.