Southwick circular.

Thu, 2015 Jul 16 9:30 AM 

With Gordon. From Water tower, to Southwick, then through Woods. Fine dry weather with some sun. 8 miles.

We parked in the lay-by near the water tower on the Southwark to Glapthorn Road, and walked down to the village, to take the footpath just before the church - this passes the Hall gardens, where the metalwork figure of Henrietta (Moraes) is barely visible at this season. We walked almost exactly this route, but in reverse, on January 30 2012 and there is a picture and info about Henrietta there.

Down the lane past the hall we cross a footbridge and follow a path straight across the field heading for the woods. There is a bench at the edge of the wood.  Just inside the wood there is a choice of a path straight on, or a turn to the right. We turn right and follow the path just inside the wood. It turns left and continues until it meets a track. We don't take the track, but cross it on to a path with a "no horses" sign. We follow this for half a mile or so, until it emerges from the wood, at another bridge.
Here we turn left along the edge of a cornfield, then follow the field edge right and uphill. I meets a small road, going to Apethorpe Grange. We turn right and before long follow a diverted bridleway sign to the left. There is a lake nearby, but today we saw nothing of it as the hedges are now high and thick. 
The bridleway comes out near Lodge Farm, where we take the small road to the right, heading for the corner of Tomlin Wood. There is a choice of three tracks, and we take the middle one leading to Morehay Lawn.

A hare enjoying the warm sun on the track by the woods of Morehay Lawn - it waited some time before running off

The path turns left at a fenced off building, then downhill and right towards another footbridge and into Holey Brookes Wood. Part way through we take another path to our left, and at the next path junction we turn right and join the track southwest past Boars Head Farm, and eventually Crossway Hand Farm, down to the Bulwick to Southwick road.

Looking back from near Boars Head Farm

where some kind person caters for tired walkers and their dogs!

We cross the road and take a track to the right just after the bridge. We cross a footbridge, and head uphill along the field edge - a short, steepish climb.

Mallow flowers

Today we vary our previous route slightly, and when we reach the ruined Tottenham Lodge we continue on the track, turning left at Westwood Lodge, with its horse manege, and noisy dogs.

A fungus of some stature

Gordon is there to show the scale of the beast!

The path heads straight on from here to Provost Lodge Farm where we meet our old route, and turn right through a gate, between two large barns, and on to the track past two fairly large fields. At a gate with a waymark sign we turn left and follow the ridge for a good mile and a half heading slightly north of east through fields of cane, towards the water tower and the car. We pass Short Wood Nature Reserve on the way.

Map of similar walk, though not identical

We walked it in reverse, without the section from Glapthorn, and took a slightly different route near Provost Lodge Farm.