Badby - Hellidon - Charwelton - Fawsley

Mon, 2013 Apr 29 9:39 AM Western European Time 

Led by me. with Barry and Maureen. Quite hilly, good underfoot - one ploughed field but dry. Weather dry and sunny with some wind. 834 feet ascent. Excellent views. 11 miles. Included the highest point in Northamptonshire at 738 feet/225 m. Peak bagged!

One of two ancient chestnut trees in Badby. They are trying to preserve them, but warn you not to park or hang around underneath them.

Leaving Badby by Bunkers Hill.

We crossed the A361 and followed the Gated Road to Catesby. It climbed gradually, and we took the second footpath on the left - a bridleway. 
After less than half a mile we could see the motocross track on Arbury Hill to our right, and walked to it across the field.  The summit is wide and flat and we're not sure we we found the very highest point.

Ha! I worked out the self timer. Another peak bagged - a molehill with quite a view.

Then it's back to the bridleway, and past the tunnel airshafts.  Yet another dismantled railway. We walk past a large house and arrive at the minor road to Hellidon.  We turn right then left into a very large ploughed field with little evidence of a path, apart from the signpost. Another smaller and easier ploughed field leads into a grass meadow and we see a small lake close to Hellidon village

There are swans nesting, and the trees show signs of approaching summer at last.

We find our way into the village which is glorious in its spring outfit. 

Spring and autumn together?

We stop to chat to a man who's repairing the stonework of his cottage, which dates from the eighteenth century. 

A fire insurance plate - if you didn't display this the firefighters would leave your house to burn.

We leave the village at the road junction opposite the Red Lion and make our way up Windmill Hill.

Hellidon from Windmill Hill

We find a place for a break - sheltered from the wind and with lovely views. The sun's shining and all's well with the world.
We follow the Jurassic Way as far as Charwelton. heading south east until we meet the minor road just before it crosses the old railway. We go slightly astray because the field is ploughed, but we're near enough.  We pick up the Jurassic Way signs and emerge on the A 361 in Charwelton, just opposite the pack horse bridge.

The footpath crosses a couple of fields from here and takes us to a small road leading to the church. It's open so we have a look round, then take another break on a sunny bench.

We leave the Jurassic Way now and take a path through a gate and to a gap in the hedge on the left side of the field, then across the corner of the next field. We cross the road and follow a footpath up a small hill, and over some open fields full of sheep,  and pass Fawsley Farm - (or Fawsley Grange) on our right. We come out on a farm road which joins a minor road at Little Fawsley. This road takes us into Fawsley, with its Hall - seat of the Knightleys, and the church which contains many of their tombs and monuments.

Fawsley Hall - hotel and spa.

 

Fawsley church

All this - and a box collecting for a food bank too.

We follow the Knightley Way - very well signposted through parkland, pasture and Badby Woods, where wood anemones are in flower and bluebells are beginning to bloom.

All that remains is the walk downhill into Badby - well, there's steep short pull at the end - and then finding the car.  Another delightful walk, and fine weather. Not quite fine enough to take layers off yet, though.
Wildlife - a couple of birds I think were wheatears - very noticeable pale/ white rumps as they flew up, quite strong markings on an open meadow.
Map and details

Badby to Nether Heyford along Nene Way

The journey begins

Friday 17 June 2011.  With Marta.  Approx 8 - 9 miles.  Slightly humid and showery, but pleasant underfoot.

We took the (metaphorical) bull by the horns of our dilemma, and decided to attack the Nene Way from the South-West, starting at Badby.  Not quite the source, it seems, so that is for another day - we intend to track that down when we've completed the whole route.  That could take some time, since the next available date is at least a fortnight away.


We didn't set off until about 12.30, and for future expeditions we must do better. 
The start is clearly marked from the Green in Badby, past some cottages, then through fields by a small stream.

The infant Nene?

The path leads to the road into Newnham, climbing the hill

Alfred Angas Scott was a famous motorcycle manufacturer and he stayed at the New Inn in 1908.  The Newnham hill climb was a regular motorcycle event before World War 2. It was held on Good Fridays. On Thursday 20 July 2000, a similar race was held.

The path goes through the churchyard and downhill past a large monument, overgrown with vegetation - the path leads through to a cottage with a well outside, then down hill, along the streets.  Some of the signs are not exactly obvious, but all went well until we came to a gate into a field where an obvious concrete track led down to another gate on our right, towards trees by a river... eventually we realised there was no way out, and returned. A local farmer set us right, saying that we really should have noted the way the arrow before the gate was pointing - up to the left past a telegraph pole and through various gates with a white disc waymarker. 


This section was hillier than we expected, and the more scenic as a result.  We came out at Little Everdon Hall, set in parkland, with a Countryside Stewardship sign on the gate.  Very attractive hamlet.  After the last house there is a sign to the left - as we walked we passed one or two places where there are turns to the left from the path, and a few confusing signs.  

Every WHICH way?

Marta has a well-earned coffee. There was no bull today.

Through fields of barley, and rapeseed with poppies, we passed a gate where swallows were perching. They let us get pretty close to them before flying off.

Swallows

We arrived at the road to Weedon Bec.   We called in to the first pub for a drink, and were amused by a small child with a remarkably placid puppy in a room which looked more like a living room than a bar.  In the local mini-supermarket we bought a sandwich 'meal deal' and took this along to eat where the Nene Way follows the Grand Union Canal towpath briefly, past Weedon Wharf to Bridge 25.  We lost track of the actual path in Weedon, but found it near the cemetery under the Canal Aqueduct. We managed to orientate ourselves by the position of the Canal and the very busy West Coast Mainline railway beyond.

At Bridge 25 we left the canal towpath, and made our way towards the A5. Not the most scenic part of the walk, but not quite as tricky to cross as we thought.  We went slightly to the right of the footpath to get a better view of the traffic!

At this point be careful to go straight ahead, avoiding the clear path diagonally to the right.  The Nene Way and the Macmillan Way follow the same route here for a short distance. You go over a footbridge and across a wide field towards Flore church.

All Saints Church, Flore

You walk through the churchyard, and go to the right past the school, along Nether Lane and Kings Lane.  At this point we just missed seeing a fox and cubs playing in a field, according to a couple who had been watching them.


The Nene Way leaves Flore between two thatched walls

The path continues across fields east, then south-east, then south into Nether Heyford, crossing the slightly wider river.

The Nene near Nether Heyford