Lyveden Way from Wadenhoe

Thursday 7 July 2016 . Started at 9.30. Just over seven miles. With Maureen and Gordon.


From the car park near the village hall we climbed up to the church on the hill.

From Wadenhoe church we followed the path , along the avenue of hornbeams and over a couple of cattle grids to the road to Aldwincle.

turned left along the road, then right on a path which took us to another small road.

Here we turned left through a metal gate and walked along a wide grassy track, which used to be part of the road from Thrapston to Oundle. 

Lots of meadow browns in the grassy parts.

Just over half a mile down the track, a footpath goes to the right, heading for the woods.The path through the edge of the woods is quite narrow and overgrown in places, and can be muddy. Today there were plenty of annoying horseflies too.

After another half-mile or so the path became wider, and joined a track, which we followed to the right through the woods.

Beside the track in the grass were a fair number of common spotted orchids.

At a gap in the hedge we turned right following the path along the edge of the wood, and turning left then right at the next hedge, to go behind Lyveden New Bield.

We made use of a picnic table to have a break, before heading across a field and directly through Lilford Wood.  At the other end of the wood, we crossed a small grassy field, then a footbridge, walked uphill through another field, until we reached a metalled track. This took us  for a couple of miles or so back to the small road we crossed much earlier in the walk. Here we turned right, then left soon afterwards, taking a footpath alongside a hedge. Muddy gateway alert.

The path is well signed and leads into `Wadenhoe village, coming out between two houses and on to the main street.

Lunch at the Old Barn before returning to the car.