and occasionally rides a bike.
A word of warning. The walk descriptions are not detailed enough to guide you - please take a map. The batteries never run out, and you always have a signal. Oh, And don't take left or right as gospel!

Monday, September 23, 2019

Holcot, Pitsford, Moulton

Wednesday 18 September 2019.  With Marta. 11 miles, including a couple of unintentional detours.

We parked in Holcot, just before the speed limit sign going towards Pitsford Water Causeway. The footpath goes to the left over a stile in the hedge close to the sign.
 It crosses a field, where there were lots of wild flowers.


We continued through another field going slightly downhll, then up again, and through a hedge. On the other side we had a great view of the reservoir.


Our path took us past the cricket ground with the memorial dome and seat to Lynn Anthony Wilson, a local business man.


The path crosses the road to the cricket ground and continues along the hedge in the next field. After a short distance a footpath sign directs us through the hedge and across a recently harvested field - luckily for us the weather has been dry!


We continue until we reach a wide grassy section. here the footpath turns left and uphill for a short stretch before turning right and carrying on roughly south west above Moulton Grange Farm.
Sweet chestnut tree...

 The path does not go down to the farm, but goes straight ahead through some trees. It's quite narrow and not way-marked - easy to miss from this direction.  It goes past Grange cottages and the entrance to Moulton Grange, and joins the track around Pitsford Water for a short section. Seemed a good place for a break!
We followed the road past Grange Road Car Park and on into the village of Pitsford. We turned left at the village green, and went past the primary school. There's a very short section of road with no footpath, and before the independent school we take a left hand fork and quickly meet the footpath we want. It is fenced on both sides for a short distance, and we come to an open field, just past someone's observatory.


We carried straight on to the end of the hedge and turned right. We kept the hedge on our right, turning left and walking alonside a couple of fields. At the end there are way markers for two directions. We turn left between a hedge and a fence, and then turn right, eventually passing a stud farm and reaching Pitsford Road. We cross over to Spectacle Lane - someone must have taken a fancy to the sign here, as it has gone!
After a stretch walking slightly downhill we cross the ford.


Then we pass the Spectacle - this folly.


A little further ahead is Holly Lodge, the fine residence of the Jeyes family.


with the gates designed by Philadelphus Jeyes in 1861.They include replicas of 2 hay forks, 2 sickles, a scythe, a rake, a shepherd's crook, a ditch cutter, a stable fork, a flail, a spade and a woodman's axe.



From here we turned left and followed the road into Moulton.



The JGallery coffee shop was an excellent stop for a coffee and sandwich before the last leg of the walk, from Moulton, along the Overstone Road to a footpath off to the left. The path is clear enough, with one fairly long stubbly field to cross, then it's follow the path to Overstone Grange, which we passed on the left hand side, near some PYO signs. At Rectory Farm the path turns a right angle to the left, and heads more or less north west back to Holcot. We pass the war memorial and turn left and back to the car.



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