Cold Ashby - Winwick - Cold Ashby (via Thornby Grange)

View on the way down Honey Hill

We set off from the village hall, along Main Street, then took the right fork along Stanford Road, past the entrance to Cold Ashby Golf Club, and Bunkers Hill Farm.  In a field there is a trig point marking a height of 210 metres.  At the top of Stanford Road, on Honey Hill,  you turn left along the small road past Honey Hill Farm, and along a narrow track beside trees, then across a field down to the golf course.

The path is clear

This part of the walk is part of the Jurassic Way - which I walked in reverse on May 30 2012. There are excellent views, though today it was a little hazy.


On the other side of the golf course the path is clearly marked, along the edge of a couple of fields, then over some meadow, until you join a wider track, which leads to Winwick.  A farmer was herding sheep using a dog and a car.

Before long you can see Winwick Hall ahead, and emerge on to the road.  The brick wall and gateposts are curved.

Is Barry nostalgic for days on sentry duty? 

 We had an early snack break by the pond, making use of the millennium seat constructed by students from Rugby School. A few drops of rain encouraged us to take waterproofs out, but stopped before we even put them on.

We walked down the hill  past the black VR postbox, a door in the wall, and some well-tended flower pots to the crossroads,  where we turned left along the gated road to West Haddon.

Red dog-rose or feral flower?

a door in the wall

After passing another Rugby School millennium seat of a different design, we turned left off the road, and followed a footpath, which becomes a track, and leads towards White House Farm.  We joined the road for a short distance before taking a footpath/track to the right. This took us towards Grange Farm and Thornby Grange.  Just before these buildings,  in the valley there is another 'unsafe' building, which we learned is an abandoned watermill for flour. It was never used since someone was killed while the construction was being finished - though there may be more to the story.

The derelict mill

As the weather was so sultry, we stopped for a second short break beside the road to Thornby Grange, then continued to a small crossroads. We took the left hand road towards Cold Ashby, ignoring the road into Thornby.  This soon bent to the right and joined the Cold Ashby road from Thornby, and led us into Cold Ashby towards the church.

 St Denys Church, believed to date from the twelfth century - and the garden flowers are beautiful

This stark reminder of mortality /immortality?  was built in 1883, by "Gregorius Bateman'

More info and pictures of the church are here. From the church we walked up to the road junction and turned left to our starting point.

Our thanks to The Cold Ashby Rambler for this walk
Map and details