|
|
This walk starts from the bus station and takes you to Badby via Badby Down and woods, returning either by bus (10 minutes past the hour, not Sundays/Bank holidays) or by either half of Walk Two.
From the bus station go towards the police station, at the Pelican crossing turn away from the road and walk down between the car park and playing field to the hedge at the end. Turn left, pass the end of Tescos, turn right, cross the road and follow the path down between the houses. Cross the next road and the end of a cul-de-sac to come out opposite an under-pass. Turn right here then 1st. left, left again after 300 yards then cross over to take a footpath between bungalows and a goods yard. Emerge onto London road next to a kindergarten and turn left pass the garage and the end of Western Avenue then cross over the main road to take a side road up Newnham hill.
Go over the by-pass and turn right into a small car park, through the pedestrian gate and turn left up the hill to the windmill. Go through the gate beyond the mill and head across the field to a stile onto the road. Turn right and follow the road for 200 yards where it turns hard right, keep straight on along the signed footpath, over a nettley stile into the field. Here the route splits to follow either the official public right of way or, a more comfortable route along the ridge.
The right of way goes along the left hand hedge until the hedge curves left. At this point start descending diagonnally to a gate in the hedge ahead, continue descending diagonnally across the next field to the stile in the bottom corner, over the stile the path vollows the barbed wire fence across the hill to some recently planted trees.
The more comfortable route follows the left hand hedge, around the curve then through the gate in the corner of the field. Through the gate, securing it after you, and continue along the top of the hill to the next gate.After passing through the gate you will see a sunken path going down the hill to your right, follow this down to the barbed wire fence and turn left along the fence to rejoin the public right of way.
Go through the belt of young trees and out onto the road, cross over, over a stile and head, slightly down hill, to the copse on the other side of the field. Follow the path through the copse then bear right and follow the hedge down to the road. Across the road some 20 yards to your left is another footpath, follow this down, across four fields, to two footbridges over the river Nene. Cross the left hand bridge and follow the hedge to your right up across two fields. In the third fild pass through the hedge and continue up across the field to a gate onto the Badby/Everdon road, turn right on the road then, at the end of the woods opposite, take the lane on the left past two houses and into the field. Follow the hedge to your right as it curves away right. Here we have another choice of legal or nicer routes.
The right of way continues along the hedge, through the gate and partway across the next field swaps to the other side of the hedge. Continue along this side of the hedge to the road then walk up the road to your left to a small car park at the top of the hill.
The nicer route, still a right of way here, heads up the hill to the keft hand end of a stand of scots pines, pass through the gate then leave the right of way to walk along the back edge of the pines. At the end of the trees continue across the lower edge of the next field and join another right of way and continue along the top of the hill to Bulls Hill farm. From the farm turn right along the road to the small car park.
Pass through the gate from the car park and walk along the ridge to the woods, continue in the same direction keeping the woods to your immediate right for the next mile. At this point you will come to a gate ahead and a stand of large beech trees, passthrough the gate and turn immediately right, through another gate and steeply down into the woods the path veers right and follows the edge of the woods with open fields on your left. Follow the path for 300 yards, ignoring a locked gate to your left, until the edge of the wood turns right and there is a stile into the field ahead. Go over the stile, down across the field, through a gate into the next field then over a stile to your left and steeply down a narrow path between hedges. Then up the other side to emerge on a road opposite the church. Turn right then first left down to a T junction, turn right to the Windmill pub, rest her or go down aother200 yards to the Maltsters. Beyond the Malsters is Pinfold green, the bus stop or a link with walk two.