The ‘Needs to Know’

Distance: 3.7 miles (5.95km)

Time to walk: This is a short little walk & even stopping to take photos, looking in churches etc, we still easily managed to complete it in 90 mins

Difficulty: This is a really undemanding walk which goes through two Northamptonshire villages. It’s mainly across fields & we hardly saw a soul (bliss!). There’s a lot of wildlife to look out for…we saw a sparrowhawk & numerous kinds of butterflies & flowers.

Parking: We parked in Hesketh Road in Yardley Gobion next to the convenience store – good place to stock up before setting off.

Public toilets: Didn’t see any, but only a short walk, but it could be even quicker if the need arises!

Map of the route: None, but you don’t really need one if you follow this guide.

We chose this walk today (5th August 2013) as the weather forecast was bad & we wanted to get another done before our holiday break. This is a little cracker & Coco was off the lead virtually the whole time & loved bounding through the long grass.

Go & give it a try. It’s ideal for a Sunday afternoon stroll…

Let’s Walk!

1. Our walk starts outside the convenience store in Hesketh Road, Yardley Gobion, a village with a long history – click on the link to learn more

Head down the tarmac path to the right of the shop heading towards the Sport Centre

2. In the hedge opposite the building is a ‘kissing’ gate into a field – that’s our path! Head diagonally right to the next gate.

3. Head through the next ‘kissing’ gate into another field & just keep straight on keeping the hedge on your right.

4. Follow the track round to the right & you now have another hedge on your left. Keep following this heading towards a distant telegraph pole.

5. At the telegraph pole turn left & keeping the hedge on your left follow the track until you come to a gate. Today along this stretch there were hundreds of bumblebees (now an endangered species) & I managed to get one great shot out of 10.

6. Go through the gate & head down into the lovely village of Potterspury. Keep following the road round to the right & have a look inside the church if it’s open.

Also across the road is the Old Vicarage – how gorgeous is that!

7. Continue up the road until you come to the village hall where’s there’s a signpost pointing left to Furtho by bridleway…that’s our route

8. Right….stop thinking about food & let’s get going again. Follow the road which then turns into a tarmac bridleway heading towards some stables.

Keep heading down to the left of the livery & when you come to the trig below just keep straight on to find a gate into a field

9. Right we’re now in another field keeping the hedge on the left & passing through the gate into the next field.

10. Head through the chained gate on the left & walk slightly left towards another gate. Pass through it into the long lost village of Furtho which was a medieval village of which nothing much now exists. There are now one or two new industrial units, but click on the link, have a read & stay a while here to explore.

11. Firstly head up the hill to the incredibly preserved Dovecot…push the door, it’s open but don’t forget to close it on the way out. It really is a remarkable building.

12. Now let’s move across & have a look at the church…that’s providing we can get past this formidable army of ladies who actual walked towards & challenged us!

13. Right…head back down past the pond & through the open gate & turn right along the track. After 100 yards look for the bridge below & cross over into the field

14. Turn right & then keeping the hedge on the right follow the field round & across another wooden bridge – this one was built wider for horses. Now keep straight on towards the next bridge in the distance.

15. WARNING! Don’t cross this bridge. When you reach it turn left & follow the hedge on the right. Here I stopped to take this photo – again love the British wildlife.

16. Keep following the hedge round to the right then it’s straight on, keeping the hedge on your left back to Yardley Gobion.

17. Go over the stile & cross into our final field. Now we can see Yardley Gobion ahead.

18. At the end of the field climb over the stile & follow the alley to the road. Turn left & keep going for about 10 mins to get back to your start point.

Time for drinks & treats! What a cracking little walk & 30 minutes after we got home there was a monsoon! What a great afternoon.

Go Walk!