The ‘Needs to Know’
Distance: 6.5 miles (10.5km)
Time to walk: Roughly 2 hours 45 minutes, but there’s the opportunity to stop for refreshments in Stoke Bruerne
Difficulty: Fairly flat, mostly across field tracks & may be muddy after wet weather
Parking: The Royal Oak car Park, or on street in Blisworth
Public toilets: Pubs in Blisworth & Stoke Bruerne. There’s also public toilets in Stoke Bruerne
Map of the route:
One question that comes up lots on our Social Media is “Is it possible to walk from Blisworth to Stoke Bruerne without walking along that busy road?”
The answer is “yes”, but you can’t walk beside the canal all the way because the Blisworth Tunnel is in the way. So I thought it would be good to do a circular walk between the two villages that uses that route
Having planned it out, the mission to walk was given to 003.5 to complete & provide the information to write the walk. So here it is…
Let’s walk!
1. This walk starts from The Royal Oak which dates back to the 15th century. The name Blisworth means ‘Enclosure of a man called Blith’
Cross the road & turn right, passing the village shop
2. On the left’s St John the Baptist Church which dates back to the 13th & 14th century…
Pass it & continue down the road to the bridge over the canal
3. Cross the bridge & then turn immediately left down onto the footpath…
After a short the path arrives at the kissing gate in the picture below…
4. After walking through the gate don’t be tempted to go into the middle of the field. Just keep to the left edge with the canal on your left
I have to admit that I absolutely love walking along this path as it meanders through the meadow. Eventually you’ll arrive at another kissing gate. Go through it & continue in the same direction with the trees on your left…
5. Bear left through the gap in the picture below & then bear immediately right through the metal gate…
Now continue ahead with the hedge on your right
6. The path’s really well signposted so pass through the next gate…
When you reach the big metal gate in the picture below, DO NOT go through it, instead turn turn left
7. Now continue up the grassy lane…
As you can see in mid February it was quite muddy. Go through the gate or hop over the pipe…
8. Continue ahead through the next metal gate – hopefully it’ll be a bit drier when you do this walk!
The next part of this walk is a long, straight part as you climb to the top of the rise…
9. Eventually, at the top of the hill, go through the gate & turn left, continuing with the hedge on your left…
Ignore the bridge & carry on in the same direction
10. The path you’re walking on now is part of the Stoke Bruerne Circular Walk 10 (in the opposite direction). Go through the gap & keep going with the hedge still on your left
…passing under the trees
11. Just keep going ahead until the track arrives at a road (this is the busy Blisworth / Stoke Bruerne road that we’re doing this route to avoid…
What follows now is a very short piece of road walking, but please be careful as the traffic does move swiftly. Turn right & walk to the bend. Take the track going off to the left in the picture below, passing through the metal gate
12. This is a lovely small track & you’re actually walking above the tunnel. Just keep straight ahead, ignoring other tracks going off to the left & right…
The track now begins to descend towards the canal. A board tells you that the route you’re now walking on is known as ‘Boathorse Road’ This is where the horses walked over the top of the tunnel as the boats were legged through
13. Walk down the slope to arrive at the canal. If you turn right you can see the entrance to the tunnel…
At 3076 yards long, it’s the third longest navigable canal tunnel on the UK canal network & the ninth longest canal tunnel in the world. At its deepest point it’s 143 feet below ground level
14. Our route, of course, is away from the tunnel along the tow path to Stoke Bruerne…
The beauty about this walk is there’s several refreshment opportunities at this point. oo3.5 fully indulged
15. Suitably refreshed, continue past the locks towards the bridge & bear left up to the road…
Turn left & follow the road into the village, passing the bus stop
16. As the road bends right, bear left up Mill Lane…
You’re now walking part of the Roade & Stoke Bruerne Walk 125. At the top of the lane enter the field via the kissing gate…
If you do this walk in the summer you might be lucky & meet two very friendly donkeys who are often in this field
17. Continue to the very top of the field & pass through the gate directly ahead of you, ignoring the one on the left…
Come out of the small copse & bear diagonally right in the direction of the arrow…
18. Cross the bridge in the picture below beside the large tree…
…& walk diagonally right once more to the very top right of the next field. Cross the next bridge
19. As can be seen from the map below, there’s quite a few paths in this area. Our one begins by heading diagonally right towards the farm buildings & then turns diagonally left
20. Cross over the bridge & stile in the picture below…
…& continue forward, crossing the next stile ahead of you. Continue with the tree line on your left
21. It’s like the ‘Grand National’ now as there are lots of stiles as you head to the very top of the field. On reaching the top look for the stile & little bridge that’s tucked in the bushes on the right
Cross this & continue until you reach the bridge in the picture below…
DO NOT cross this bridge. Pass through the gap to the right & follow the line of the telegraph poles
22. Eventually the path arrives at a gate leading to a road…
Carefully cross the road into the field & continue in the same direction. Follow the path to the left beside the large tree…
23. Follow the left hand fence line…
On reaching the gap in the picture below, bear left & then turn immediately left again to follow the left hand hedge
24. Just after the corner of the field cross the stile on the right…
Head towards the telegraph poles & continue diagonally right alongside the paddock fence line
25. At the top walk through the gap in the corner…
Almost immediately turn left through another gap (DO Not head towards the houses)
26. The exit from this next field is in the bottom right corner as indicated by the marker post in the picture below…
Exit this field through the gap in the bottom corner…
27. Once through, turn immediately right along the hard path…
Turn left at the road passing number 49 & follow it round and down the hill…
At the junction turn right & into view once more comes the Royal Oak where we started this walk
So there we go & now there’s no excuses for walking along that awful road between these two villages
Go Walk!