The ‘Needs to Know’
Distance: 6.1 miles (9.8km)
Time to walk: Roughly two & a half hours
Difficulty: All off road, Slightly hilly in places. Good for dogs off lead if you can lift them over a few stiles. There may be cows in a couple of the fields. Towards the end you have to cross the railway line. The views in each direction are good & the trains do sound their horns
Parking: Carefully on the road outside the Church in Watford
Public toilets: None
Map of the route:
I’d read somewhere about a railway bridge in Northamptonshire known as ‘Pulpit Bridge’ &, after researching it, discovered there was a footpath that went underneath it. So this got me thinking…was there a route I could devise that would take it in?
There certainly was & it’s one of the most quiet, not see a soul, greatest view walk I’ve ever done in Northamptonshire
It also starts & ends in the small village of Watford which none of our walks to date cover. This small village, not to be confused with the larger town of the same name, lays just off the M1 next to the UK’s oldest motorway service station…Watford Gap
The name literally means “ford used when hunting”. There’s evidence of Roman settlements as the A5 (Watling Street) is close by plus the Anglo Saxons were here too as the area formed part of Mercia
One of the Pilgrim Fathers Thomas Rogers, was born in Watford about 1572 & he & his son Joseph, aged about 18, went to North America on the Mayflower in 1620. Thomas died, as did many other Mayflower passengers, during the first winter in Plymouth Colony, 1620-21. His son Joseph survived to live a long life as a person of note in the colony
Shall we go & explore then?
Let’s Walk!
1. This walk starts outside the beautiful St Peter & St Paul’s Church, the oldest parts of which date back to the 14th century
Facing the church turn right & walk to the end of the lane
2. At the junction ignore the footpath that’s immediately ahead of you. Instead turn left &, at the end of the building, you’ll find another footpath. Climb the stile…
There were some nosey bullocks in this field when I did this walk, but they were friendly. The path runs straight ahead though the middle of the avenue of trees
3. Just continue ahead through the grass field & you’ll soon see ‘Pulpit Bridge ahead of you…
Pulpit Bridge, also known as Armchair Bridge, was built around 1877. A local legend is that local clergymen used to preach from the bridge to local estate workers & hence its name…
“According to local people, the aim of the bridge’s unusual look was to placate villagers who were upset by the coming of the railway & its resulting impact on the beautiful parkland, as well as their religious observances. Its decorative ecclesiastical elements are attributed to the fact that the bridge was built very close to the spot on the North Ride where Rogation services were taken by the Lay Rector (Lord Henley). This apparently gave rise to the unique ‘pulpit’ features & ‘ecclesiastical window’ echoes in the balustrade”
4. Walk under the bridge & through the large gate. It took a minute or two to work out the chain, but it’s the middle gate you need…
Once through, the path across the next field is dead straight ahead, passing to the right of the towering windmills
Love them or loathe them, the sheer size of them is incredible
5. Eventually you’ll meet a small road at the other side of the field. For a short distance walk up the road ahead past the control building…
Where the hedge ends head diagonally right across the field on your right to the top right corner…
6. Walk through the gap & pass through the broken gate…
Now it’s straight ahead across the next field. A good line is just to the left of the telegraph pole & you’ll see the gate…
7. You may encounter more cattle in these next fields, but again they weren’t interested. After passing through the gate bear diagonally right to the corner where you’ll find a small pond…
Walk around the right side of the pond & you’ll find a post with a directional sign. The easiest way to tell you what to do is turn right, then at the corner left & follow the fence (on your right) all the way around the field…
8. At the end of the fence pass through the kissing gate…
…& walk straight ahead for a short distance passing any machinery which might be laying around
9. Turn right at the end & pass through the gate…
…& then bear immediately left & follow the track
10. At the next marker post just keep following the hedge…
…even when you come to the gap in the picture below. Just turn right & keep the hedge on your left
11. After a few more yards there’s another marker post at a corner…
Again, just turn left & keep following the field edge
12. You’re heading towards a road & it’s so quiet here that you’ll hear any car. Just keep going around the edge of the field to finally arrive at a metal gate that leads onto the road…
Be very careful & be ready to jump on the verge, but turn right for 50 yards & then left into the field at the bridleway sign
13. Now…if you are using OS Maps App it will show you the footpath heads across the fields under the pylons. However there’s a sign telling you that the next stretch of this walk follows the field edge, which actually makes life a lot easier…
14. So off we go…
This is a long stretch of the walk, but easy to follow. On arriving at the gap in the picture below, pass through it & keep following the left side
15. Continue along the same left edge around the next field…
…& at the next gap turn left through the narrow gap
16. You’ll hear water now & that’s because you’re now following a babbling stream on your left…
Just keep going along the field edge around all the bends to finally arrive at a slightly broken fence with a sign saying you can’t continue ahead
17. So turn immediately left through the metal gate below…
Now walk a few yards & turn immediately sharp right back up the hill passing the pond on your left
18. Shortly you’ll arrive at a metal gate…
Pass through it & continue up the right side of the field…
19. At the end of this field’s another gate. Go through it & continue to follow the right field edge
As the field bends sharply to the left bear right across the small bridge
20. Now bear left & then right, taking the track straight up the hill…
It’s a simple case of going straight, crossing the other track & carrying on past the well manicured hedge…
21. Eventually you’ll begin hearing the sound of trains again. At the end of the field you’ll find a gap in the hedge as in the picture below…
Stand in the gap & look for the narrow path that heads up into the trees…
22. And now comes the part of the walk where we have to advise you to take extreme care. The path descends to a stile, the other side of which is the railway line…
Cross the stile & stop. There are good views up & down the line & trains will sound their horns as they approach. When safe to do so, cross the line & continue along the wooded path on the other side
23. Emerge from the trees & continue straight ahead passing between the fences…
Ignore the stile on the left & instead, head diagonally right just to the left of the telegraph pole
24. On reaching the other side of the field climb the stile to exit onto the road. Have a look to the right as, if the gate’s open, you could exit through that
Now carefully cross the road & walk back down the lane into Watford, turning left at the crossroads to arrive back at the church again where we started this walk
So that’s it…6 miles of pure silence & solitude with amazing views
What a walk this is…
Go Walk!