Walk 220: Woodford Halse Circular

The ‘Needs to Know’

Distance: 7.45 miles (11.99km)

Time to walk: Roughly 3 hours 15 minutes

Difficulty: Across a mixture of surfaces with a couple of steep hills. Lots of gates & stiles so be prepared to lift your pooches!

Parking: Carefully & considerately on the road near the church in Woodford Halse
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Public toilets: The Fleur de Lys pub in Woodford Halse & the Fox & Hounds in Charwelton

Map of the route:

Our route today starts & ends from a village we’ve not visited on a Northamptonshire Walk before…Woodford Halse, which lies around 6.5 miles south of Daventry. So it was time to send 003.5 out with a route to explore!

The name ‘Woodford Halse’ comes from ‘ford in, or by a wood in the Manor of Halse’

This was a very sleepy rural area that changed very quickly in the 19th century when the Great Central Line Railway completely changed the look of the village, with many construction workers arriving. This meant new housing, shops & churches required building. The village had four churches…Church of England, Moravian, Roman Catholic & Methodist

The railway also brought visitors & ‘The Gorse’, now a social club, was built where gentlemen could stay & keep their horses whilst hunting

In the 1960s the railway was closed & the village suffered, becoming quiet once more

The Fleur de Lys pub is well worth a visit. It’s one of Northamptonshire’s best known live music venues

Let’s Walk!

1. This walk starts outside St Mary’s Church…

St Mary’s has been much restored over the years. In olden days a major problem in churches was unruly dogs. Owners would take their dogs with them when they went to services & there would inevitably be disruptions such as barking & urinating, or even running around the priest trying to take the service

Many parishes employed a ‘Dog Whipper’ to handle such situations. The Church Accounts here at Woodford Halse state that in 1641 a payment of 8d was made ‘to West for whipping Doggs out of ye churche’

Luckily by the end of the 18th century common sense prevailed & dogs were forbidden to enter a church

2. Facing the church turn right, passing the Community library. At the first gap turn left, passing the garages & continue down the hill…

Climb the steps & carefully cross the road to follow the footpath sign…

3. On reaching the playing fields continue in the same direction with the tree line on your right…

…&, on reaching the gap, pass through & continue in the same direction

4. On reaching the end of the field turn left. Look for a bridge on yor right…

Cross this & the stile ahead to continue with the tree line on your right

5. Cross the next stile, continuing through the woodland to arrive at another bridge…

Cross the bridge & walk through the metal gate ahead on the left

6. Once back in the woods there’s a clear path ahead that takes you to a metal gate…

Pass through the gate & continue down the field to a gap just left of the corner of the field…

7. Cross the bridge & stile…

…& head straight across the field in the same direction. On reaching the gap pass through it & cross the bridge on your left

8. Walk along keeping the hedge on your left…

Go through the gate & head diagonally left to the top left-hand corner….

9. Go through the metal gate & head straight over the road…

…to continue up the hill

Keep the hedge on your right &, as you get to the top of the hill, head towards the farmhouses

10. Eventually you’ll arrive at a gate…

Go through it & carry on down the hill & through the next one, passing by what’s actually a wedding venue

11. Once through the venue continue up the road & go through the next metal gate as in the picture below…

Walk across the long field, heading left to the lowest point in the far corner

12. Go through the gate in the picture below…

…& carry on up the hill. You’re now heading to the woodland directly opposite on the far side, keeping the small stream on your left

13. At the woodland turn left. In the winter there may be a small stream here (as in the picture below) so be ready for a little jump, but in the summer it’s no issue

Now head up the field keeping the hedge to your right…

14. Pass through the two metal gates on your right…

Once through the second gate turn immediately left & follow the tree line up the hill

15. At the corner head through the gate & continue in the same direction. It’s quite a steep climb here…

But the view from the top makes it worthwhile

16. As you head down, you’re looking for a gate in the bottom corner…

Pass through it & then cross the road to continue through the gap opposite

17. Once through the gap turn immediately left & follow the field edge…

There may be a more direct route in the summer, either way it’s very short walk to a wooden gate on the left…

18. Go through the gate & walk down to a metal gate to the left of the church…

Welcome to Church Charwelton which is one of the ‘lost settlements’ of Northamptonshire. In the Middle Ages there were two villages with two manors, although only one church which is the one you see before you today

There are several theories as to why the settlement was deserted. One is that after the War of the Roses the road was changed & the villagers settled in Charwelton, leaving Holy Trinity Church, Church House Farm & one cottage

Another is that it was the fault of sheep, or rather the enclosures that were built to contain them. The land was purchased by Thomas Andrews in 1417 & by the year 1547 records show that his grandson, also Thomas, kept 1,200 sheep on the site of the settlement. Another part was owned by the Knightley family of Fawsley who also kept 300 sheep on the land

It’s recorded that the whole site had been abandoned by 1847, but you can still see the earthworks where properties once stood & the old fish ponds

19. Head over to the fingerpost outside the church…

Follow the Jurassic Way direction through the church yard towards Charwelton

20. Go through the gate in the picture below & then the one opposite…

After passing through the second gate continue in the same direction

21. Now join the track & continue in the same direction…

Turn right at the signpost to continue on the Jurassic Way

22. Go through the metal gate in the picture below & the one opposite to head in the same direction to the road…

23. At the road continue left passing over packhorse bridge which dates back to the 13th century…

Welcome to Charwelton whose name means ‘Farmstead on the river Cherwell’. The river once rose in the cellar of the Cherwell Farm on Hellidon Road. Unfortunately this house was demolished & it now rises, unannounced, in a pool near a newer farmhouse

In 1897 the Great Central Railway arrived & a station was built in the village which brought new properity. Now the old railway line is a haven for nature & wildlife

Our research tells us of a very strange murder in 1821. Mary Clarke & her lover, Philip Haynes were hung in Northampton Gaol for the murder of Mary’s husband, John Clarke. They tried several attempts to kill him before Haynes shot Clarke in the arm. A few days after the shooting a local surgeon amputated the arm only for Clarke to die from loss of blood!

24. Pass by the Fox & Hounds pub which dates back to the 1600s (time for a quick drink maybe)

Turn left into Church Street…

On reaching the fork in the picture below bear left. The Village Hall on the corner is the former Wesleyan chapel built in 1887. It was purchased by the Church of England in 1932

25. Just before the last house take a right up the track & go through a metal gate…

Pass through the 2nd metal gate & then turn immediately left to follow the left-hand hedge…

26. Cross over the two stiles & head across the field directly opposite towards the big tree in front of you…

At the tree continue past it & head in the same direction through the trees

27. Cross the stile & head to the big gap opposite…

Go over the next stile & head slightly right on the track towards to the big tree. Go past it & through the gate, up the hill keeping the hedge on your left.