The ‘Needs to Know’
Distance: 7.1 miles (11.4km)
Time to walk: Roughly 3 hours 20 minutes
Difficulty: Pretty much all off road. You’re walking in the hilly part of the County so expect some steep hills. Plus there’s lots of stiles, most of which aren’t dog friendly
Parking: Carefully in the village near the Countryman Public House
Public toilets: The Countryman public House at the start & end of this walk
Map of the route:
We haven’t visited Staverton before on Northamptonshire Walks so thought it was about time we put that right & devised a walk that starts & ends not only from the village, but also from the award winning Countryman Pub
So I gave 003.5 a route & sent him out on a ‘Mission to Walk’
The name Staverton means ‘farmstead made of or marked by stakes’. The village lies 2.3 miles west of Daventry & sits on the dividing ridge between the drainage areas where the Rivers Nene, Lune, Avon & Cherwell start their journeys. Both the Malvern & Shropshire hills are visible on fine days
Before the early part of the 18th century, the original village was located behind the church. However, in 1720 a fire broke out which caused damage, destroying many haystacks, stables, grain stores & 22 houses. The total loss was thought to be around £3,000. The result of this was that the village received, via a bequest from Elizabeth Darby, a fire engine. This came into commission in 1767, was kept in the village until quite recently & was later housed at the Daventry museum
The village has a manor house, situated at the end of Manor Road & thought to have parts originating possibly from Anglo-Saxon times. Well Lane runs parallel to the main A425. It’s been thought that this was a much earlier approach to the village & the deeply banked sides to the lane show it may have an ancient right of way
Along the western boundary of the parish runs the now-disused railway, the last mainline railway to be built in Britain. It was constructed by the Great Central Railway Company between 1894 & 1899 & ran from Nottingham Victoria to London Marylebone
The Jurassic Way long-distance footpath between Banbury & Stamford passes through the village
Let’s Walk!
1. This walk starts & ends at The Countryman Pub which regularly wins awards for it’s food & drink
With your back to the pub walk carefully across the busy road to the footpath sign opposite
2. Cross the stile & a further one directly opposite. Keep heading in the same direction as you follow the Jurassic way…
…& head down to the woodland ahead
3. On reaching the gap cross over the double stile & continue in the same direction down to the woodland…
…where you’ll find the bridge in the picture below. Cross this & climb up the steps opposite
4. Climb the stone stile…
…& head towards the farm ahead. Cross a further stone stile & head immediately right to the lower of the two gates almost immediately beside you
5. At the gate, cross the stile beside it & follow the left side of the field…
On reaching the gap in the picture below, bear left
6. Now bear immediately diagonally right, in the direction of the arrow in the picture, towards the tree line opposite…
Cross yet another stile & a small bridge in the hedge
7. Carry on in the same direction up the hill across the field. Even after a lot of rain, the field is still very walkable as you head to the trees opposite…
Look for the gap in the hedge. Cross the bridge & keep walking ahead…
8. Now walk over & through the old railway bridge…
…to continue up the edge of the field, keeping the fence on your left. Continue past the stile & through a couple more fields
9. On reaching the metal gate climb over the stile beside it & then walk diagonally right into the corner of the meadow…
Pass out through the gate & turn left along the impressive driveway to arrive in the small hamlet of Lower Catesby
10. The name Catesby derives from “Farmstead or village of a man called Katr or Kati”. Lower Catesby is known as a shrunken village, which means that for some reason, it’s been deserted
Throughout history, thousands of villages have been deserted for a variety of causes, often related to epidemic, famine, war, climate change, economic depressions, environmental destruction, or deliberate clearances
The modern hamlet has only a handful of houses, all of which are 17th-century or later. It’s surrounded by numerous earthen features showing where cottages & the main village street had been. Most of the fields around the former village still have clear ridge and furrow marks from the ploughing of the medieval arable farming with an open field system divided into narrow strips
Robert de Esseby founded a priory of Cistercian nuns here in about 1175. In the 1230s Edmund Rich, Archbishop of Canterbury, committed his sisters Margaret & Alice to be nuns at the priory. Edmund was canonized in 1247, Margaret was elected prioress in 1245 & she served until her death in 1257. In 1267 William Maudit, 8th Earl of Warwick died & his heart was buried at Catesby Priory
In 1535 Parliament passed the Suppression of Religious Houses Act 1535. Thomas Cromwell’s commissioners inspected the priory in September 1535 & May 1536, & reported that the prioress & her nine nuns were of good faith & blameless character. Henry VIII nonetheless ordered the commissioners to suppress the priory, which they did before the end of 1536
11. At the grassy island turn left & follow the road…
Don’t forget to look behind at the row of four early 17th century cottages. One theory is that these were built as almshouses
12. Ignore all the footpath signs & continue on the quiet road towards Upper Catesby…
…turning left at the T junction
13. Carefully walk along the road bearing right at the bend & being prepared to stand on the verge if traffic comes along
At the next bend continue straight ahead
14. Pass through the metal gate on your right & then through the one opposite…
Now follow the grassy track in the picture below towards another gate in the hedge
15. Go though the gate & walk ahead with the fence on your right…
Pass through the gate & continue in the same direction, but with the hedge now on your left
16. When you reach the next gate turn left & follow the track ahead. You’re now walking on the lower parts of Northamptonshire’s highest peak…Arbury Hill
At 738 ft Arbury Hill is the highest point in Northamptonshire. The summit’s on private lad so you need permission from the farmer to walk up it. It’s thought there was once the remains of an Iron Age Fort on the top
17. Continue through the next gate…
…&, on reaching the gap, follow the grassy track round to the right, keeping the trees on your right
18. At the end walk through the gap & turn left along the track…
Just past the farm house & pond turn left to follow the field edge, keeping the fence line &, after a while, the tree line on your left…
Pass through a couple of fields always keeping in the same direction
19. On reaching the corner in the picture below turn right…
…& look out for a stile on the left. Cross this & walk down past the paddocks
20. Climb the paddock stile & then turn immediately right over the next one…
Head through another paddock to a further stile on the left, which leads to the road. Bear right along the road
21. On arriving at the main road, carefully cross straight over & continue down Bunkers Hill into Badby…
22. Walk down the road & bear left at the footpath sign in the picture below…
…& climb over the stile which leads you into another paddock. Now make your way to the gate in the top left…
…& go through it & walk to a further stile in the left corner
23. Cross the stile & walk straight ahead, looking for a further stile in right side hedge as in the picture below…
Go over this one & head diagonally left & through the small metal gate
24. Continue in the same direction & the gate opposite…
…to follow the left hedge down to the wooden gate. Go through this & then head diagonally right as you climb up the hill
25. Look for another small gate in the right-hand hedgerow…
Go through this & head towards the large wooden gate in the left hedge. Pass through this gate & head to the bottom right corner of the field
26. On arriving at the way marker in the picture below look for, & head over, the bridge on your right just after the marker…
After crossing the bridge turn left & follow the edge of the field
27. Cross over the bridge & continue in the same direction…
…& then follow the field edge as it bends round. A gate’s tucked in the corner which you need to pass through. Now keep the tree line on your left as you head up the grass track
28. On arriving at the junction cross straight over & keep in the same direction right through the middle of the next field…
Head towards the hedge in the distance & look for a waymarker…
29. At the marker post pass through the gap…
…& then straight through the middle of the next field to enter the woods
30. Turn left into the trees before turning right immediately to walk through the woods which are hugging the right edge…
At the junction take the left path to stay in the woods
31. The path eventually leaves the woods & arrives at the metal gate in the picture below…
Turn left along the roadside path . Once it ends carefully cross the road to join the path on the other side & continue in the same direction to arrive back at the pub & the start of this walk
So that’s it & Staverton is now on the Northamptonshire Walks Map!
And it’s a real ‘get away from it all’ walk
It’s fab so….
Go Walk