The ‘Needs to Know’
Distance: 1.17 miles (1.88 km)
Time to walk: No time limits as you may wish to also do the ‘grassy spaces’ route (See Walk 233) &, if you have children, explore the excellent playground
Difficulty: Easy & mostly flat on woodland tracks. There are no stiles & dogs will be off-lead all the way
Parking: Free car park off Hunsbury Hill Road. Postcode NN4 9UW. what3words riches.food.delay
Public toilets: The Drovers Return
Map of the route:
In July 2025 I did this route as a ‘Chill n Coffee’ Group Walk which is slower paced, easy & short & also mainly in the shade so it feels cool even on the hottest days.
Many people have asked me “Is the walk on the website?”
The answer was no, but parts of it are included in longer walks
So I thought I’d rectify that & publish it. You can also do the ‘Open Space’ version (Walk No. 233) which will show you just how large this park is & also includes the excellent children’s play area
Hunsbury Hill Park is a gem, covers 38 hectares, & is situated on the southern side of Northampton. It’s dominated by the crown of an Iron Age hill fort on the crest of the hill. The Roman Quintus visited in AD1 & the area was mined for iron ore – a railway being built in 1880. The railway was closed in 1930, but some tracks can still be seen throughout the park & it’s also now home to the Ironstone Railway & Museum
Coincidentally the Northampton Mainline Railway passes under the park through a tunnel
The area was developed as a country park in 1970 & many people in Northamptonshire are unaware of its existence. Today it’s one of 3 major parks that are managed by the ‘Friends of West Hunsbury Parks’, the other 2 being Ladybridge Park & Wootton Brook Park, together with numerous pocket parks. All of them can be visited on Walk 188 which is excellent
One little known fact is that, in 1631, a Mrs Lucas was executed here for poisoning her husband & being linked with witchcraft – she was burned at the stake!
And on that gem…
Let’s Walk!
1. Our walk begins from the wonderful, & very well supported, Drovers Return Cafe. This friendly place serves good food & drink at great prices & is a firm favourite with the locals. Please venture in & tell Colin “Dave sent you”
With your back to the cafe bear right up the car park & past the information board
2. As you walk around the park you’ll see many posts with QR Codes on them. This is the park’s Tree Trail. If you scan them with your phone you’ll get information about the tree next to it
There are many very old Oaks in the park – they are stunning a what tales they could tell if they could only speak
3. Cross the level crossing…
The Northamptonshire Ironstone Railway Trust operates a 1.5 mile long line. Look out for open days when lovingly restored trains will take you for a ride. The Museum is excellent & explains how the railway was built & used to take away the mined raw materials to the smelting works by the river near Duston. There’s a small cafe on one of the static carriages
4. Immediately after crossing the line bear left at the noticeboard…
You’ll notice a small track immediately going off to the right. This isn’t our route, but it’s of significant importance & why the cafe has the name it has…
The answer is it’s an ancient Drovers Way called “Green Lane”, a route along which goods & livestock were transported goods through England from The Bristol Channel to the Severn & to the Wash
Because of its importance many robberies happened here &, in 1787, The Culworth Gang were executed in Northampton. Green Lane is an extension from Banbury Lane, which is well known for a “Fine Lady riding upon a white horse” ie ‘Ride a Cock Horse to Banbury Cross’
5. Ignoring Green Lane continue along the perimeter path on the left…
The trees along here are mainly birch & are considerably younger than other parts of the park
6. Look to your left…you’re following one of the several railway lines…
Shortly you’ll come to the junction in the picture below
7. Bear left & continue to follow the path along the railway track to your left…
The woods on the right are used by the local school so you’ll see lots of shelters & maybe some fairy doors 😉
8. The path arrives at a T-junction. Turn right & follow the path to the next crossroads. Ahead you’ll see a gap in the trees leading to a path into the open grassy field…
Ignore this & instead bear sharp right along the narrow track
9. Shortly you’ll find yourself back at the junction you passed earlier – continue ahead on the left path…
At the next Tree Trail post in the picture below, turn sharp left along a narrow track…
10. This is a short path & soon, ahead of you, you’ll see banks of earth & eventually arrive at a notice board telling you you’re standing outside one of the entrances to the incredible Iron Age Fort
Walk through the entrance in the open area where the village once stood
11. If you look at the park from above you can see this is a perfect circle (photo @historic england)…
The sign at the entrance to the park tells you “The area is also known as Danes Camp & was occupied around 2000 – 2500 years ago & was perhaps the stronghold of a Celtic chieftain
In the first phase, a very deep surrounding ditch was dug, which still exists today, together with an internal wall or bank. The wall was built of clay or rubble reinforced at the back, with stout timber posts & horizontal timbers built into the body of the wall. At some stage the timbers in the wall were subjected to an intense fire, the reason for this is unknown
In the second phase, about 250BC, the ditch was re-cut & a new internal bank was built. This appears to have been of simple form, & incorporated the remains of the earlier wall. In both phases there could have been a walkway & a possible stockade on top of the wall or bank”
It’s also thought that some troops camped here before the Battle of Northampton at Delapre in 1264
12. Come back out of the same entrance, turn right & walk between the two banks…
Follow the path round until you come to another entrance with a very large, old oak tree. It’s thought that this entrance wasn’t one of the originals, but added at a later date
13. To the left’s another QR Code…
Turn right up the small track you can see in the above picture which begins to climb upwards towards the top of the outer bank. From the top you can really get an appreciation of what a fortification this once was
There’s also a Trig Point
14. Continue past a couple of paths going off to the left & then take the third one (there’s another notice board to your right)…
The path emerges into the open. Bear right across a wider track, past a noticeboard & into the open grassy space
15. Keep close to the trees on your left…
…looking for the gap where you cross the railway line
16. Once over you emerge into another large grassy area…
Bear right, ignoring the immediate path on your right & take the diagonal grass one into the trees in the picture below
17. You’ll know if you’ve chosen the correct path as you’ll see a yellow warning sign, telling you to beware of the steep drop onto another railway line…
At the sign turn right & follow the small path through the trees – do not divert from this
18. Shortly the path drops left & right past another entrance into the park…
Keep going…this is a lovely finishing stretch of the walk as you seem to be walking through a tunnel
19. At the end of this track you’ll arrive back at the crossing gates once more…
Turn left to arrive back at the car park & cafe & the start of this walk
So that’s our short stroll around the shady parts of this fascinating country park that has so many stories to tell
Go Walk!