The ‘Needs to Know’
Distance: 6 miles (9.66 km)
Time to walk: Roughly 3.5 hours
Difficulty: All off road, but mainly flat. We walked this on a crisp December 2014 morning &, as we’d had a lot of rain, were expecting it to be a lot wetter than it actually was
Dog Friendly?: A few stiles but good off-lead opportunities
Parking: There’s a specific Brampton Valley Way car park opposite the Windhover pub in Kingsthorpe, Northampton. As we didn’t see this we parked in the very large pub car park
Public toilets: The Windhover at the start & end & The Spencer Arms 3/4 of the way round
Map of the route:
So what can we tell you about this walk?
Well…given the short winter daylight hours we wanted a walk without too much travelling so chose this one starting in Kingsthorpe on the edge of Northampton
It takes in the Brampton Valley Way & Dallington Heath before crossing over into Harlestone Firs & then back across the fields to Chapel Brampton, before picking up the old railway line back to the start
This walk’s one for all ages &, because of its varied terrain gives us the opportunity to see many varieties of birds etc (today we saw Wren, Buzzards, Sparrowhawks, Falcons, numerous Robins & Woodpeckers). Apparently the Heath’s also noted for grass snakes…we didn’t see one of them but did have a close encounter with a beautiful fox
Plus if you’re a train spotter….well you need to be very careful
With frost on the ground & not a cloud in the sky it’s one of those mornings when it’s great to be alive so wrap up well &…
Let’s Walk!
1. Ou walk starts in either the Windhover car park or in the Brampton Valley Way one on the other side of the road
2. Walk over the road…
The fencing clearly shows the current diversion so follow this…
…& turn left at the painted container to bring you back on track
3. Continue along the Brampton Valley Way, passing a couple of new gates…
On reaching the gate on the right in the picture below, just past the dog poo bin, pass through it
The area you’re now in is known as Kingsthorpe North Meadows which were bought in 2009 thanks to public donations & are now managed by the local Charitable Trust. There’s many different kinds of plants here
4. Upon entering the field turn straight left & follow the narrow grass path to reach the first bridge (we’re walking into a low sun now)…
5. Eventually you’ll come to the first bridge over the river & ahead we can see the railway line which you’ll cross shortly…
…30 years younger & on a warm summer’s day we wouldn’t mind a go at this…
6. Head across the next bridge & take the gravel path on the left…
Follow this gravel path to the railway bridge
7. Pass under the railway bridge…
8. Now take the gravel footpath immediately to the right…
Walk along the gravel path adjacent to the railway line until you reach the original crossing that used to be used
9. Turn immediately to the left & follow the track away from the gates…
Follow the track until you reach a T junction of paths & fencing installed by the Contractors
10. Go right here and follow the path round to arrive at a new road…
Cross this road and turn right along a well made pedestrian path
11. Head along this path to arrive at a pedestrian crossing over another new road
Go across this pedestrian crossing & follow the path the path in front heading slightly right to the corner of the Firs…
12. You’ll now arrive at the entrance to Harlestone Firs…
You need to take the left hand fork here for about 100 yards…
…before bearing right after 250 yards…
13. Even at this time of the year the colours along here are amazing…
14. After the trees take the left fork …
…& then bear left again at the track crossroads
15. Keep heading up here…
16. Just before the path starts heading downhill at the end of the new trees where the marker is, turn right…
17. At the bottom of this track head straight across & under the railway bridge…
…to arrive at a bridge…
…Don’t cross the bridge, instead turn left before & follow the track alongside the wood…
18. At the end of the wood, ignore the railway bridge on the left & turn the corner round to the right & cross the bridge…
…& walk up the slope
19. On reaching the top, carefully cross one of the fairways of Northamptonshire County Golf Club…
Head straight across…
Following the path as marked on the OS Map below to the junction…
20. The path reaches a the junction. Now turn left & follow it to the exit into the lane, passing the clubhouse on your left
21. Walk down the lane past some very expensive houses in the lovely village of Church Brampton…
On reaching a house on the left called Ferndean turn immediately right down the narrow gap besides the house opposite…
The gap’s hard to spot but it’s here on the right
Apparently this track’s sometimes very overgrown so, if that’s the case, just follow the drive to the end of the road & turn right
22. Today though it was fine & we eventually emerge onto what looks like someone’s driveway…
23. Eventually you’ll arrive at the main road. Turn left & follow the road…
…to the crossroads. See if you can spot the ‘Queen of the Fairies’ house on the right…
24. At the crossroads turn right & cross over the road passing a rather plush looking bus stop…
…looking for a path on the left…
The badge on the gate shows we’re on a familiar path…The Midshires Way…
25. The path now follows the hedge & there’s also some pretty good views across our county…
Shortly the path reaches another crossroads…
Turn left & then immediately right down the well marked path towards Chapel Brampton
26. Eventually the track emerges at a road. Ignore the bridleway sign below & turn right up the road – be careful here though as it’s a one-way street & the traffic moves pretty quickly…
27. At the top of the road we turn left at the junction…
Just before the crossroads you have the option to have a rest in the fairies den…
This is a charming little area
28. Arrive at the crossroads with the main road…
Walk to the crossroads &, if you fancy a break, the The Spencer Arms is just on the right
29. Head straight over the crossroads down the hill…
…to eventually arrive at a footpath marker on the right just before the bridge…
30. Now we’re going to head straight back across the fields to our starting point. Walk across the field to the stile…
Cross the stile…
31. The path to the second stile’s really easy to follow…
Now bear slightly right towards the next one…
Please note this is where the diversion from the mapped footpath, due to building work, comes into effect. This is drawn on the map below & included in the following instructions
32. Cross the stile in the picture below…
…& head straight forward through this opening that has been created. The mill is in view to the far left…
33. Continue straight to the bridge & cross it…
Once over the bridge bear left and head for the gap in these trees
34. Then follow the path to directly opposite Millers Yard Cafe…
Turn immediately left & then bear right to pass through the gate in the picture below…
35. You’re now back on the Brampton Valley Way. Turn right & now once again we’re simply following the restored railway line back to the start of our walk…
…& eventually, as they say, we come to the end of the line…
36. Now all you need to do is turn left to find your car wherever you parked…
So that’s the end of todays walk & what a little cracker it is & is only on the outskirts of our town. The new housing developments obvious spoil some of this walk, but there’s still plenty to enjoy so…
Go Walk!!
Re: Boughton Mill, the dogs most certainly did not belong to my father, C C Robinson, who died in 2006 and did not own dogs. The mill was subsequently sold and the new owner has moved the footpath so it no longer skirts the house.The re-routing is quite clear and now takes in Millers Yard Cafe, a definite bonus as far as walkers are concerned!
Hi Barbara & thank you for taking the time to clarify that & also the new route. I have updated the walk. Kind regards Dave
Any clues as to where the new route by Boughton Mill goes? We were there yesterday and couldn’t see a marked diversion. Once over the bridge by the weir heading towards the mill, we found a No Access sign on the footpath but no obvious alternative.
Dave, at 19 where you turn left into the Golf Club car park we got reprimanded in no uncertain terms by an rather unpleasant lady golfer. She told us we had no right to go there ‘this is private property’ I told her we were following a walking route but she said ‘well it must be wrong’. We carried on regardless, ignoring her. Thought I should mention it in case something has changed and she could have been right.
I’ve checked OS. We’re right
Did this walk today, really enjoyed it! We weren’t sure if the diversion near Boughton Mill was still in place, as we couldn’t find it, but we did seem to be able to follow the green route on the OS map – once we found the stile, which took a while!
Well done. Glad you enjoyed it. Lots of changes going on in that area at the moment 🙂