Walk 7: Yardley Gobian Circular: Stepping back in time across the fields to ‘The Deserted Village’

The ‘Needs to Know’

Distance: 3.7 miles (5.95km)

Time to walk: This is a short little walk & even stopping to take photos, looking in churches etc, we still easily managed to complete it in 90 mins

Difficulty: This is a really undemanding walk which goes through two Northamptonshire villages. It’s mainly across fields & we hardly saw a soul (bliss!). There’s a lot of wildlife to look out for…we saw a sparrow hawk & numerous kinds of butterflies & flowers. Please be aware there’s a couple of high stiles on the route

Parking: We parked in Hesketh Road in Yardley Gobion next to the convenience store – a good place to stock up before setting off.

Public toilets: Didn’t see any, but this is only a short walk, but it could be even quicker if the need arises!

Map of the route: 

We chose this walk today (5th August 2013) as the weather forecast was bad & we wanted to get another done before our holiday break

Go & give it a try. It’s ideal for a Sunday afternoon stroll…

Let’s Walk!

1. Our walk starts outside the convenience store in Hesketh Road, Yardley Gobion, a village with a long history – click on the link to learn more

Head down the tarmac path to the right of the shop heading towards the Sport Centre

2. In the hedge opposite the building is a ‘kissing’ gate into a field – that’s our path! Head diagonally right to the next gate

3. Pass through the next ‘kissing’ gate into another field. Just keep straight on keeping the hedge on your right

4. Follow the track round to the right & you now have another hedge on your left. Keep following this heading towards a distant telegraph pole.

5. At the telegraph pole turn left &, keeping the hedge on your left. follow the track until you come to a gate…

6. Go through the gate & head right down the road into the lovely village of Potterspury. Keep following the road round to the right & have a look inside the church if it’s open. It’s not certain when the first church was built in the village, but the one you see before you today has undergone many changes over the years

Also across the road is the Old Vicarage – how gorgeous is that!

The village of Pottersbury was originally called Pyrie or Estpirie (East Perey), which comes from “pyrige” which means “the place where pear trees grow”. Following the establishment of the potteries in the 12th century, the name was changed to Potters Perry or Potterspury. Many of the local potteries in the village have been excavated

Later the village became known for its lace making & at one point there were 135 lace makers recorded in the village

7. Continue up the road until you come to the village hall where’s there’s a signpost pointing left to Furtho by bridleway…that’s our route

8. Follow the road straight ahead which then turns into a tarmac bridleway heading towards some stables

Keep heading down to the left of the livery &, when you come to the narrow path below, walk straight on down it to find a gate into a field

 

9. Walk up the field keeping close to the hedge on the right & pass through the gate on the right…

Continue in the same direction, this time with the fence on your left towards the house …

10. On reaching the end of the field turn right & then left through the gate beside the house. It has a blue arrow on it…

Continue straight ahead into the site of the long lost village of Furtho which was a medieval village of which nothing much now exists. There are now one or two new industrial units, but click on the link, have a read & stay a while here to explore.

11. Firstly head up the hill & bear left to the incredibly preserved Dovecot…push the door, it’s open, but don’t forget to close it on the way out. It really is a remarkable building & used to house 550 doves

12. Now walk across & have a look at the church…

When we visited in July 2021, someone had left a poignant poem in the church…

13. Head back & round the pond on your right & through the gate & turn right along the track & through another gate. After a few yards look for the bridge on your left & cross over into the field

14. Turn right & then, keeping the hedge on the right, follow the field round & across another wooden bridge – this one was built wider for horses. Now keep straight on towards the next bridge in the distance.

15. WARNING! Don’t cross this next bridge. When you reach it turn left & follow the hedge on the right

16. Keep following the hedge round to the right then it’s straight on, keeping the hedge on your left…

17. Exit the field & carefully cross the road. Go over the next stile & continue in the same direction – you can see the houses ahead

18. At the end of the field climb over the stile & follow the alley to the road. Turn left & continue for about 10 mins to get back to your start point.

What a cracking little walk & 30 minutes after we got home there was a monsoon! What a great afternoon.

Go Walk!