The ‘Needs to Know’
Distance: 4.25 miles (6.8km)
Time to walk: This is a stunning walk that will probably take you 2.5 hours, but you may just want to take your time, sit on one of several benches & soak it all in
Difficulty: A mixture of surfaces. One hill climb, but nothing too difficult. No stiles
Parking: The National Trust car park at Aston Rowant National Nature Reserve. Honesty box for non members. What3Words: infinite.custodian.obvious
Public toilets: None
Map of the route:
This is a walk that was found by my daughter who invited me to walk it with her. It’s roughly 50 minutes drive from Northampton
Although the initial stages are close to the noisy M40, it has one of the most spectacular openings to a walk I think I’ve ever seen. The noise of the motorway soon disappears as you drop down the hill & into the woods to pick up one of this country’s most ancient roads
Close to Stokenchurch, Aston Rowant National Nature Reserve is something else
Sitting high on the Chilterns escarpment, this amazing reserve contains flower-rich chalk grassland, woodland & juniper scrub. There are fantastic views over the Oxford plain & it’s a great place to watch red kites soaring overhead
It encourages a huge number of butterfly, flower & bird species to thrive here
Shall we get going?
Let’s Walk!
1. Park up in the very small National Trust car park, on the top of Beacon Hill, which is really inconspicuous & gives no idea as to what’s shortly going to ‘explode’ in front of you
Walk past the information board & litter bin…
…& down the narrow to path to where an amazing view awaits you. The photo simply does not do this justice – it quite simply takes your breath away
2. There’s lots of great information boards here telling you what you might see en route including the magnificent Red Kite. This was one of the first places where the bird was reintroduced back into the UK
Walk down the path, pass through the gate & just Wow!
3. Pass through the next gate…
…& the path then bears right to open up on the hillside. Look for the metal seat & maybe just sit for a few moments & admire the view
4. Continue up the hill on the well trodden path & through the next gate…
At the top of the hill…what another view!!
5. Walk forward down the hill to arrive at a wonderful, interactive sculpture of a Red Kite.
You need to wind the mechanism to hear a lovely commentary…
6. Bear left & head down the track ignoring the gates on your right…
Once again the views open up towards Oxford & Swindon
7. Continue downwards passing through the gate…
Note the wonderful old yew trees on your left
8. Walk a few steps towards the first tree where you’ll find a ‘bench with a view’. Whilst this walk’s only just started it would be rude not to…
Carry on down the escarpment
9. On reaching the gate at the bottom…
…don’t pass through it, but just turn back on yourselves along the lower path
10. Eventually you’ll pass through a small area of shrubland…
…to arrive at a wooden gate
11. Go through this one & descend to another one & then a metal kissing gate…
Turn right & now you’re following the long distance Ridgeway Path
12. Ignore all the footpaths & continue ahead…
Eventually the track reaches a junction where, on the right’s a water drinking opportunity
13. But your route is left so, if you have a dog with you, pop them on the lead now. Walk down to the road & carefully cross over. The track now continues straight ahead…
Eventually you’ll come to the signpost in the picture below at a crossroads next to a small Aston Rowant Discovery Trail noticeboard
14. Turn right onto the bridleway…
The track now enters some woods. You know you’re on the right path as there’s white arrows on the trees…
15. Presently you’ll arrive at a National Trust sign telling you you’re in Juniper Bank…
Turn right at the sign following the route of the Aston Rowant Discovery Trail
16. As you approach the metal gates the track bends sharp left & starts to head up the hill…
You’re now on the route of the medieval ‘London Weye’ & the abandoned Stokenchurch turnpike road. The track winds its way steeply uphill & it’s hard to imagine that, before cars, this was once a busy highway
Follow the track up the hill to arrive at the gate leading onto a road
17. Walk left for a few yards & then carefully cross the road…
Bear left & follow the track through yet another wonderful wood
18. There’s more of those arrows…ignore the path to the right & continue ahead…
…before bearing left & arriving at the lane you drove down to the car park
19. Turn right & follow the lane to arrive back at the car park once more
So that’s it…short, sweet but boy oh boy, what a stunning walk with a bit of everything thrown into the mix
And it’s only around 1 hours drive from Northampton so…
Go Walk!