Salcey Forest and Hanslope Walk - Swans Way (1)

Storm clouds over Hanslope

The plan was to start from the car park at  Salcey Forest. However they wanted an extortionate £6 per car which was never going to happen. We had to take two cars of course because of the current government restrictions. We moved off to park on the roadside in Hanslope where it was totally free.
It was nice to get out in some cooler air after the mini heatwave during the week.
As we drove here the heavens opened and the wind got up , we wold do well to get through the 8.6 mile route without seeing anymore though.

Hanslope lies in the borough of Milton Keynes, about 8 miles north of MK. Hanslope was a centre of Buckinghamshire lace-making in the 19th century.

The walk takes in part of  'The Midshires Way' (from Chiltern Hills to Greater Manchester, 230 miles in length).  'The Swans Way 'is pretty much the Buckinghamshire part of the 'Midshires Way'.

Salcey Forest is a is a remnant of the medieval royal hunting forest. It is the largest ancient woodland in the county.

I noticed looking on the internet that there were lots of people complaining about the facilities on offer. Dog walkers had nowhere to dispose of their waste bags. The overhead walkway is always closed for health and safety reasons. The designated trails are way too short or long with nothing in between ! It doesn't seem as though you get much for your £6.

Personally I prefer somewhere a little less public, which isn't too difficult to find thankfully.  

St James the Great Parish Church

As the Church of St James the Great comes into the wind gets up again and it starts lashing it down again. There is no hiding place in the open fields and we get a good drenching. The spire can be seen for long distances across the low-lying countryside. church spire is a prominent feature of the village and was originally built early in the 15th century and was 200 feet (61 m) high.