Heart of England Way (7) Barton & Long Marston

Been a while since we ventured on the Heart of England Way. Starting point of the walk is a designated hamlet just south of Bidford. Described as a small but mighty village. Despite having a population of just 80 or so, for the past decade Barton residents have donated a magnificent £50,000 to local charities.There is a traditional country pub called 'The Cottage of Content'. Which I thought was a bit unusual? Just for the record we are walking in a clockwise direction. We are in the County of Warwickshire. Close to Bidford on Avon.

Sadly the weather is decidedly bleak. Whilst not actually raining it is trying very hard. There is rain forecast for later in the afternoon so we might be lucky ?

We are walking walking through part of the Heart of England Forest. Collett's Pond is one of more than 100 ponds in the forest. The pond was created in 2000 and the woodland around it planted in 2007. Ponds play a massive part in the environment and are a fantastic home for all sorts of wildlife. These include; Dragonflies, Bats , Newts and all sorts of Wildfowl. Frogs and Toads are currently coming out of hibernation from the pond bottom. Before long there will be Frogspawn just below the pond surface.

Created in 2003 he Heart of England Forest has embarked on ambitious reforestation efforts, successfully planting over 2 million trees. Local Landowner Felix Dennis was the driving force behind the project. His goal was to establish a sequence of joined up forest in Warwickshire. An area that would serve as essential green corridors for wildlife, and a space for the public to enjoy.

As we approach the village of Dorsington I start to get a strong sense of déjà vu. It isn't very often you see gates like the ones pictured above. Once I saw the Church I knew that this was familiar ground. We walked this part previously in September 2022! The link is posted below , just in case you are interested?

http://peterja-storytellersnight.blogspot.com/2022/09/the-shakespeares-avon-way-bidford-on.html

It's nice to see the Donkey's again though. A scary thought has just occurred to me. We are going to have to pass through the field where we were assaulted by several rampant horses. Not to mention the flooded fields and the Sheep...

Getting through flooded and muddy gateways was a big problem too. Disaster struck when a wooden fence I was clinging to gave way. Thankfully I didn't end up too wet. I did however grab a handful of barbed wire, as I tried to rescue the situation. On a plus side the horses were subdued, happy at the other end of the end of their field.  The Sheep went into a huddle, a bit like the sheep equivalent of Rorkes Drift.    

I was extremely thrilled however to see that my piece of  'Countryside Engineering was still in place. If you can call laying a rusty old gate across a flooded bank engineering? I wonder how many intrepid Ramblers it has served?  Perhaps they will erect a plaque or monument in my honour . People have received awards for far less. Well I can dream at least. Necessity has always been the mother of invention in my book.

I really dislike the metal footbridges like the one pictured above. Particularly when you have walked the best part of 10 miles and struggling to lift your feet. You know about it if you catch your shin too... I'm sure thy are to stop animals like Sheep and Cattle from crossing. My feet are soaked, too many times the water has gone over the boots when I've sunk in a field or puddle. We are on the last part of the walk though , on the home straight you might say.  We have just passed through Bickmarsh. A small hamlet in Worcestershire with a population of around 65. The most famous building is Bickmarsh Hall. According to records it once belonged to the county of Worcestershire.    

Light is beggining to fade as we finish the walk. Just in time too as the promised rain has arrived. This has been a really tough walk once again in rain soaked conditions. In total a distance of 11.5 miles. Hopefully next time conditions will be a little kinder.   

 

  

  

Silverstone & Hazelborough Wood Walk

I'm really looking forward to the walk today. Down in the South of the County, close to the Buckinghamshire border. With a population of just over 2,000 their can't surely be more famous villages than Silverstone. Famed of course for being the current home of the Formula One British Grand Prix. The whole area has a rich pedigree of racing history. Mercedes, Red Bull and Aston Martin are based locally. Just walking up the High Street their are acknowledgements to the racing greats of the past. It's hard to imagine just what the village would be like in the height of the Summer, on Grand Prix weekend. Tens of thousands of people milling around, getting a pint at the local pub 'The White Horse' must be a nightmare. I have heard it said that a lot of the locals go away for the weekend, renting out their properties for eye watering sums of money.  

Some famous names on the road signs

Walking out of the village we pass the Silverstone Brewery. There is also and Old black wall mounted Post Box.This would have been put up  during the era of King George V, from 1910 to 1936. It's not in use these days, but makes an interesting feature. We leave the village , cross the road and walk up 'Winter Hill'. Lots of sheep grazing in the fields.Fields that are no doubt home to the hordes of campers on Grand Prix weekend. 

Over to our right we get our first view of the track. Or should I say the back of the stands. The ones in question are 'Copse' . This is the second fastest corner on the circuit after 'Maggotts', where you get a comprehensive view of the pits straight. Coming around this part of the circuit the cars will hit 180 mph. No chance of getting in on the cheap here though. The thick thorny hedge and then a 10ft fence stop any thoughts of that.I dread to think how much it would cost to actually buy tickets. That's if you can even get hold of any as thy sell out rapidly.Race fans coming from all over the world to this little part of Northamptonshire.

Circuit Map

We continue around this very muddy part of the circuit where a lot of building work is taking place. Some strange looking pod type buildings. Some further investigation was required.
'Escapade' Silverstone is a collection of 60 residencies and a clubhouse set in 14 acres of land. Prices start at £850,000 for a countryside 2 bedroom property and go up to £2.2m for a track-side 4 bedroom property. They are more commercial than residential properties though. A cross between owning an AirBnB and a Timeshare. You can Only live in it for a pre-determined number of days each year. Go over that number of days and you have to pay a nightly room rate to stay in your own property! I'm sorry that has put me off now and I don't think I'll bother somehow. Do get in quick though , they are selling fast.

Next to 'Hangar Straight' is 'The Porsche Experience Centre'. A specially designed track where you can polish up your driving skills under all kinds of conditions. There is an 'Ice Hill' where sheet ice is simulated with computer-controlled water jets. There is also an 'off road' area with sharp descents and ascents over rough terrain. There were a few going around as we walked past. 

We made sure though  that we stayed on our side of the fence. A somewhat overgrown warning sign put us on our guard.

We continue past Becket's Corner, Stowe Corner, Vale and Club. To our left is a long grass Avenue that leads to the wonderful Stowe Landscape Gardens. It is just possible to make out the Obelisk standing proud in the distance. To our right we can see the new Pit area which looks impressive. We are now moving into the woods. 

Hazelborough Wood is an ancient oak woodland with lots of trails and tracks. Plenty of runners today though, time trials by the look of things. It's a great place for Bluebell spotting too in another couple of months or so. Leaving the woods behind we start heading back towards the village of Silverstone. We are going back a different route via 'Cattle End' . Some lovely open countryside with great views. We arrive back at the starting point having completed just over muddy miles (16,142 Steps).

 

   

Old, Scaldwell, Lamport & Faxton Walk

Keeping it local today, a local walk for local people you might say. I've been for a rather hearty breakfast in nearby Walgrave. An offer to attend the 'Mens Group Breakfast Meeting' was too good to turn down. An excellent 'fry up', prepared and cooked by the ladies and served in the Church went down very well indeed. The first Saturday of the month is now firmly noted in the diary for future reference.     
 Starting point today is the village of Old, the village previously known as Wold. Nobody seems to have updated the sign though. It looks fairly new so I suspect it's more a nostalgic nod to the past. It has also been called 'Wolde' and in the Domesday Book it was down as  'Walde'. The village's name means 'High forest'. I have walked these parts previously, today though I shall be taking different routes. Some I shall be walking backwards. Not literally, that would be daft , as well as dangerous. Going in the opposite direction would be a more accurate description. 

Leaving Old  I'm heading for the village of Scaldwell. I have never walked in this direction before and it is a bit confusing. Even the Sheep seem a bit confused. 'Whats he doing walking this way' I can see them thinking. I have other concerns occupying me though. I know there was a huge Bull in the next field. Last time I had a good view and could avoid him easily enough. He has the upper hand today and I shall remain vigilant. 

Thankfully no sign of the Bull, just some horses who show no interest whatsoever. Why can't they all be like that? It's a good area for footbridges too, I've negotiated four already. The weather has dried up this week after all the rain previously. A bit dull but fairly mild some can't complain too much after all it is February. 

We emerge in Scaldwell by the village green . The old water pump has a Domesday sign celebrating 900 years of Norman heritage. The First World War war memorial is even more interesting though. It list the names of men from the village who lost their lives between 1914-1918. The first two names on the list are a; Harry Arthur & John Arthur. Maybe distant relatives of mine , who knows?  We cross the road to the Church of St Peter & St Paul. It has a Norman tower and some 13th century-features,as well as  Commonwealth War Graves. Strangely there is on a stone for 'Harry' who served in the Northamptonshire Regiment and died on 21st March 1916. He would have been 20 years old at the time. More confusingly inside the Church their is a plaque which lists them as being 'Arthurs'. So I'm really unsure which spelling is correct? 

I did like the poster though in the Church notices 'God accepts Allsorts' on a Liquorice Allsorts backdrop.It's a lovely village Church and that's about all really in Scaldwell as no Pub or Shop. 

We  leave Scaldwell with much to ponder. Which could well last until we reach the next destination 'Lamport'. Once again a route that I'm not totally familiar with. The footpath winds It's way between a row of houses, but opens up into a wide expanse of fields. Reassuringly the sun makes the briefest of appearances, oh and we find mud, lots of it. Churned up by farm vehicles I suspect?

The path takes us directly to the village of Lamport. We have ventured into the 10 acre grounds of Lamport Hall. The house is Grade1 listed and developed from a Tudor Manor, and notable for It's classic frontage.  As the house and garden doesn't open until April I felt a bit conspicuous. Unfortunately the wall had a 10ft drop had so that escape route was cut off. We moved to a wooded area and were less visible. The Snowdrops were out in force and we managed to climb out thankfully. 

Lamport Hall

As exits go it doesn't get much more undignified. We have literally sprawled out onto the verge by the A508. The view opposite us though is a beautiful one. Even on a dreary day the Brampton Valley looks superb. We turn the corner into Lamport and pass the Church which is all shut up. They must have seen us coming.. A bit of a road stretch now as we head roughly back towards Old. We have choices though, which footpath do we take that is the question. We opt for the path close to Faxton Grange which will take us out into the countryside.   

More mud but the trail is quite clear as it climbs across the ridge.This is a prime spot for Hare spotting and doesn't disappoint today. Several are seen scampering on the edges. We are heading towards the site of the deserted village of Faxton. We aren't quite going that far and will turn sharply back towards our destination. 

It's a long straight treck back through the fields. More distant Hares on the horizon but not much else. The only downside to this walk is the uphill climb on the road back to Old. I've cycled this hill hundreds of times in the past, and never seen the water flowing by the side of the bridge. 

We arrive back having completed 8.4 miles of a very pleasant walk. Looking at the Strava map it reminds me of a bird in flight. A Dove perhaps? Perhaps dear Reader you will see something different?