A friend of mine wanted to do a Canal Walk. The one she had in mind was a linear route straight up and down to Blisworth. I came up with a route that should take in some canal and some nice countryside too. We were starting out from the village of Blisworth on the Grand Union Canal. From the Church of St John the Baptist we drop down to canal level. We are walking towards the Blisworth Tunnel, one of the longest on the English canal system.
We are heading in the direction of Stoke Bruerne. That said the route is not set in stone today. If we see an interesting path we shall follow it. A 'Forest Bathing' approach if ever there was one. We soon leave the canal path and pick up the footpath. We are pretty much walking over the roof of the Blisworth tunnel below.
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We have veered away in the direction of Tiffield. We don't want to go there today though. Instead of going through Nun Wood we continue straight on the footpath. This is also part of the 'Northampton Round' route. Reaching the road on our left we reach the village of 'Shutlanger'
The village's name means 'Shuttle sloping-wood', maybe alluding to where shuttles, bolts or bars were made or acquired. Rather than take the road to Stoke Bruerne we search out more scenic alternatives. Walking through the village we pass the former 'Reading Room, dating back to the early 19th Century. We take the path down 'Water Lane' about 2 miles from Stoke Bruerne so we are told. It seemed a lot longer though. At times the path was far from obvious... I wouldn't quite go as far to say we were lost. Finding an exit from the some of the fields was quite a challenge!
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We have circuited 'Stokepark Wood' , very close to 'Stoke Park Pavilions'. This looks familiar, an area that I have walked before. A 400 acre Deer Park acquired in 1541 by Henry VIII who hunted here with his wife Anne Boleyn.
Finally we leave the fields and arrive in Stoke Bruerne. We cross the bridge and look across 'Top Lock'. It's a hot day so an Ice Cream goes down very well, as we sit watching the Narrowboats. We then walk up to the other end of the 'Blisworth Tunnel'. The walk back to Blisworth should be more straightforward , well that's the theory at least. Once again we go 'over the top'. We could follow the road back.. but you know me, always happy to veer off piste as it were. We pick up a path on our right , just past Buttermilk Hall Farm. We also pass close to Tunnel Hill Farm as we make our way back to Blisworth.Weaving back into the village we pass through a field of wheat, reminiscent of the opening scene from 'Gladiator'.
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Nice to see that a lot of the fields have been left to grow wild. A real haven for Butterflies and pollinators.
The walk is complete and 10.76 miles have been covered. Or 21,000 steps if you prefer. A good walk in really warm weather. A variation on other walks that I have done in that part of the County.
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