I almost cancelled this due to the forecasts of snow, ice, rain etc., but we had a gloriously sunny day...although it was cold initially. Despite reminding everyone that we were starting earlier to ensure completing eleven miles in daylight, it was 10:00 before we were all at the right starting point! :) We met at the delightful Red Lion at Hellidon and we warned that food would not be available at the end due to the pre-booked shooting party.
At some point I am going to find out why Northamptonshire's footpaths are usually unsigned, have the signs laying in ditches, or hedges have been removed so there is little correspondence to maps! Leicestershire, in contrast has brightly yellow painted posts that can generally be seen from the other side of a field. Despite the challenges, we managed to find our way to Byfield with the occasional sign showing us that, at that point at least, we were heading in the right direction. Mud was in abundance but fortunately at this point the ground was still frozen.
At Byfield we had a slight detour because we liked the look of the path and found ourselves round the back of some charming cottages. The sunshine on Church St enabled us to have a quick snack in the warmth before we found yet another farm and more mud to cross over to Hinton. In Hinton we had a proper lunch stop on our benches outside the Social Club - the spot we found on the last section of the JW.
Most people wanted to walk along the embankment of one of the disused railways that met at Woodford Halse, but our route was along the adjacent road. We soon found the first official Jurassic Way disc, with another one ten metres away in case we missed the previous one. From here we were in luck as the Jurassic Way is really well signposted ... you just have to follow them!
After a good trek along the track, we reached one of my favourite places, with childhood memories of happy days spent there, Church Charwelton. The village was moved away, not as I was always told due to the plague, but more likely as a result of the enclosure acts and the start of the field system in England. Whatever, it is still a beautiful, mysterious place with just a church and a farm in the middle of a field, out of sight of the present day village of Charwelton on the main road. In the vicinity there is the source of the River Cherwell.
Over the A361 and up onto the railway embankment... There seemed to be a magnet drawing everyone this way, however Fergus had spotted the correct route a few metres further along the road. You would have thought that the walk leader would have remembered where she went on the pre-walk! This gave us the added excitement of crossing a slippery plank over a stream in both directions...it was obviously a lot muddier and a lot slippier on the return journey but we all made it across.
Just three more hills, including one with a windmill on the top..Windmill Hill! Down the last hill, to the beacon and across the road to a well earned pint at the side of a roaring fire with a friendly labrador joining us.
A delightful 10.5 mile walk, sunshine most of the day, wonderful company.....thank you everyone for coming along, especially to those brave chaps walking with me leading them for the first time.
Next walk, from the same starting point, Valentine's Day, which will be exactly 6 years since the first walk I led for Spice.
