and occasionally rides a bike.
A word of warning. The walk descriptions are not detailed enough to guide you - please take a map. The batteries never run out, and you always have a signal. Oh, And don't take left or right as gospel!

Monday, May 20, 2013

Kings Cliffe circular to Apethorpe

Mon, 2013 May 20 9:35 AM Western European Time 
Led by Mel. Norma, Jill, Phil, Barry, Gordon, Eddie, me. Sllghtly damp, grey, humid. One damp section underfoot. 5 miles.

Just eight of us on this dull morning with slight drizzle in the air.  We park at Kings Cliffe, on the no through road up to Fineshade woods.   

First we go across the main road, past the sign to the Village Hall and Underground Centre, and take the road directly ahead until we reach the Morehay Lane track. We turn left and continue until we find a path through a kissing gate, which takes us up past the clay pits, and alongside rape fields. About 2 miles into the walk we arrive at a road junction, with signs to Spa Farm, Lodge Farm and others.  Here we turn left to take the road into Apethorpe. It comes out by the Kings Head pub. 


Some of us wander into the village for a look at St Leonards church, which is closed, as there has been an attempted burglary recently.   We briefly admire the clock, restored in 1897 for Queen Vic's diamond jubilee, and smartened up for E II R's in 2012.

Then we rejoin the others and have a coffee and banana break. We go back uphill out of the village along the road we arrived on. When we reach the junction we go straight on, following the road alongside Calvey Wood, as far as Spa Farm Cottages.  We go behind them, and soon go through a short stretch of woodland, before turning slightly right to go north, following the field edges down towards Kings Cliffe. 

When we hit Morehay Lane we turn right, over our steps earlier this morning,  and before long turn left over a footbridge, along a track past the old watermill.

The water's flowing but the wheel's not turning


We emerge close to the church and follow the footpath just by the churchyard, between walls, past many narrow alleys, and rejoin the road leading to the cars.  
Cutaway corner for tall traffic.
Kings Cliffe church


Five of us had butties and a drink in Bulwick Pickled Village shop.









4 comments:

Unknown said...

Was this a Ramblers' walk ?

aliqot said...

This is a local group called "Gretton Striders" ! We're not by any means all based in the same village though. We walk once a fortnight as a rule.

Unknown said...

Sorry for the delay in replying ... and thank you for the info. It sounds like what we used to do in the local Ramblers' group ... meet at a different place for each walk. I stopped walking with them though six years or so ago preferring to walk alone or with just one or two others.

aliqot said...

I like walking in small groups too, but it's good to keep in touch with these people too. I've never been a member of the Ramblers, but they do a lot of good work on behalf of walkers in general.

My delay this time - I was in Leeds for a few days.