During the coronavirus lockdown we revisited our favourite walks in and around Snitterfield and discovered some we didn’t know. We thought it may be useful to write these up so they are accessible to anybody either living in the village or those further afield who may wish to get to know this lovely area better. When we have space, we will also publish them in the village’s Snipe magazine.
You can click on the links below to access the walks – and they will print out on A4 paper. We suggest you print them in colour for clarity and, on longer walks, consider taking an Ordnance Survey map or navigation app with you. While we have attempted to make maps as clear as possible, they are not to scale.
If you spot any errors, would like to make suggestions to make instructions clearer or have ideas for local walks to add, please email us on info@sallyhopkinson.co.uk.
Have fun and we hope you enjoy them.
Sally and Andy Hopkinson (and Pie the spaniel)
CLICK ON THE TITLES BELOW
Walk 1 The Bell Brook Walk– 3 miles (4.8km)
An easy, level walk that takes you past a wildlife pond and alongside Bell Brook for much of the route. Skirting The Domestic Fowl Trust, you will be mainly on rural tracks and field paths although part of the return route will be along village roads if you do not wish to retrace your steps.
Walk 2 The Gunpowder Plot Walk– 6.5 miles (10.5km)
A longer but fairly undemanding walk, with few hills. Taking in a site closely associated with the Gunpowder Plot and walking through meadows and woodland rich in fauna and flora. After wet weather parts of the walk can be muddy.
Walk 3 The QI Walk – 2 miles (3.2km)
A ‘quite interesting’ illustrated walk around Snitterfield, concentrating on village history. Most of the route is on the road, with a couple of rural diversions.
Walk 4 The Little Legs Treasure Hunt – ¾ mile (1.2km)
An easyhalf-hour walk for youngsters, partly on the road and partly along field paths, passing a playground. As you walk see if you can match the numbered photographs to things you will see along the route and write the numbers onto the map in the right position.
Walk 4 The Little Legs Treasure Hunt – Answers
Walk 5 The Wolverton and Monarch’s Way Walk– 7 miles (11.2km)
A walk across lovely countryside to Wolverton and its 13th-century church. Skirting Langley, you return on part of the Monarch’s Way. This 625-mile long-distance footpath approximates the escape route taken by King Charles II in 1651 after being defeated in the Battle of Worcester. The walk is mainly level: Heath End Plantation can be muddy.
Walk 6 The Monarch’s Way and Monument Walk– 5 miles (8km)
A pretty walk skirting a golf course and the Welcombe Hills, where a short detour will take you to the Welcombe monument. A proportion of the walk is along The Monarch’s Way, passing The Farm, which has a shop and café. The walk is mainly level but some of the footpaths can be muddy in wet weather. The A46 has to be crossed twice so great care should be taken.
Walk 7 The Hatton Rock and Avon Walk – 7.5miles (12km)
This rewarding walk takes you beside and above the river Avon, with glorious views, before heading back across the Welcombe Hills. There are a couple of stretches on quiet lanes and you will need to cross the A46 on the return leg, unless you choose to return to the village along King’s Lane at point 10. In summer it is a good idea to wear long trousers as some of the paths are narrow and nettles abound. To shorten the walk a car could be dropped off at point 7, allowing you to terminate the walk before the Welcombe Hills stretch.
A walk from the village across fields and then along the Bearley Road to reach Snitterfield Bushes. This nature reserve covers around 50 hectares (123 acres) and is full of wildlife, both flora and fauna, and wonderful in all seasons. This walk gives you a route there and back (sadly not circular) but we suggest you explore the reserve by choosing your own paths. Dogs are not allowed in the reserve.
Walk 9 The Vanished Village Walk – 8.5 miles (13.5km)
A longer walk, taking you to the lost medieval village of Fulbrook, once the site of the Duke of Bedford’s castle, built circa 1400 but a ruin by 1478. The materials from the castle were later used to build the beautiful nearby mansion of Compton Wynyates. The ridge and furrow pastures are almost all that remain of the medieval strip fields that once supported a village here. You will pass the clear remains of an ancient moat on the site of a now vanished manor house and evidence of a medieval mill. Fulbrook was one of the many villages almost destroyed by the Black Death in the 14th century but doubly unfortunate in that the surviving tenants were later forcibly evicted by the Duke of Bedford so the land could be enclosed as a deer park for hunting. The walk is mainly through fields, passing several lovely typical red-brick Warwickshire farmhouses, but there are also short stretches on minor roads. A couple of major roads also need to be crossed. The walk can be shortened by parking a car near to point 3 on Heath End.
Walk 10 The Black Hill Walk– 5 miles (8km)
A mainly flat and easy walk, taking in some lovely countryside and a few stretches on quiet lanes. You will pass a large garden centre at Black Hill, which offers a good selection of picnic food and a cafe. There are some busy roads to cross.
Please take note of the Countryside Code.For information see: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/the-countryside-code/the-countryside-code
