Everdon (NN11) 2nd June 2013

Posted on 13th June 2013 by The Helpful Hiker

Sometimes we’re in such a rush to head off far away in search of beautiful landscapes that it’s easy to forget that we’ve got some beautiful walks on our doorstep. I’m as guilty of this as anyone, so one Sunday we set off to rediscover a little of what Northamptonshire has to offer.

This walk took us from the pretty village of Everdon (nr Daventry), through Snorscomb, to Mantles Heath and back via Everdon Stubbs. I grew up around this area, so it was good to return to familiar routes.

We started with the Plough Inn on our left, the church on our right and we headed down the lane towards Snorscombe. We left the lane and continued on the footpath, which took us past some allotments and then across a couple of sheep fields joined by a footbridge. We then crossed the stream and followed the road ahead, passing the lovely Snorscomb Mill on our right. We headed on to the sleepy hamlet of Snorscombe itself. Considering it was a beautiful day we only saw a couple of people all afternoon, Snorscomb was particularly quiet with just a few sheep to notice us walk past.

I enjoyed visiting the green countryside of my childhood

Going through a wooden gate, we followed the bridleway which skirts around a farm to the left. We stayed on the track, and once past the farm, (although the bridleway continues along the track) we branched off and headed through a gate on the left hand side. From here the bridleway goes through a field and then starts sloping uphill towards Mantles Heath. Although not too long a climb, it was a significant slope and we were glad of a breather at the top.

The view from Mantles Heath is well worth the short climb

We then crossed the road and carried on walking straight ahead, with Mantles Heath on our left and open, beautiful countryside to the right. Once past the Heath, we took a left turn and followed the bridleway that goes through Farthingstone Hotel and Golf Course (fortunately the golf course was strangely quiet and so no danger from wayward shots!). We then followed the hotel driveway to the road and turned left at the end. We followed the road for a short distance until we reached Everdon Stubbs on our right. I spent lots of time here as a child and was eager to show it off to Luke. Luckily, due to our late Spring/Summer this year the bluebells, for which the Stubbs is renowned, were still just around. It brought back memories of collecting flowers for our village May Day celebrations.