Northamptonshire Pub Walk

Northamptonshire Pub Walk

Length: 9km or 5.5 miles (should take around 2 hours)

Total Ascent: 94.85m

Moderately Easy

Starting Postcode: NN11 2NN (on street parking, please be courteous to local residents)

Due to a conference later in the week, I had to change my days off and so found myself with a child free day. Imagine that! Some people might have headed to the shops, others to the nail salon, and one or two straight back to bed. I, of course, persuaded Luke to go for a walk. As much as I love taking Finn out, it was nice to be able to cover some miles at a decent pace, and not have to take a massive rucksack with us!northamptonshire-5-mile-pub-walkAs I often do, I planned a route along familiar tracks. I grew up just a couple of miles away from where our walk started. I also followed some of the roads where I used to go riding as a child. (I must admit, the hills seemed bigger and the roads longer than I remembered-I guess things seem smaller when you’re on a horse!)

Whilton, NorthantsWhilton is a pretty village in Northamptonshire, nr Daventry

We started in the village of Whilton and followed the footpath out of the village towards Little Brington. As you can see from the map above, this is near to the Althorp Estate, ancestral home of Princess Diana. There are some nice walks around there, also just out of shot on the same side is Harlestone Heath, another of our favourite places.

Whilton to Little BringtonHeading across the fields towards Little Brington. It was nice to not have to stick to a pushchair friendly route for a change

There is a lovely pub in Little Brington, which I can personally recommend. The Saracen’s Head  has a great reputation locally and serves delicious food, well worth a stop if you’re not in a rush.

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On this occasion (and most unlike us) we carried on. As tempting as it would have been to retire to the pub, the weather was gorgeous and we wanted to make the most of our time.

We picked up the byway and headed towards the hamlet of Brockhall. This was mostly downhill and followed an old track, so a nice easy stretch.

img_7324-01.jpegOne of my favourite views and one I remember well from my childhood

It felt good to be outside enjoying such a beautiful autumn day. The leaves are just turning and the air has turned cooler. Definitely my favourite season!

BrockhallHeading towards Brockhall

Brockhall is very picturesque, and I enjoyed visiting again after so many years, even if the background roar of the M1 seems louder these days.

We walked through the parkland I used to gallop through, a little slower these days, but still enjoyable and picked up the footpath back to Whilton. The path passes right by an OS trig point, which I always like to see. I know a lot of people ‘collect’ them. I often think I should give it a go!

Have you visited any places from your childhood recently?

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Comments

  • Ashley Beolens Ashley Beolens October 26, at 11:24

    Looks like a great place for a walk, sadly I think nearly everywhere in the UK is a bit spoiled by road noises, sometimes no matter how lovely and area looks all you get is background hum of cars 🙁

    Reply
    • TheHelpfulHiker TheHelpfulHiker October 28, at 08:30

      I know, at least you can’t hear the noise in the photos! I can look back and just remember the views 🙂

      Reply
  • Robert Robert January 30, at 18:45

    Hi, what distance is the walk please?

    Reply
  • The Helpful Hiker The Helpful Hiker January 31, at 11:53

    Hi Robert, i have updated the post with some more information. It is approx 5.5 miles.

    Reply
  • Robert Robert January 31, at 15:42

    Thank you, did this walk today with a friend and we both really enjoyed it. Was looking for a route that wouldn’t be too muddy and waterlogged after all the rain and snow and this was perfect. We started from Little Brington rather than Whilton as closer. Be great when the pub is reopened for post walk refreshments. Will definitely do again. Great recommendation. Kind Regards ?

    Reply
    • The Helpful Hiker The Helpful Hiker February 02, at 13:53

      Brilliant, I’m so glad you enjoyed it! Definitely worth doing again when the pub is open.

      Reply

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