HORNTON TO ALKERTON
Turn left at the south door of the Church of St John the Baptist, Hornton and leave the churchyard by the east gate. Go down Church to the main road and turn
right. Continue past the Primary School on your right. As the main road bends left
continue straight on to West End (The Dun Cow Pub is a few metres down
West End to the right) and the Children's Playground. Cross West End
and take the bridleway (marked D'Arcy Dalton Way) with the Children's
Playground on your right. Follow the bridleway as it curves right uphill
(ignore the footpath to your left) and becomes an (often muddy) hollow
way. Continue as the bridleway turns left towards Hornton Grounds Farm.
Go through the farmyard with barns on your left and continue on the
track with the front of the farmhouse to your left. The track bends rightwards and then turns sharp right and then left to reach to the A422. At the A422 turn right and cross the road at some stage before taking the turning to Shutford and the Recycling Centre. Continue to the Recycling Centre and then beyond this for about 600
metres to a stile on the right side of the road with a sign indicating Alkerton 1/4.
Cross the stile and continue through two gates, after the latter of
which the path curves left and downhill onto a track. Continue
leftwards on this track and very shortly turn right and right again into
the drive of the Old Rectory which leads you to the gate of the
churchyard of St Michael's, Alkerton. Continue to the Church.
ALKERTON TO SHENINGTON
On coming out of Alkerton churchyard turn right immediately and go down the
steps. At the bottom of the steps turn right and continue to the gate
and stile. Go over the stile and between the buildings to reach a gate
with a barn on the left. Go through the gate and after about 70 metres
turn left and continue with a fence on your left. At the fence corner (footpath
marker) go half left down the field to a gate. Go through the gate and
along the path for about 50 metre to a stile. Cross this and go up the
field past trees on the right. Continue through a gate to the road. Turn
right and continue for about 40 metres. Cross the road to reach Chapel
Lane and the gate into the churchyard of Holy Trinity, Shenington. The
Church is a little further on to the right.
SHENINGTON TO BALSCOTE
Leave Shenington Church and turn to leave the churchyard by the west gate. From this gate continue on across the front of Senendone House and turn left. Follow the road past Green End Cottage and Mizpah Cottage on your right and Honeysuckle Cottage on your left to reach a gate. Go through this gate and continue for about 70 metres as it curves right to a gate and stile on the left. Go through the gate and cross the stile and continue downhill aiming half right to a gate in the bottom corner of the field. Turn left at the gate and go into the next field. Go across this field 1/4 right to a stile in the hedgerow, Cross the stile and turn left shortly and then right up a stepped stone path and past a tennis court to the right. Continue to a gate. Go through this and turn right (signed Shutford). Go through a further gate and over a stile and follow the path as it curves left. Pass under telegraph lines keeping the trees on your left. Follow the track as it curves left towards a gate. Go through the gate and go slightly leftwards up the hill to reach a stile leading onto a road. Cross the stile and turn right. Continue for about 250 metres to a left hand turn towards to Balscote. Take this turning and follow the road into Balscote. Turn right and then left to reach the Church of St Mary Magdalene.
BALSCOTE TO WROXTON
Leaving Balscote Church turn right and then left out of the churchyard. At the Butcher's Arms on the right turn left down Manor Farm Road . continue through the Green. Just after after the Green turn right onto a concrete track. There is a footpath sign on the left at the entry to this track and on the right hand a sign in stone for Round Hill House and Manor Farm Office. Continue on this track until you reach a road. Turn left and follow the road until after about 250 metres you reach a gate on the right hand side of the road which leads you into a quarry.
Go through the quarry working . The direct route may be subject to diversion, in which case you will probably have to turn immediately left, then after a distance turn right, walk along a field edge, turning right again and then left. At the end of the quarry turn left and then half right across field to a gap in the hedge, Go through this. At the old signpost cross the road ahead of you and turn right along the A 422. Turn first right into Main Street and continue past the Primary School on your right to the duckpond on your left. Passing this, take the right fork and continue down Church Street (passing the gates of Wroxton College on your right) to reach at a leftwards bend the Church of All Saints, Wroxton.
Go through the quarry working . The direct route may be subject to diversion, in which case you will probably have to turn immediately left, then after a distance turn right, walk along a field edge, turning right again and then left. At the end of the quarry turn left and then half right across field to a gap in the hedge, Go through this. At the old signpost cross the road ahead of you and turn right along the A 422. Turn first right into Main Street and continue past the Primary School on your right to the duckpond on your left. Passing this, take the right fork and continue down Church Street (passing the gates of Wroxton College on your right) to reach at a leftwards bend the Church of All Saints, Wroxton.
WROXTON TO DRAYTON
Turn right out of Wroxton Church and left out of the churchyard. (If you would like to visit the Roman Catholic Church, turn right and continue up to the A422 and straight on for a short while after the road junction to the Church which is on the right-hand side of the A 422.) After a
few metres follow Church Street round a right-hand bend and continue to
the gates of Wroxton College on the left of the road. Dark Lane runs
to the right of the gates as you face them. Go down Dark Lane and where
the road bends right turn left onto a footpath (there is a footpath
sign at this point on the right side of Dark Lane indicating Banbury 3).
Follow the path as it curves rightwards past steps up to a house on
the right and a gate into Wroxton College grounds on the left to reach a kissing gate. Go through this and up the slope towards
the tower. Turn left at the tower and continue to a gate in the fence
to your right (footpath marker). Go through the gate and 3/4 left down
the hill. Cross a stile to reach a lake and continue with a metal fence
on your left. At the end of the water go 1/2 left up the hill towards the
obelisk. Cross a stile and continue to the obelisk. Follow the track
(aiming slightly to the right of a folly in the tree-line on the hill
ahead) down to a bridge. Cross the bridge and continue on, ignoring a
gate to the left. Go to the corner of the wood on your left and then
turn left and continue, skirting the wood on your left. At the far
corner of the wood take the path 1/2 right up the slope to a gate. Go
through the gate and slightly rightwards to the next gate. Go through
this and straight across the field to a stile (St Peter’s Church is on
your right). Cross the stile and turn left and then right up the hill to
a gate in the field corner. Go through the gate, turn right and then
immediately right again down the road, with Glebefields Care Home above
you to the left, to St Peter’s Church, Drayton.
DRAYTON TO HANWELL
Retrace your steps up the road from Drayton Church and continue until you
reach the main road. Arden Close is opposite on the other side of the
road. Cross the road, turn left and continue to Metcalfe Close just
after the Village Hall on your right. Cross Metcalfe Close and enter
Queens Lane (thatched Ivy Cottage to the left). When the metalled road
ends, continue on the bridleway, through (or round) a gate and down the
track as it curves rightwards between fences. Go past a gate on your
right and slightly leftwards to cross a track leading into a grove of
tress on your left. Continue past the trees and up the slope slightly
rightwards and go on with a lake below you on the left until you reach a
grit track. Follow this rightwards and then leftwards until you reach a
further track Turn right and then first left. Pass the bungalow ahead
of you on its left, keeping the bungalow's hedge close to you on your right. Where
the grass ends, cross the track and continue on the same line towards
the hedge and main road beyond, Go through the hedge via a footbridge
and turn left. Almost immediately, just after the gates on the verges
and the unrestricted speed signs, turn right across the road and go
through the hedge at a sign indicating Hanwell 1/2. Go 3/4 left across
the field to a gap in the trees and, going through the trees, continue
half right across the field. On leaving the field via a gap in the
hedge, cross the track in front of you (Gullicote Lane) and turn roughly
1/2 left at a footpath marker with Hanwell Church ahead of you.
Continue to and through a gate and then on in the same direction to the
south gate of the churchyard of St Peter’s Church, Hanwell. Go through the churchyard and past
the west end of the Church and turn right to reach the north door.
HANWELL TO HORLEY
Leave Hanwell Church by the north door and turn left. Continue up
Church Lane to reach the main road. Cross the road, turn
left and continue to the Village Hall on the right. Cross the track
which runs to the right just beyond the Village Hall and go through the
hedge (there is a footpath sign) into a field. Cross the field half
right. At the far right corner go through the hedge to reach the B4100.
Cross this road and continue on the road opposite towards Horley (the
left-hand verge may at times feel the safer option). Having passed the
cricket ground on your right, turn right at the Red Lion pub and go up the
road via the footway on the right, past the churchyard on your left. Take the first left turn to reach St Etheldreda's, Horley.
HORLEY to HORNTON
On leaving Horley Church by the west door turn left at the road and
continue to where the road turns left. At this corner go up the steps on
the right and over a stile. Continue with the hedge to your immediate
right to another stile. Go over this and down the slope, skirting
bushes and trees on your right and then, after the bushes and trees, go
3/4 right to a stile. Cross this and follow the path downwards through trees, across a
small stream and then upwards into a field. With a barn 1/2 right
ahead of you, go up across the field, initially straight on and then
curving right, to a gap in the hedge. Go through this and continue half
right to the hedge in the direction of the rightmost of two telegraph poles
ahead of you. Cross the stile in the hedge and turn left down the lane
(Clump Lane). After about 70 metres turn right through a gate into a
field. Go half left across the field. Go through a gate, down steps
and across a footbridge, Go through a further gate and slightly left up
the field to another gate. Go through this and continue with the hedge on
your right into the next field. Continue with the hedge on you right to
steps leading to a gate. Continue through the gate to a further gate
and continue through this uphill with a pond to your left, the path
running slightly below the post and wire fence on your right. Go through
a gate into another field and follow the path downhill as it curves
initially right and then straightens to a further gate. Ignoring
options to right and left go through this gate (signed Circular Path)
and follow the path slightly rightwards to a further gate. Go through
this and, passing Apple Cottage on the right, come out along Pages Lane to the Green. Continue along the road from Pages Lane across the Green
and turn right uphill to reach the Methodist Church on the left of the
road after a short distance. On leaving the Methodist Church turn right
and follow the road down the hill to Church Lane, the first turning on
the right. Go down Church Lane to reach the Church of St John the
Baptist, Hornton.
