A few short strolls near home with Anne

 Thursday 19th May

Anne from Reims arrived in afternoon. We walked round Gretton.

Friday 20th May

I took Anne to Lyveden New Bield and we had lunch there.

Saturday 21st May

 Another walk round the village. 

Sunday 22nd May

To Burghley House, via viaduct road.  

We parked in Stamford and walked to Burghley, where we sat and drew -

lunch in Garden café.

Wednesday 01 August. Lyveden Way from Wadenhoe

With Marta. 7.3 miles.  We set off at about 10.30.

The same route as July 09.

The River Nene at Wadenhoe

 By the time we reached Lyveden New Bield it was after midday, so we had lunch there.

Wisteria pods at Lyveden New Bield cafe

The river again

We missed the path around mile 3, so continued around the edge of the wood.

09 July Lyveden Way - from Wadenhoe

Monday 09 July. Maureen and Norma. Just over 7 miles. Still fairly hot, but some shady sections.

The same walk as this one.

We parked in the car park at the bottom of the hill past the Kings Head.

We took the path past the church and walked in a clockwise direction.  The route is well trodden and well signposted. 

From Wadenhoe church we followed the path over a couple of cattle grids to the road to Aldwincle, turned left along the road, then right on a path which took us along a field edge to another small road. Here we turned left through a metal gate and walked along a wide grassy track, which used to be part of the road from Thrapston to Oundle.

Just over half a mile down this track, a footpath goes to the right, heading for the woods. Walk along the edge of the field and take the path along the edge of the woods.

After another half-mile or so the path becomes wider, and joins a track.  Follow this to the right almost through the woods. The sign for the next turn-off is slightly hidden, but if you come out of the woods on to the big track, you'll need to retrace your steps for a hundred yards or so. The small track cuts through to the right, and emerges at the edge of a field.  Or you can simply continue and turn right just after the wood.

Turn right towards Lyveden New Bield. The marker posts are clear and the path goes behind the New Bield, with its car park and you should be able to get a drink and snack at the tea shop, even without making an official visit.

For more details about the New Bield - see this post.

From the New Bield the path goes across a field and directly through Lilford Wood.  At the other end of the wood, we crossed a small grassy field, then a footbridge, walked uphill through another field, until we reached a metalled track. This took us  for a couple of miles or so back to the small road we crossed much earlier in the walk. Here we turned right, then left soon afterwards, taking a footpath alongside a hedge. 

The path is well signed and leads into `Wadenhoe village, coming out between two houses and on to the main street.

Up to Wadenhoe church

Through the woods

Lyveden new Bield

Peace by the river Nene

Lyvenden Way - from Wadenhoe to Lyveden New Bield - circular

With Norma, Marion and Steph. Grey, but brightened up as we walked.  A little over seven miles in all, with a coffee/tea stop after almost five miles at Lyveden, and lunch at the Old Barn, Wadenhoe.

We took the path past the church and walked in a clockwise direction.  The route is well trodden and well signposted. 

From Wadenhoe church we followed the path over a couple of cattle grids to the road to Aldwincle, turned left along the road, then right on a path which took us to another small road. Here we turned left through a metal gate and walked along a wide grassy track, which used to be part of the road from Thrapston to Oundle.

Just over half a mile down this track, a footpath goes to the right, heading for the woods. Walk along the edge of the field and take the path along the edge of the woods.

After another half-mile or so the path becomes wider, and joins a track.  Follow this to the right almost through the woods. The sign for the next turn-off is slightly hidden, but if you come out of the woods on to the big track, you'll need to retrace your steps for a hundred yards or so. The small track cuts through to the right, and emerges at the edge of a field. 

Turn right towards Lyveden New Bield. The marker posts are clear and the path goes behind the New Bield, with its car park and you should be able to get a drink and snack at the tea shop, even without making an official visit.

For more details about the New Bield - see this post.

From the New Bield the path goes across a field and directly through Lilford Wood.  At the other end of the wood, we crossed a small grassy field, then a footbridge, walked uphill through another field, until we reached a metalled track. This took us  for a couple of miles or so back to the small road we crossed much earlier in the walk. Here we turned right, then left soon afterwards, taking a footpath alongside a hedge. We had to persuade the cows to move - they were taking shelter just in the gateway, but were no problem.

The path is well signed and leads into `Wadenhoe village, coming out between two houses and on to the main street.

Lots of butterflies around, mainly meadow brown and ringlets, though we saw one comma and tortoiseshells as well.

Time for tea

In the teashop garden

Lyveden Way from Wadenhoe

Thursday 7 July 2016 . Started at 9.30. Just over seven miles. With Maureen and Gordon.


From the car park near the village hall we climbed up to the church on the hill.

From Wadenhoe church we followed the path , along the avenue of hornbeams and over a couple of cattle grids to the road to Aldwincle.

turned left along the road, then right on a path which took us to another small road.

Here we turned left through a metal gate and walked along a wide grassy track, which used to be part of the road from Thrapston to Oundle. 

Lots of meadow browns in the grassy parts.

Just over half a mile down the track, a footpath goes to the right, heading for the woods.The path through the edge of the woods is quite narrow and overgrown in places, and can be muddy. Today there were plenty of annoying horseflies too.

After another half-mile or so the path became wider, and joined a track, which we followed to the right through the woods.

Beside the track in the grass were a fair number of common spotted orchids.

At a gap in the hedge we turned right following the path along the edge of the wood, and turning left then right at the next hedge, to go behind Lyveden New Bield.

We made use of a picnic table to have a break, before heading across a field and directly through Lilford Wood.  At the other end of the wood, we crossed a small grassy field, then a footbridge, walked uphill through another field, until we reached a metalled track. This took us  for a couple of miles or so back to the small road we crossed much earlier in the walk. Here we turned right, then left soon afterwards, taking a footpath alongside a hedge. Muddy gateway alert.

The path is well signed and leads into `Wadenhoe village, coming out between two houses and on to the main street.

Lunch at the Old Barn before returning to the car.

Lyveden New Bield - the building and gardens

When I first visited Lyveden New Bield there was nothing except the house, and perhaps an info board and an honesty box. It felt bleak, unloved and hardly worth the effort.  It's all different these days, although you do have to pay an entrance fee. It's owned and looked after by the National Trust. They're doing a great job with their audio tour explanation of the building's construction, use and religious significance. Like other places in Northamptonshire there are links to the Gunpowder plot - Francis Tresham was involved, as was his cousin Robert Catesby.

Thomas Tresham, who built the house as a summer lodge was a wealthy Catholic landowner, but had to pay huge fines because he would not deny his faith.  He spent 15 years in and out of prison, but still managed to father 11 children, and find time to design and build this house and its garden, as well as the Triangular Lodge at Rushton.  

The house was designed using the numbers 3 (the Trinity) , 5 (the wounds of Christ when crucified) and 7 (significant in religion - because of the seven days to create the world, seven deadly sins and cardinal virtues, among other things).

An unfinished building, rather than a ruin

The building was left unfinished when Thomas Tresham died in 1605.  His son Francis was involved in the failed Gunpowder plot, and died later in 1605. A younger brother Lewis inherited the estate with its debt worth over £1 500 000 in today's money.   Lewis was not good with money and eventually the family estates and fortunes were lost.

looking up from the basement to the upper floors

Servants entrance into the basement where kitchens etc were - This is lower than 5'6" now

servants' entrance - hidden from the view of guests by the raised banks

The New Bield was the destination of a walk from the Old Bield, seen at the end of the orchard in the photgraph below. 

The orchard has been planted with old varieties of fruit - as described by Thomas Tresham

The walk went through the orchard, via the mounds and moated orchard, and on to the spiral mound and the New Bield itself.  The National Trust is restoring the gardens, using evidence including a wartime photo by the Luftwaffe.

A lone duckling - it later followed its mother and siblings to the other part of the moat.

The reflection would be perfect if only the wind dropped

Food for fish and ducks? Tadpoles galore!

We must have spent a good hour and a half walking around - the great weather helped of course.

Lyveden circular

Mon, 2013 Jun 3 9:32 AM Western European Time 

Led by Barry. With Norma, Maureen, Gordon, Chris and Marion, Chris and me. A few gentle slopes, good underfoot apart from some mud in the woods. Sunny warm, with a cool wind. 8. 5 miles. (or 6 for shorter route).

 We set off from the layby near Lyveden New Build on the road between the A6116 and the A427.  The path goes across the fields on the north side of the road. The oilseed rape is in full flower, but nothing like as high as usual.

We go through Banshaw Wood and arrive at the minor road in Lower Benefield. For the next three quarters of a mile the path is a tarmac strip leading all the way to Upper Benefield. A herd of young dark-coloured cows - they looked lively but took no interest in us.   In the churchyard is the  only example I have seen of a priest's gravestone facing those of his congregation. Norma pointed this out, or I wouldn't have spotted it.

Church of St Mary, Lr Benefield

 We turn left along the road for a short distance, passing a footpath which goes off to the right. Our route lies to the left, and we're walking southwest.

 A footbridge leads us over a stream and we break for a snack in warm sunshine. To be sociable we sit with our legs uphill, next time I'll turn round!  We cross the stream again - a short leap over the mud this time.  The route southwest hugs the edge of Spring Wood and Cockendale Wood.  At the end we turn to go south east towards a minor road.  Right then left takes us to the next section of path and we walk up past Lyveden Airfield, now Welland Gliding Club.

There's a memorial for a Lancaster bomber crew as we reach the next road. Here, we have a choice. Some people decide that six miles is enough, and they turn left and walk back to the cars. Five of choose to extend the walk through Fermyn Woods.

The path is a little soggy, but we follow it and emerge on the track leading to Assarts Coppice. There's a left turn where Lyveden New Bield is clearly visible.  The path leads east, with Lady Wood on our right hand side. There's a convenient set of picnic tables just inside the wood. Someone has left dry bread on one of the tables - it looks unappetising to us, and the birds don't seem interested either.

From here the path follows field edges to Lyveden New Bield car park. We walk down the long driveway back to the cars.  Four of us go back and visit the building and its Elizabethan Gardens. Audio Tour recommended.  I'll post up a few details about this later.

Looking back to the beginning of the walk.

Wildlife - No deer, though there often are in Banhams wood - kites, martins, a chaffinch or possibly bullfinch (on a phone wire, below, not very good pic), crows.

Map and details