Fine time

Mark Sutcliffe takes in rolling countryside, classic English parkland,a pretty estate lake and a long-lost stately home

Perched at the highest point in Fineshade Wood, Stamford Club Campsite offers direct access to hundreds of acres of nature-rich, deciduous woodland criss-crossed with walking and cycling trails.

Fineshade Wood itself is part of the ancient medieval hunting grounds of Rockingham Forest and this walk explores the fascinating layers of history dating back to the Normans.

Our route takes us through the woods to the village of Kings Cliffe, then through the Blatherwycke Estate with its pretty lake, past the sites of two grand houses and an Augustinian Priory.

At just over six miles, it’s a pleasant amble through gently rolling pastureland, where the area’s resident red kites will be your constant companions.

Directions

1. From the site gate, head left past a cafe and continue along a lane then slightly right onto a gravel path (signposted ‘Wellbeing Trail’). Continue past the barrier and head right on the track into the woods. Follow the gravel path back around to the left then continue straight on to the top of the hill and slightly left into Westhay Wood. Stay on this track for just under a mile, looking out for deer browsing among the long grassy rides between the trees on either side of the path.

2. 2.2km – At the marker post on the right beside a bench, continue straight ahead on a narrower path, past some new houses and following the track around to the right. Continue into the village of Kings Cliffe. If refreshments are required, take a 500m detour left along West Street to the Cross Keys Inn, then retrace your steps to continue the route.

3. 3.7km – Cross the main road and head down Orchard Lane. In 100m take a footpath on the right. Continue past some allotments and across fields – staying left of the hedgerows – to a kissing gate. Go through the gate, veer left across the field to cross the Willow Brook, then continue alongside a brook across a series of meadows to reach a farm.

4. 4.6km – Continue between the buildings on the track and straight ahead onto a footpath across a field. Follow the hedge around the left-hand side of the next field and through a gap in the hedge to a grassy footpath. Follow the footpath along a grassy avenue of ornamental trees to Blatherwycke Lake. Continue alongside the lake for 200m then veer slightly left along railings, climbing gently left of the woodland to join a gravel track.

5. 6.2km – Continue along the perimeter track, past a hall, church and walled garden. At some cottages, turn right onto a lane and follow it past a gatehouse and over a stone causeway. Follow the lane through a hamlet, forking right towards Kings Cliffe.

6. 7.6km – Beyond Blatherwycke Park Farm, at a fork in the road, take a footpath straight ahead over some fields. In the next field, follow the left-hand boundary then, at the corner of the field, veer slightly left over the next field, heading towards the copse on the skyline.

7. 8.2km – At the gate at the edge of the copse, continue left along the left-hand boundary of the next field. Go through a gate to follow a grassy track towards the elegant stone house (this was converted from the stable block of a much larger residence known as Fineshade Abbey, which in turn was built on the site of an Augustinian Abbey). Continue right of the house, following the waymarked Jurassic Way as it narrows into a footpath between fences.

8. 9.4km – Go over the next stile, head diagonally across a field past another fine old house to a stile on the far side. Continue over the stile, follow a path through the woods then left over a field to the lane leading right back to the Club campsite and visitor centre.

Download this route and others to your smartphone or GPS device from the Club’s OutdoorActive page at: out.ac/IPp3bt

About the route

• Start/finish: Stamford Club Campsite, Tope Lodge, Fineshade Wood, Northants NN17 3BB
• Distance: 10.3km/6.4 miles. Time: 2hrs 45mins.
• Level: Suitable for regular walkers with a reasonable level of fitness.
• Terrain: Gravel forest tracks, grassy footpaths, a little road walking. The occasional steadyascent.
• Landscape: Woodland, pastureland, lakeside paths, villages.
• Refreshments: Grounds Café at Top Lodge Visitor Centre; The Cross Keys, Kings Cliffe.

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The Caravan and Motorhome Club make no warranties concerning the accuracy or completeness of the routes published, which to the best of our knowledge were correct at the time of publication. Your use of the routes is at your own risk and we accept no responsibility for the suitability or safety of any routes published. Routes may be out of date or affected by changes to the physical environment and, to the extent permitted by law, we accept no responsibility for personal injury or property damage caused by your use of the routes.