Today’s walk was a 7 mile circular route starting in the village of Wormleighton in Warwickshire. Almost immediately upon leaving the village we found ourselves in wide open countryside. It was a beautiful day with a midsummer feel to it despite being two days into September. This walk would take us passed two deserted medieval villages. The first of which was Stoneton. Standing today on this site meant standing in the middle of a ploughed field, with no sign of the settlement hundreds of years ago.
A gentle steady climb took us towards the village of Priors Hardwick. Stopping to look back over our shoulders offered probably the best views of the day. We stopped for a quick break and snack on a bench in the church yard in this very picturesque village. On our way out of the village we walked past the lovely looking pub of the Butcher’s Arms which we would be returning to later.
It was not long after leaving Priors Hardwick before we joined the Oxford Canal, which was to be our companion for much of the remainder of the walk. The time passed by as peacefully as the narrowboats we saw gently making their way through the water as we strolled along the towpath. We stopped by one of the bridges for lunch and enjoyed the sunshine of the afternoon.
The second medieval village of the walk has still clearly visible earthworks. The famous Spencer family of Northamptonshire once lived in Wormleighton Manor, which burned down in 1645 after which the village became deserted. The field containing these earthworks is the last field that we walked through before returning to the still existing part of Wormleighton. It is a large undulating field surrounded by hedges. We discovered that the footpath sign at the entrance to the field did not point in the right direction and it seemed to take us quite a while to find the correct way out!
This was the second walk we have done recently where there has not been a pub at the start/finish point, which is a fundamental flaw in any walking day out! As a consequence, we decided to drive back to Priors Hardwick and check out the Butcher’s Arms. £10 for a pint of beer and a bottle of cider is outrageous but a good pint in a lovely beer garden was a perfect way to end the walk.

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