Sue was walking to the church at Kinnersley, so I accompanied her and then picked up a walk from the parish council book. This went down relatively directly from the church to Staunton, then along the edge of the village, before returning home via Norton Canon.
Leaving Sue at the church, I continued down the lane to Hurstley.
The most direct route was down a lane to some cottages, however there was a "private" sign down there, and I chickened out and retreated to loop around.
Back up the road, to the path across the fields. As seems to be the norm around here the path was over sown with the crops and I chose to walk along the tractor lanes, which took me to the gate in the corner. Over this and into a grass field
Down a narrow green passage to an orchard - I had been here before so knew where to go for the stile into the next field.
This had been harvested since the last time and I could walk across it tot eh stile onto the back road near the now closed Kinnersley arms.
Leaving the road opposite the Lower Ailey farm and down a byway that became a farm track after the last house.
At a bridge over the disused railway - There was no "private" notice this side, so I could have continued earlier.
Turning along the farm track beside the old railway trace, and past Hurstleywood farm. This was marked as the Vaughan way - I later found out I had started on this at the church!
The farm track mutated into a green lane, that continued in a straight line down to a bridge over a small stream (Letton Lake).
I crossed over and into a huge pasture field, and across this on a compass bearing.
The next two fields (in the same direction), the first long grass and the second fresh cut grass.
The next few fields were pasture ones with most of the stock hiding under the sparse shade.
Rhe last field in this sequence led to a corner and a gate onto a green lane past a collection of houses.
Up the driveway for the houses and past The Sergeants collection of houses.
The road became tarmacked before I left where it bent sharply, and onto a path down beside a garden.
This path followed the edge of Staunton passing Lower house farm
Where a driveway turned away I continued into an orchard, and down through the trees.
Leaving the orchard and onto a short driveway and into another orchard.
The orchard ended and I crossed into the fields beyond. Following the hedge line around to a crossroads of paths.
Once again lucky that the crops had been harvested and I could follow the marked route across the field to the edge of the woods.
Through the hedge and along the end of the woods.
The map showed the path going across the potato field .. not a chance .. so it was following the tractor trace rather than stumble along the edge.
Two sides of the triangle later I was back on track and into a cereal field - same trick with the tractor trace.
The next field was rape seed with a path through it, but very overgrown.
Nearing Norton canon things got easier once through the hedge, as the next fields had been harvested.
Picking up the back road to Norton canon, passing the dismantled railway (again) before leaving into harvested fields.
A steady climb on a compass bearing across the stubble to a stile in the hedge ahead.
A couple of pasture fields leading up to Davies Meadow Nature Reserve.
In the nature reserve I could follow a path I had worked out before and across into the trees and out to the back road leading to Norton Canon village hall.
Here I turned for home down the farm lane
The farm track changed into a green lane, and dropped to a stream.
On the far side there was a sweetcorn field covering the path, so I chose a different route through Park wood.
Leaving the sweetcorn back down to the stream, and out to the next door field. Again no path just plough through as best I could.
The field ended at a better path through Parks wood.
Unfortunately the end of the path was overgrown before it came out to a strangled gate. This opened to a sweetcorn field with a clear path through.
Back on home territory now through the grass fields aroudn Park farm.
Down the farm driveway to the A4112, and back home.
Statistics
| Distance | Elapsed | Height |
| 17.3km | 3h 29m | 205m |
