Hethe circular walks

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5
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EASY
3.5 miles
1 hour 10mins (leisurely)
3
Please be aware that our recommended walking routes will take you
through open farmland, private park and game land, and local
resident’s gardens. Also, some of the areas marked are bridleways
rather than footpaths. Walkers are entitled to use bridleways too,
but please be mindful of any horse and riders you may encounter.
2
1
We would ask that you’re respectful of the countryside we hope you
will enjoy during this walk. Please shut all gates after you, take your
litter with you (or bring it to The Muddy Duck and we’ll take it off
your hands!) and stay on the marked footpaths and bridleways.
Tusmore Park is especially well signed with way finders, but
nevertheless our step-by-step guides should make them easy to
follow.
If you take your dog with you please keep them under control and
on a lead when necessary as you will encounter plenty of tempting
wildlife for them to chase!
As you come out of The Muddy Duck, turn left onto Main St and set off down the hill,
passing the church of St Edmund and St George on your left. Follow the road to the bottom
of the hill, and just after the bridge turn left and cross the stile into the first field. 1
This church is the very same one featured in Flora Thompson’s famous Lark Rise to
Candleford stories. If you pause to look around the church yard you may spot her father’s
name – Edmund Timms – at the foot of two columns. Cottisford is referred to as Fordlow in
Flora’s tales.
Follow this footpath, with stream on your left, and between the gap in the hedge at the end of
the field, cross another stile and into the next field. Continue to follow this until you find a
break in the hedge line and take the footpath turning left. 2 Follow this footpath all the
way to the woods, keeping the trees on your left.
From the stile turn right and continue to walk up hill slightly through Cottisford. You will
pass beautiful Cottisford House on your left where Squire Rousby (Mr Bracewell) lived in
Thompson’s Larkrise narratives.
At the end of this field you will come to a juncture in the footpath, where you can either turn
left back towards Hethe (which would make this a very fast walk indeed!) or right into
Coneygre Woods. You know which one to take! 3 Follow the path through the pretty
poplar wood, where you might be lucky enough to spot muntjack or roe deer, and certainly a
pheasant or two.
As you come out of the woods continue to follow the path, keeping the tree line (named
Twigyard Wood) on your left. At the end of the tree line, turn left onto the sand track and
then immediately right into a field which sets you off up hill slightly on a diagonal. 4
At the top of this field you should spot a stile in the hedge line which puts you onto the road in
the village of Cottisford, straight opposite the church of St Mary the Virgin. 5
On your right - a couple of properties after Manor Grange - you will spot a wrought iron
kissing gate. 6 Pass through this and keep to the right. Pass through a gate at the end of
the field and head diagonally and slightly right to another. Now head downhill and almost
straight ahead of you you’ll see another stile. 7
Pass over the stile and stick to the footpath cut through the centre of this field heading steeply
up hill. This is now the same path you will follow all the way back to Hethe. At the top of the
hill you’ll pass by a wooded area on your right which is a favourite with the resident pheasants
and is named Windmill Hook.
You will eventually follow this path back to the gap in the hedge and the stile leading you into
the first field you originally set off in, with a view up the small valley and towards the village
of Hethe. 1
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4
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3
2
6
11
7
8
10
MODERATE
5 miles
1 hour, 40 mins (leisurely)
9
Please be aware that our recommended walking routes will take you through open farmland, private
park and game land, and local resident’s gardens. Also, some of the areas marked are bridleways rather
than footpaths. Whilst walkers are entitled to use bridleways too, please be mindful of any horse and
riders you may encounter.
We would ask that you’re respectful of the countryside we hope you will enjoy during this walk. Please
shut all gates after you, take your litter with you (or bring it to The Muddy Duck and we’ll take it off
your hands) and stay on the marked footpaths and bridleways. Tusmore Park is especially well signed
with way finders, but nevertheless our step-by-step guides should make them easy to follow.
If you take your dog with you please keep them under control and on a lead when necessary as you will
encounter plenty of tempting wildlife for them to chase!
As you come out of The Muddy Duck, turn left onto Main St and set off down the hill,
passing the church of St Edmund and St George on your left. Follow the road to the bottom
of the hill, and just before the bridge turn right down a track between the start of a row of
cottages and the stream. 1
Now walk to the side of the next field keeping the hedge line on your right and at the end turn
left with Poplar Spinney on your right. 6 You’ll see a break in the trees on your right –
follow this and go through the gate at the end and then head for bridge running over the
stream.
Go through the kissing gate at the bottom of the lane and head for the top right hand corner
of the field (the non-romanticised instruction here is to head for the sewage plant hidden by
the hedge!). Keep the hedge on your right and follow the field to the end, where you will go
through another gate on your right, 2 down the hill now keeping the next hedge line on
your left. At the bottom, you’ll come to another kissing gate on the road.
Ahead of you you’ll see a large opening between some sewage works and a hedge on your
right. At the end you’ll need to pass over two stiles through a garden which often has goats
and chickens frequenting it!
Go through the gate which is almost diagonally left of the one you’ve just left and head
straight across this field towards the stile in the middle of the trees (Willasdon Spinney). 3
Pass through the woods, over the stile at the end and now keep the hedge line on your right
and head for the driveway in the distance.
When you hit the driveway turn right 4 and go through the gate with the entrance to the
stable yard on your right. Follow this track for the next 2 miles, until you get to the bottom of
the hill and can see an old barn in front of a break in the hedge – Warin’s Barn – or as the
local children used to call it Scary Barn! 5
Turn right with the barn on your left and then walk diagonally across this field (in any season
other than winter this is clearly marked by a break in the crop) heading for the large opening
in the hedge line, to the right of the large tree.
You will now be in a residential cul-de-sac in Fringford. 7 Fringford formed much of
the inspiration for the fictional town of Candleford in Flora Thompson’s stories Lark Rise to
Candleford.
Turn right towards the entrance to the road and then left onto Manor Road. Follow Manor
Road through the village, noting The Old Forge 8 – a thatched property on your left
which was Flora Thompson’s inspiration for the post office and forge featured in Lark Rise to
Candleford. This was the very same post office Thompson herself worked in during the late
1800s.
When you reach The Green and Hall Farm on your right, turn right and follow the Green 9
down the hill towards the pond which sits in front of The Old Bake House. Take the track
between the pond (on your right) and the line of fir trees, passing by The Old Bake House on
your right and over a stile on the far right of the paddock in front of you. 10 Go over the
next stile and into the field, following the track ahead of you which then bears left to another
stile which takes you back onto the road. 11 Cross the road and turn right and you’ll find
yourself back at the kissing gate you passed through at after point 2
Homeward / The Muddy Duck bound - you’re now retracing your route
backwards from numbers 3 to 1!
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5
6
2
4
7
8
9
1
10
12
11
Please be aware that our recommended walking routes will take you through open
farmland, private park and game land, and local resident’s gardens. Also, some of the
areas marked are bridleways rather than footpaths. Whilst walkers are entitled to use
bridleways too, please be mindful of any horse and riders you may encounter.
MODERATE
6.5 miles
2 hours (leisurely)
We would ask that you’re respectful of the countryside we hope you will enjoy during this
walk. Please shut all gates after you, take your litter with you (or bring it to The Muddy
Duck and we’ll take it off your hands) and stay on the marked footpaths and bridleways.
Tusmore Park is especially well signed with way finders, but nevertheless our step-bystep guides should make them easy to follow. If you take your dog with you please keep
them under control and on a lead when necessary as you will encounter plenty of
tempting wildlife for them to chase!
As you come out of The Muddy Duck, turn right onto Main St and when you get to the fork at
the top of the road, turn right and continue along Main St. You’ll pass allotments on your
left, the Church of Holy Trinity on your right before coming to a sand track driveway on your
right, to a property named Coneygre. 1 Follow the drive, bearing left of the property
before reaching the mouth of the woods and turn left into the wood of poplar trees.
As you come out of the woods continue to follow the path, keeping the tree line (named
Twigyard Wood) on your left. At the end of the tree line, turn left 2 onto the sand track
and then immediately right into a field which sets you off up hill slightly on a diagonal.
At the top of this field you should spot a stile in the hedge line which puts you onto the road in
the village of Cottisford, straight opposite the church of St Mary the Virgin. 3 This
church is the very same one featured in Flora Thompson’s famous Lark Rise to Candleford
stories. If you pause to look around the church yard you may spot her father’s name –
Edmund Timms – at the foot of two columns. Cottisford is referred to as Fordlow in Flora’s
tales.
Turn left and at the top of the road, just past the game keeper’s cottage, turn left again and
follow this sandy track down the hill. Take the first turning on the right 4 at a break in
the hedge line (bridleway) and follow the path until it joins to the main track. At this
juncture turn right and continue to follow the track until you reach a gateway, with the main
grazing land in front of Tusmore House in the distance. 5 Walk straight across this field,
aiming for the gate in front of the house at the far end.
Turn left back onto the main track, 6 so the house is on your right. Further along on your
left, go through the gate and follow the path through the avenue of trees (the old driveway) 7
and through the gate at the far end at the start of a wooded area.
When you get to the end of this wood, carry on straight into the next field, following the grass
verge between the two fields and just before you reach the tree walk diagonally across the field 8
towards Hardwick in the distance, on the footpath marked when in crop or trodden in during
winter.
Go through two gates and across the road with our shop, Roots of Hardwick in front of you. 9
If you’re feeling parched, grab a drink and snack here and in warmer months we have ice
lollies and ice cream on sale too.
When you’re ready walk down the driveway to the side of Roots of Hardwick, over the cattle
grid, and past the church St Mary The Virgin. At the end of the church yard, turn right and
follow the footpath with stream on your right. 10 When you reach the wooded area, turn
left 11 and leave the woods, joining the footpath taking you back towards Hethe, hedge
line on your left. When you get to the next field, follow the path diagonally across the field,
after which you will hit a driveway. Head straight across the next field, aiming towards the
footpath at the back of a livery yard, 12 between post and rail and the hedge line. If you
get to this point at dusk on a clear day you may well witness a beautiful sunset if you turn back
and face the way you’ve come.
Pass by the allotments on your left, turn right to rejoin Main St and follow the village road
along, turning left at the end with a warm welcome awaiting you at The Muddy Duck!