Start : At the Bushmead Road/Fairford Avenue roundabout. Grid ref. TL 093 241
(S/E) From the Bushmead Road/Fairford Avenue roundabout head North-East along Bushmead road towards Bushmead. After the turning to Harvey's Hill, ignore the first footpath to the right.
(1) Take the second footpath to the right (North-East), just before you come to more houses on your right. The footpath runs to the right of these houses and continues in the same direction as it becomes a broader track between fields. Keep straight on at crossing tracks. The track climbs steeply to a ridge.
(2) Pause here to gather your breath and look at the view (see (A)) then continue straight over a broad crossing track and descend steeply. A kilometre after the ridge you come to a broad hedge lined track - Wardswood Lane. Here you turn right.
(3) Turn right (East) on to Wardswood lane. The track climbs a little alongside Ward's Wood then curves left at the corner of the wood and then right. 100 metres on continue straight ahead on a byway running between hedges (the main track curves left here). This becomes a road as you enter Lilley village (B). Keep straight ahead through the village and look for the first turning right after the church.
(4) After the church take the next turning to the right past the Cassell memorial hall. You will see a Silver Lion on a post ahead of you. Take the broad track to the right of the post. Initially you walk between hedges with the Church and cricket pitches on your right. After 200 metres the path continues in the same direction with an open field on your left and, on your right, a wood, then a hedge.
(5) Pass through a narrow belt of trees and continue straight ahead uphill across a field past a solitary oak tree that you can see on the horizon. After the path has levelled out you pass through a kissing gate in a fence. Head across the centre of this field. The exit is in the far corner just underneath a large ash tree.
(6) Turn left on the road, pass a house with a round turret and a turning to the right. Immediately after this turning, take the footpath half-right off the road through a kissing gate into a field. NB. during the first half of 2024, this footpath may be temporarily closed. If it is, follow the diversion at the bottom of this section.
Head South across the fields, aiming for a gap in the hedge in the far corner of the second field. You will find it to the right of the buildings of Manor farm and to the left of an oak tree in the hedge. The gap leads to a stile.
Diversion: continue on Butterfield Green Road as far as Manor Farm on the right, then take a footpath on right, opposite house called Foresbrook through wooden gate with sign to Stopsley Common. Rejoin the walk at point 7 by a stile.
(7) Once across the stile you will see an area of trees and bushes ahead of you across the meadow. Head across to the nearest corner of the clump of trees. There may be high grass ahead of you. If the grass is too high to cross take the path to the left along the hedge and after 80m you should find a clear path sharp right heading back to the corner of the trees. Paths in this section are a little informal so check your position on the map screen regularly. Once at the trees/bushes walk along the right hand side of the trees in a grassy strip to the left of football pitches/playing fields.
At the far corner of the trees you need to cross the open field half right to the end of a hedge. It is not that clear from here that this is a hedge, so aim to the left of the trees that you can see at the edge of the field and to the right of the larger hills on the far horizon. When you get to the hedge, walk down its left hand side.
(8) After a short distance the path starts to descend, steeply at first. Keep to the broad main path ignoring paths to the left and right. At the end of the steep section follow the broad path as it curves round to the left and continues to descend. After 100m the path turns right, drops down steps and then passes between houses to return to the starting point.(S/E)
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