(S) From Holy Trinity Church continue on for around 200 yards to a part of the village called The Square, where you will find the lovely old Harvester Inn pub. Bear right down Thorn Way, leaving the pub to your left. The road turns right and left, with wall right. At the end of the wall after 15 paces take the kissing gate right.
(1) Go 1/2 left on the track between trees to exit by a kissing gate. Take the kissing gate and go ahead over a wooden foot bridge. Go up the field to take the kissing gate. Cross a track and take a second kissing gate and go ahead over the field to exit by the far corner kissing gate giving access to the canal path. The Cuttle Inn is over the bridge.
(2) Take the towpath left under the A423 Coventry to Banbury Road (Bridge 25) and immediately pass the Two Boats Inn. Go with the canal right and climb two sets of locks and pass under Bridge 24. Leave the canal just before Bridge 23 by the swing gate to the road.
(3) Go right over the bridge to find the driveway to Blue Lias pub. Take the driveway and go ahead to come onto the vehicle way leading to Stockton Reservoir Car Park. Take the gap ahead into the woods crossing over Weedon to Marton Junction Line. Make your way ahead through the wood to exit by the fence.
Go right with the hedge right to exit the field by the corner gap. Go diagonally right for a few paces and enter the copse. Follow the clear pathway through the wooded area and then keep the wire fence left. Exit by the gap into field. Go with the hedge right to find a gap with steps to the road.
(4) Cross the road and take the stile to the left of the house. Go with the hedge right to exit the field by the corner gap. Follow the clear path down to pass the house right leading to the road. Go ahead downhill past side roads to come to a T junction with a Post Office (The Crown pub 100 paces left). Go right on School Street to find a clearly signed, closed Barley Mow pub.
(5) Go right pass Stockton Parish Church on the left up the Rectory Close - the road becomes a vehicle way. Follow the vehicle way past the cemetery - where the vehicle way turns right go ahead through the metal gate into the field.
Cross the field, maintaining the line, to take a stile and continue slightly right to take a mid fence bridge. Go ahead across the field to meet the corner hedge, go with the hedge left to exit the field by the corner gate. Go left 40 paces, then right with the hedge left to exit the field by a broken corner stile.
(6) Go 1/2 right to find a gap to the left of the far corner with a plank bridge and ditch. Cross the bridge and go 1/4 left to pass by the middle of a 5 power poles across the field to find the hedge gap. Take the gap and ditch to continue ahead to find a mid fence bridge/stile.
Take the stile go ahead with the hedge right to exit by a corner stile. Continue ahead with the hedge right to exit by a grassy corridor and a stile and go left on the road.
(7) Just before the canal bridge take steps left, down a narrow path at the side of the house (the old Bridge Inn pub) onto the Oxford canal towpath. Go right under the bridge 111 with the canal left. The canal skirts round Napton Hill left with its high set windmill. The Folly Inn is passed on the right at bridge 113. Go under bridge 115, lock number 12, then leave the canal towpath.
(8) Go right on the road over the bridge and after some 40 paces take the gate left. Go 1/2 right down the field, past an old pylon on your right, to come to find a mid field bridge. Take the bridge and go ahead 1/4 right to find and take a stile adjacent to a garage building of a large house called Eureka. (Alternatively, ignore the stile and take a large metal gate ahead missing out the next instruction). Go left down driveway thru large black metal gate to the road.
(9) Go right on the road and where the road swings right go ahead on the minor road and again where the road swings right go ahead to find the gateway. Take the gate and ahead along the side of the field, with the fence left.
At the field end, take the metal gate into the next field and go with the hedge right. Take the gap in the field corner and continue ahead with the hedge right. Go through the metal gate and go with the hedge left to cross a track to the metal gate. Go 1/2 right up field to take a large metal gate.
(10) Go ahead uphill with the hedge and fence right to the field corner then ahead on the tree lined track. Go on the track for a long while staying in the same direction, passing an unusual memorial about half way (this track can be very muddy after wet weather). Look out eventually for a timber crossing over a ditch right. Cross the ditch and stile into a field.
(11) Go half left across the field to find a bridge into the next field and then go 1/4 left to cut across the corner of the field and cross bridge. In a quick succession cross four more stiles to pass through some pony paddocks. We have now reached the edge of Priors Marston village.
The last of these stiles gives into a larger field, bordered on the left by houses of recent construction. Follow along the boundary at the bottom of the gardens of houses and look out for a line of concrete garages backing on to the field. To the right of these garages there is a stile, leading to a tarmac track. Follow the track to the end to meet the road into Priors Marston.
(12) There is a pillar box on the left, but you turn right. The road leads past Vicarage Lane and School Lane and then reaches a small green at which four roads meet. The war memorial stands on the green. (E)
