Start : Barton le Clay Church. Postcode : MK 45 4LA. Grid ref : TL 084 304 (51.96158; -0.42215)
(S/E) From the church head uphill on Church Road and at the end of the highway in 200m turn left onto a track that leads to the Barton Hills.
(1) Enter the Barton Hills Nature Reserve on a Permissive Path and take the steepest route up the ridge using steps at places. At the top (2), the path continues southwards with the fence line on the left and the hillside dropping away steeply to the right.
After 800m you come beside a track over the fence but do not go onto it. In a further 200m turn right (westwards) staying on the edge of the hill.
(3) In 450m enter a small thicket, then keep left at a path up from the bottom. In 10m you leave the reserve and turn left along the hedgeline in a southwards direction. After 800m turn left on to the Lilley – Streatley Road and then turn right onto a bridleway after 100m continuing southwards with the hedge on the left side.
(4) After 900m you come to a wood (Maulden Firs) and meet a crossroads. Turn left to join the ancient track of the Icknield Way. (5)
When you meet a road continue straight ahead, walking on the path on the left hand verge, taking care to look for traffic. After 500m, as the road bends left, keep straight ahead on the Icknield Way byway.
(6) In 800m at a junction of bridleways either keep left to stay on the Icknield Way on a gentle incline through a grove of beeches or keep right and climb steeply on a Permissive Path in open ground to the summit of Telegraph Hill (7) approximately 100m off the line of the Icknield Way below. After 400m at an interpretation board the two routes merge.
Continue on the Ickneld Way for a further 200m and you will find a footpath left through a wooden kissing gate into the Pegsdon Hills Nature Reserve. You will see an interpretation board near the gate.
(8) Go into the reserve (9) and straight ahead to a fence corner. Follow the footpath left of the fence. The path descends initially above a steep-sided coomb and then across open ground to the B655 at Pegsdon,
Cross straight over the B655 and take the road ahead of you to the village.
(10) 200m after crossing the B655 you reach a right turn on to Pegsdon Way. You can turn right to visit the Live and Let Live pub or continue straight on to return to Barton.
(11) You soon reach a left turn that passes between two former farms. Continue past the farms on to a bridleway bearing rightwards to trees where the path turns right. 100m after this, turn left following the John Bunyan Trail past The Mill and across a stream. The bridleway becomes a lane. Follow it as it turns left to reach Hexton.
(12) Walking southwards through Hexton you’ll come to a road junction just before The Raven pub. Turn right here and walk along the road for a couple of hundred metres to a footpath that goes diagonally left across the field on the left immediately after the cricket ground.
Cross a stream by some trees. Now the path heads almost directly West (apart from some small zigzags) for 2km of easy walking to Barton le Clay.
(13) Keep left of the hedge as you near Barton. Turn left then bear right over a footbridge. The path then turns right and passes between houses to Manor Road
(14) Turn left on to Manor Road. At Hexton Road (B655) turn right and shortly after left, crossing the road in to Church Road to return to the Church. (S/E)