Circular Walk taking in the villages of Clothall and Wallington

(S) The walk starts in the small village of Clothall approximately 2.25 miles (3.62 km) south-east of Baldock. Parking is available at the Village Hall providing there are no prior events being held in the hall.

From the car park take the quiet lane that runs alongside of the village hall uphill heading south-east. In approximately 500 yards, as the lane takes a sharp right turn by a house named ‘The Barely Mow’ take the footpath to the left of this house (signposted Public Footpath 9 and Clothall Bury 600yrd). The footpath passes through what appears to be a private garden with stable barns on the right. Continue straight ahead along a well-cut grass path (which can be boggy in winter) until you reach the bottom left corner of the garden where there is a gap in the trees by a broken gate and a signpost.

Now head straight along the grass path dissecting open fields to the left and right. In approximately 600 yards you should reach the busy A507 which runs between Buntingford and Baldock. Cross the A507 and the footpath (now the Hertfordshire Way) continues straight ahead (signposted Public Footpath 9 and Wallington 1 ¾ miles).
Please take extreme care when crossing the A507 as it can be very busy with fast moving vehicles.

(1) Initially this footpath is an access road to Clothall Bury Farm and Trading Units. Walk through or around the metal barrier and speedbump, passing the Trading Units and grain stores on the right before joining the footpath straight ahead which now becomes a grass track.

Follow the footpath keeping the trees of Clothallbury Wood on your right and fields on the left. Once you reach the end of the second field the footpath crosses a wooden bridge before turning right and heading into a wooded area known as Bush Spring. Numerous signposts showing the Hertfordshire Way and Route 9 should keep you on the right path through the woods. At the far end of the wood the footpath crosses a wooden bridge over Prim Springs then turns sharp left and then right over another wooden bridge before it opens up with fields to your right and a row of trees next to a ditch on your left.

In approximately 1/2 a mile you will come to the end of a field the footpath crosses another wooden bridge before reaching a T junction with a wide grass Bridleway.

(2) Turn left at this junction and walk along the wide Bridleway heading north towards Wallington.

(Warning – if you are attempting this walk in a clockwise direction pay attention to find this junction and to turn right over the wooden bridge. If you miss this junction and continue along the Bridleway you may end up heading south to Rushdon adding many miles to the walk).

Stay on the Bridleway as it turns right and then left with farm building in the distance. After approximately 300 yards you should reach what appears to be a T junction of footpaths in front of a row of trees. To the right is private farmland so turn left along the Bridleway with the row of trees now on your right for 200 yards when the Bridleway turn right around Bury Farm.

(3) The grassy Bridleway now becomes a gravel road known as ‘Icknield Way’ road as you approach St Mary’s Church, Wallington on your left and a village pond on your right. If you have the time and the Church is open, take a few moments to look around the Church which dates back to the 12th century and displays a describing the life and times of George Orwell in Wallington.

Continue along ‘Icknield Way’ road until you reach a T junction on a bend with ‘Pond Cottage’ opposite.

(4) Turn left here and walk along the main road through Wallington village known as ‘The Street’. As you walk along 'The Street' with houses on your left and right, look out for a large black painted barn of ‘Manor Farm’ on the right said to be the inspiration for scenes in George Orwell’s famous political satire book ‘Animal Farm’ published in 1944.

Just past the Barn and on your left is ‘Les Arbres’ (The Trees), a 16th Century timber frames cottage, with many of the original timber beams still on display. The road soon bends to the left into 'Kits Lane' and immediately on your right is a thatched cottage ‘The Store’ once home to George Orwell between 1936 and 1940. It is now a private residence.

(5) Walk along 'Kits Lane' for approximately 500 yards ignoring footpath signs to your right and left as you leave the village. The lane now heads down hill and as it bends away to your right ahead you will see a wide grassy footpath.

(6) This footpath is part of the 'Icknield Way'. An ancient trackway which follows the chalk escarpment for some 170 miles between Buckinghamshire and Suffolk.

Follow this footpath as it steadily climbs up the hill between intermittent hedgerow on the left and trees on the right before it opens up with fields on both sides of the footpath. After approx. 1/2 mile of steady climbing the footpath starts to level out with stunning views of the South Cambridge countryside on the horizon to your right.

Stay on the path as it passes through a gap in the hedgerow into more rolling farmland as the footpath continues to divide two fields.

Eventually at the other end of the field the footpath crosses a farm track from the left which forks off into two tracks on the right. Cross these tracks to rejoin the footpath straight ahead. Heading into a small, wooded area as the path bends away to the left past a derelict barn on the right.

The footpath soon opens up again with fields on the right and trees on the left with views on the horizon of Baldock to your right.

At the end of this field the footpath crosses a quiet country lane, go straight across the lane to rejoin the footpath now with fields on your left and hedgerow on the right (signposted: Public Bridleway 5, Clothall Road (A507) 670yrds, Clothall ¾ mile). The footpath descends until it reaches the busy A507 road.

Please take extreme care when crossing the A507 as it can be very busy with fast moving vehicles.

(7) Cross the A507 and rejoin the footpath with hedgerow on the left and a field on the right. Head to the top, lefthand corner of this field ignoring footpath signs on your left (these are short-cuts back into Clothall village if you are running out of time). When you get to the top lefthand corner of the field the path swings away to the right with a high earth embank on your left.

(8) The footpath bears away to the left around the earth embank where it opens up into a wide grass footpath between hedgerow on both sides. In about 300 yards this footpath meets 3 tracks coming in from your right.

(9) Ignore these routes and head left, uphill on a gravel Bridleway known as ‘Hickman’s Hill’, with trees on either side. The track slowly climbs uphill passing a memorial seat on your right before opening onto a road with cottages on your left at the top of the hill. At the T junction turn left and walk along the quite ‘Ashanger Lane’ for approximately 300yards back into Clothall on the way passing more cottages on the left before reaching the Village Hall where are walk began. (E)

If you have time, you can take a detour to visit Clothall’s church of ‘St Mary the Virgin’ which you can access from a footpath on the left as your walk alone ‘Ashanger Lane’.

Wallington - The small village of Wallington was once home to the writer Geroge Orwell (1903-1950), whose real name was Eric Blair, famous for his books ‘Animal Farm’ and ‘1984’. He lived in a small cottage called “The Stores” from 1936 until 1948 and was married in the local church of St Mary’s. During the time he owned the cottage he would often spend long periods away, but the rural setting of the village must have influenced the way that he chose to portray his political ideas in his book ‘Animal Farm’. Many of the scenes are thought to be placed in the Great Barn at Manor Farm which still stands today and can be seen on this walk along with Orwell's cottage which is now a private residence.
When writing this walk (2025) the village church of St Mary’s has a small exhibition of Geroge Orwell's life in the village which is worth visiting if the Church is open.

St. Mary the Virgin Church – Clothall is a stone and flint village church built over several different periods of the 12th and 14th centuries. The font is 12th century and is made of purbeck marble. The glass in the east window is the glory of the church. It is thought that there are only two others like it in England, possible the work of the same man. It consists of six late 14th century medallions, with the heads of Christ, the four evangelists and Mary Magdalene. The tower has two bells: the first dates from the 14th century and bears the mark of Richard Wimbush, the other dates from the 16th century.