Walk 103: Benington NW Loop

Rolling countryside with wide open views

6 miles (9.7km)

This circular walk is our second from Benington, the other is Walk 102: Benington NE Loop. Walk 103 heads NW out of the village before looping round to the south along byways and footpaths and across open fields. The walk involves some lane walking, but, when we did it they were quiet.

Directions

Map for Walk 103: Benington NW Loop

Created on Map Hub by Hertfordshire Walker

Elements © Thunderforest © OpenStreetMap contributors

Note: There is a larger, more-detailed map embedded at the end of these directions

1: Park in the village of Benington. We found a spot on Church Green just outside the church (grid ref TL 29745 23582). Head NE on Walkern Road (to the left of the duck pond) for 60m until you come to the village hall on the left. Turn left here on Benington footpath 2. Take this path and head W for 880m. Along the way you will cross a wooden footbridge and reach a junction in the path, but you continue straight until you reach Lordship Farm.

The junction mentioned in point 1 above
Continue straight, heading to the left of the tree
Image by Hertfordshire Walker released via Creative Commons BY-NC-SA 4.0

2: Go through the farm with barns and industrial units to your left and right. After a line of containers turn left and immediately on your right look out for a footpath gate. Go through the gate and continue W for another 1km through Hubberts’s Grove, and Haily Park Wood to the River Beane.

The footbridge over the River Beane mentioned in point 3 below
Image by Hertfordshire Walker released via Creative Commons BY-NC-SA 4.0

3: Turn right, cross the footbridge and, if you want, take a break on a perfectly placed bench, courtesy of North Herts Ramblers. Just after the bridge turn right and head N for 800m on Aston footpath 17, which becomes Walkern footpath 20. When you reach a footpath junction continue N towards a gate to the right of a tree.

The footbridge mentioned in point 4 below
Image by Hertfordshire Walker released via Creative Commons BY-NC-SA 4.0

4: Go through the gate and cross another wooden footbridge. Immediately after the bridge the path splits. You take the right fork and head NE on Walkern bridleway 21 for 140m until you come to a ford and a bridge.

The footbridge alongside the ford mentioned in point 5 below
Image by Hertfordshire Walker released via Creative Commons BY-NC-SA 4.0

5: Cross the River Beane on the footbridge, Bennington bridleway 1, and continue heading NE for 120m

Benington bridleway 44 mentioned in point 6 below
Image by Hertfordshire Walker released via Creative Commons BY-NC-SA 4.0

6: Turn right on the lane and head SE for 30m before turning left on Benington bridleway 44 and heading E for 510m to Walkern Lodge where the track becomes Walkern bridleway 28 and heads NE for another 280m before reaching a junction.

7: Turn right and head E on a lane for 1.3km. This is a quiet lane with plenty of options to stand on the grass verge when cars approach.

Continue left on Benington bridleway 9 mentioned in point 8 below
Image by Hertfordshire Walker released via Creative Commons BY-NC-SA 4.0

8: At the point where the lane bends to the left you turn right on Walkern bridleway 9, pass a row of cottages, and head SSW for 110m then turn left and head SE keeping the woodland on your left and the field on your right for another 450m.

9: Walkern bridleway 9 then swings S and SSW for 600m. Continue, keeping the woodland on your left and the field on your right, until you drop downhill to a junction before the path climbs the hill.

* Just before you climb the hill you will notice a path on your left that follows a stream. It’s not an official path, but it seems some use it to avoid crossing a field in point 10 below. That option is marked in orange on the maps above and below.

Benington bridleway 11 crossing the field mentioned in point 10 below
Image by Hertfordshire Walker released via Creative Commons BY-NC-SA 4.0

10: Enter the woodland and turn left immediately on Benington bridleway 11 and head SE for 270m.

* This path crosses a field, which can be heavy walking if recently ploughed. In that case you might want to consider the option mentioned above and marked in orange on the maps.

11: When you reach the far side of the field you come to a junction in the tracks. Here you turn right and head SSE and uphill on Benington bridleway 20 for 330m to the point where the hedgerow ends before continuing along the bridleway as it goes through the crops for another 260m.

Benington bridleway 20 where it goes through the crops mentioned in point 11 above
Image by Hertfordshire Walker released via Creative Commons BY-NC-SA 4.0

12: At the end of the field turn left on Benington footpath 21 SE and then S for 80m and then take Benington bridleway 22 SW for 240m until you reach a lane.

Benington footpath 29 mentioned in point 13 below
Image by Hertfordshire Walker released via Creative Commons BY-NC-SA 4.0

13: Turn left on the lane and head SSE for 100m before turning right on Benington footpath 29. After going through the gate the path swings to the left and goes through a corridor of trees heading S for 240m.

14: Turn right at the far side of the field just before a gate, you are now on Benington footpath 23. Head W for 150m, go through another gate, and continue west for 170m to a footbridge.

The footbridge mentioned in point 14 
Image by Hertfordshire Walker released via Creative Commons BY-NC-SA 4.0

Cross a footbridge after which you turn right and continue heading W with the field on your left and the hedgerow on the right for 200m to a footpath junction. Continue W on Benington bridleway 31 for 190m looking out for a path going off to the right.

The stairs mentioned in point 15 below
Image by Hertfordshire Walker released via Creative Commons BY-NC-SA 4.0

15: Take this path as it climbs wooden stairs and then turns left and heads NW on Benington footpath 33. After 90m you reach a footpath junction. Here your way is straight ahead across the field heading NW for 300m until you reach a gate in the hedgerow. At the time we did this walk the path ahead was not clearly defined and we had to walk along a track made by tractor wheels so as not to damage the crops. The track we followed brought us just to the right of the gate. Go through the gate and continue another 150m until you reach stables and a gate to the road.

The path across the field mentioned in point 15 above
The gate you are heading for is marked with a red arrow

Image by Hertfordshire Walker released via Creative Commons BY-NC-SA 4.0

The gate mentioned in point 15 above
Image by Hertfordshire Walker released via Creative Commons BY-NC-SA 4.0

16: Turn right on the lane and head NE and uphill for 520m back to Benington village. The lane is fairly quiet, but take care because there isn’t a footpath at the side of the road.

Interactive map

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