Walk 127: Wallington South-West Loop

4.8 miles (7.7km) with 89m of total ascent

The Icknield Way heading W out of Wallington

This is an excellent walk from the village of Wallington across the hills of north Hertfordshire along well-defined paths with wide open views across to Cambridgeshire. On the return leg of this circular walk you will pass some excavation where drainage ditches dug by prisoners from the Napoleonic wars have been unearthed.

When you get back to the village at the end of the walk you pass Manor Farm, which features in George Orwell’s novel Animal Farm, as well as the cottage where Orwell lived for four years between 1936 and 1940.

Directions

Map for Walk 127: Wallington South-West Loop
Created on Map Hub by Hertfordshire Walker
Elements © Thunderforest © OpenStreetMap contributors
There is an interactive map below these directions

Those with GPS devices can download GPX and KML files for this walk. We've added What3Words location references for those who use that system. If you print these walks you might want to use the green PrintFriendly icon at the bottom of these directions to delete elements such as photographs.

There are a few parking opportunities in Wallington and we didn't notice any restrictions, but please do double check in case things have changed since these directions were published. The two options we found were on the south side of Kits Lane (location - https://w3w.co/suddenly.giving.bordering), and in a small car park off The Street (location - https://w3w.co/noble.competing.reported)

The Icknield Way heading W out of Wallington - mentioned in point 1 below

1: From the junction of Kits Lane and The Street in Wallington (grid ref: TL 29261 33833 and location - https://w3w.co/unsightly.steadily.pats) head W for 400m until you reach a bridleway on the left just past the national speed limit sign. This is Rushden and Wallington bridleway 21, which is also the Icknield Way (location - https://w3w.co/debate.cover.fallback).

Head first W then SW for 960m at which point the route becomes Clothall bridleway 5 (location - https://w3w.co/vineyard.lunching.everyone), see image below.

The start of Clothall bridleway 5 mentioned in point 1 above

2: Continue through the gap in the hedge and head WSW for 450m until you reach a junction in the track (location - https://w3w.co/receiving.terribly.bubbles), see image below.

The junction along Clothall bridleway 5 mentioned in point 2 above

3: Here you continue straight, still on Clothall bridleway 5, and head SW for 480m until you reach Warren Lane (location - https://w3w.co/niece.buzz.reach), see image below.

Clothall bridleway 5 after crossing Warren Lane

4: Cross Warren Lane and continue heading SSW, now on Clothall bridleway 5, for 620m until you reach the A507, Clothall Road.

Clothall bridleway 5 after crossing the A507 Clothall Road

5: Cross the A507 then head S for 190m, still on Clothall bridleway 5, until you reach a gate on the left (location - https://w3w.co/cringe.curl.outwards), see image below.

The gate on Clothall bridleway 5 mentioned in point 5 above

6: Go through this gate then follow Clothall bridleway 5 to the right and head SE for 230m until you reach Ashanger Lane.

* When you reach Ashanger Lane you might want to take the footpath on the left (location - https://w3w.co/paintings.spouting.commuted) for a 120m detour (shown in yellow on the maps above and below) to explore the Church of St Mary the Virgin, a Grade II listed building which, according to Wikipedia, was built of flint and stone around 1350–70, but with parts of the church dating back to the 12th century.

7: Turn left on Ashanger Lane and head E for 100m looking for a lane on the right. Turn right on this lane and head SSE for 470m until you reach a junction.

* There is a footpath running parallel to this lane, but we chose not to use it because it was muddy and the fields were occupied by livestock. The lane is a pleasant alternative option.

Clothall footpath 9 mentioned in point 8 below

8: When you reach a junction at the top of the lane - with the former Barley Mow pub on your right but now a private house - turn left and take Clothall footpath 9 (location - https://w3w.co/racked.surface.wrenching) and head NNE for 180m keeping to the left before you reach a gate (location - https://w3w.co/rams.brilliant.tidying).

The gate mentioned in point 8 above

Go through the gate and continue on Clothall footpath 9 heading NNE for 340m until you reach Clothall Road, the A507 (location - https://w3w.co/blissful.shielding.tight).

Clothall footpath 9 continuing after you cross Clothall Road, the A507

9: Cross Clothall Road and continue heading NNE, still on Clothall footpath 9, for 470m until you reach a footpath junction (location - https://w3w.co/potions.regaining.disbanded), see image below.

The footpath junction mentioned in point 10 below

10: Ignore the footpath to the left and continue heading NE, still on Clothall footpath 9, with the ditch and Clothallbury Wood on your right, for 300m until you come to the end of the wood.

The excavated area NE of point 10 and mentioned below

* This stretch of the public right of way has been recently excavated (we did this walk on Monday 12 April 2021). Signs have been placed at each end of the excavated area explaining why the land has been disturbed. A pdf of the sign has been embedded at the bottom of these directions below the interactive map. Click here to jump to the notice. The wording on the sign reads:

As part of an exciting farm-wide regeneration program we have recently discovered pipes buried 1.5m below the surface - believed to date back to the Napoleonic era where captured soldiers were bought across from France and were made to dig these pipes underground providing drainage and increased crop yield for the land owner as well as feeding into a ditch and drainage system that served 4 ponds in the woods (believed at one time to be carp and duck ponds).

As current tenants of this farm we have taken it upon ourselves to restore this environment. These ditches are dug at a level where we intercept this network and we have re-established ditches that feed this water into the 4 ponds (you can see one where this path enters the wood).

We are sorry for the disruption caused to the footpath but we will restore the footpath as soon as weather conditions allow, we hope to have this work completed in the late spring in the meantime please bear with us and if possible, can you please walk on the field edge around the ditch and spoil pile.

Hertfordshire County Council, Countryside and Rights Of Way Service are aware of this conservation work and this temporary footpath walk-around. Any problems please do not hesitate to give us a call. Our contact details can be found on our website: https://www.kaiapoi.co.uk/.

Regards
Rob and Jo

The footbridge where Clothall footpath 9 becomes Rushden and Wallington footpath 23

At the end of the excavated area continue along Clothall footpath 9 heading ENE for 430m through woodland called Bush Spring until you reach a footbridge (location - https://w3w.co/beads.camcorder.blues), see image above. This is the parish boundary.

11: From here your path becomes Rushden and Wallington footpath 23 and continues ENE for 800m until you reach a junction.

12: Turn left at the junction and head N for 510m now on Rushden and Wallington bridleway 24 until you reach a lane on your right (location - https://w3w.co/straying.trifle.drifters) leading to the Church of St Mary, a Grade II listed building.

The lane to the Church of St Mary, Wallington

13: Turn right on this lane and head NE, then E with the church on your left and a pond on your right, then NE again before reaching another pond on your left at the junction with The Street (location - https://w3w.co/pounces.domain.thumb).

Manor Farm made famous in Orwell’s Animal Farm

14: Turn left on The Street and walk 100m NNW looking out for Manor Farm, which features in George Orwell’s Animal Farm, on the right (location - https://w3w.co/possible.gazed.retailing).

The 16c timber-framed house

Another 40m further along The Street on your left you will pass a 16th century timber-framed house (location - https://w3w.co/templates.averts.hydration). Continue along The Street for another 100m until you reach the junction with Kits Lane.

The cottage where George Orwell lived for four years

Here you turn left and the cottage that George Orwell lived in between 1936 and 1940 is on your right (location - https://w3w.co/rugs.dripping.cyber). From here make your way back to your parking spot.

We have a second walk from Wallington. It’s Walk 128: Wallington E Loop. The route passes through a nature reserve containing rare grassy marshland. It’s a 6.4 mile circular.

Interactive map

Information notice at excavated area

A copy of the notice (embedded below) has been placed at either end of the excavated area to the NE of point 10 in the directions above.

---