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Home , Cogenhoe, Earls Barton, Great Doddington, Higham Ferrers, Irthlingborough, Mears Ashby

Walk distances in Km © RNRP to 6.5 km Alternatively: Cogenhoe to 4.7 km Earls Barton to Great Doddington 4.7 km Great Doddington to Little , 3.5 km Little Irchester to 7.5 km Higham Ferrers to 3.3 km All distances are approximate

Key of Services Pub Telephone Towns and Villages

Church Toilets Rivers and Forests and Streams Woodland

Post Office Places of Roads Lakes and Historical Interest Reservoirs National Cycle Chemist Park Motorways Network Route 6 Nene Way Shopping Parking A ‘A’ Roads Regional Route 71

This Information can be provided in other languages and formats upon Cogenhoe to Irthlingborough request, such as large Print, Braille and CD. Contact 01604 236236 Transport & Highways, County Council, 22.3kms/13.8miles Riverside House, Road, NN1 5NX. Earls Barton village extra 2.8kms/1.7miles Telephone: 01604 236236. Email: [email protected] For more information on where to stay and sightseeing please visit www.letyourselfgrow.com This leaflet was part funded by the Aggregates Levy Sustainability Fund, for more information please visit www.naturalengland.org.uk Thanks to RNRP for use of photography www.riverneneregionalpark.org All photographs copyright © of Northamptonshire County Council unless stated. Published March 2010

enture into the village of Cogenhoe, which is to enjoy a picnic of the locally produced foods you Vpronounced “Cook-noe” and is situated on bought from the shopping yard. This area is also a high ground overlooking the Nene Valley. While in canoe launch point giving access to the Cogenhoe, make sure you make time to explore St and the Nene Way footpath. Mill Barn Cottage in Earls Peter’s Church, where the majority of the structure Barton provides a self catering option for those walkers has been standing for 700 years. The Church at wanting to enjoy the secluded riverside garden and the Whiston has been called “A jewel on a hilltop.” converted traditional stone barn while on your travels. Nearby lies the picturesque village of Castle Ashby Follow the route towards Great Doddington and pop which is also well worth a visit. For a place to stay, into The Stags Head, which is well known for its The Falcon Inn is a traditional 16th century country hotel with an emphasis on good interesting cellar bar and delicious Sunday lunches. food and quality service. This hotel is the perfect choice for those that wish to rest After your meal, follow the Nene Way signs until you reach a small bridge. This their legs and enjoy a relaxing evening in the beautifully decorated rooms, sampling leads straight to Nature Reserve an old gravel pit transformed into the fine cuisine. Before rejoining the Nene Way, Castle Ashby rural shopping yard is a wetland haven for breeding and wading birds, such as teal, lapwing, ringed and only a short walk away and has a unique variety of shops such as Country House golden plovers. Summer Leys is an example of how to create the right conditions Fine Foods and The Emporium, where you will find special foods and gifts for any for a variety of wildlife. This important wetland within the Upper Nene Valley is made occasion. up of flooded gravel pits, flood meadows, species-rich neutral grassland and mature Once you have picked up a range of Northamptonshire goodies, meet up with hedges, managed by the Wildlife Trust www.wildlifebcnp.org the Nene Way and continue your journey to Earls Barton an original Saxon village, Continue the route towards Wellingborough, where on every last Thursday of the recorded as Buartone in the . When entering the village, make sure month, a farmers’ market is held in the market place. The footpath then continues you look out for the welcoming sign as their traditional recipe for the pork and leek through Irchester Country Park (01933 276866), formerly an ironstone quarry is pie is printed on the sign. To this day, local residents of the village are still known now 200 acres of beautiful parkland with nature trails overlooking the Nene Valley as “Barton Leeks”. Along the route, the Earls Barton bends is an ideal resting point and newly opened Jungle Parc. This is an ideal place to stop for a picnic or to take a relaxing break before setting off towards Irchester. Nearby is the small town of , where the world famous poet, HE Bates was born in 1905. His best- known works include The Darling Buds of May. If you are feeling peckish, visit The Oliver Twist public house on the High Street in Irthlingborough and choose from a variety of their light lunches, which marks the end of section three. The Nene Way then leads you up to the village of and the next section of the route. East of Northampton, the river Nene has a very broad valley which seems out of keeping with the size of the present day river. This was caused by the enormous amount of water that was released by melting ice after the Ice Ages. Substantial deposits of gravel were laid down in the valley by the glacial river system. These have been exploited for aggregate and other uses for many years and the flooded former workings now provide important habitat for waterfowl and other animals and plants. Such restored sites include the Washlands, and Summer Leys in section three en route. Gravel extraction has allowed archaeologists to discover a rich history from vineyards at Wollaston to Anglo Saxon graves. © RNRP Castor

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Valley Railwa

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A45

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l na Ca n nio d U an Gr w Upper Heyford Broad Meado A45 M1 Flore A5 Upper Stow e Stow e Church eedon eedon Bec eedon LowerW W Upper W Dodford Lodge Newnham Little A45 Hall Everdon Everdon Newnham House Hall Newnham Newnham Lodge Newnham ood W Badby