Cockayne Hatley Loop The Walks Water End Loop Wrestlingworth is a small village located on the eastern side of 3.6 miles / 5.9km and bordering on and , and surrounded by 3.5 miles / 5.7km generally flat, open and rich agricultural land. 1. Start in Braggs Lane, off the High Street which is signed A. Starting from the Chequers, turn right out of the car park. to . The lane continues as a bridle path with Cockayne high hedge on the left and open fields on the right. Wood Farm At the end of the open field on your right, turn right down Hatley Key Water End Lane. Water End now consists of a few houses Cross a ditch and bear right with the ditch on your right. At the Wood Cockayne Hatley Loop but was once a much larger settlement. way marker post, turn left with trees and brook on your right. Water End Loop Bridleway B. At Water End Cottage proceed straight ahead with the 2. At the bridge with the step through stiles turn left and Wood Footpath cottage on your left. walk about 100 metres and cross the ditch at 3. Scale The fenced off copse on the left conceals an old gravel pit, 3. Walk with the ditch on your left side for 780m. You are from which Wrestlingworth residents were allowed to extract now in Cambridgeshire. Cockayne Hatley gravel to maintain their paths and roadways. The cluster of 5 farm buildings on the right includes the Manor Farm house 4. At the “T” junction turn left, and join the Clopton Way. and several barn conversions known as Molehill Barns. Welcome back into Bedfordshire. Looking ahead you will see the Sandy TV mast on the horizon. Keep to the farm track C.. At the /Sutton Road turn right and continue on and shortly Cockayne Hatley will come into view. Proceed the road for 370m to the bridge and the bridleway sign. into the village. Church Farm D. Turn right over the bridge and follow the path which is 4 Cockayne Hatley used to be surrounded by many acres of well waymarked and by keeping the Manor Farm buildings apple orchards which were felled in the early 70’s. The land is on your right hand you will make a clockwise walk around part of the Co-op Farm Estate. In recent years the estate has New Farm this landmark. replanted many metres of hedges along with numerous trees. E. When you come to an area of woodland, planted mainly with poplar trees, keep this plan- St John’s church is well 6 worth a slight detour to see tation on your left hand. At the “T” junction, 3 turn left with an open field on your right. the magnificent collection of 2 medieval woodwork from The small cluster of houses is Mill End. Flanders, and the beautiful stained-glass windows. F. At the end of this track either proceed to the main road and turn right back Details of how to see round into Wrestlingworth or go through the the church are posted on 1 Wrestlingworth kissing gate on your right follow the sign, the notice board by the F A Grange Farm pass through a second kissing gate and main door. bearing right you E will see another 5. Walking through the village a sign post on your left by kissing gate which Walnut Lodge leads you back towards Wrestlingworth. Manor Farm leads into the Water End B B1042 Chequers car park. 6. At the track, turn right cross the stream and then turn immediately left. Follow the narrow path. At the road con- tinue straight ahead, there is no footpath for most of the way, back the village centre. D Memorial to the crew of Liberator KN736 Now, make time for refreshments at the village store C which crashed in or the Chequers. Potton Wood in 1945 ' Crown copyright. All rights reserved. Bedfordshire County Council LA 1000 1735 2008. Wrestlingworth first appears in writing in 1150, when the spelling was Planning your Walk “Wraslingewrd”, the meaning of which was the enclosure belonging to “Wraestel”. Public Transport In 1254 the village became Wrestlingworth A Monday to Saturday bus service operates in as it is known today. Wrestlingworth and the surrounding areas, please phone for further details. One infamous village resident was Sarah For bus times 01234 228337 (office hours) Dazley. She was found guilty of poisoning her 08706 082608 second husband. There was some suspicion that she had also poisoned her first husband, Parking Simon Mead and their infant son. She was the Limited car parking is available at the Chequers, last person to be publicly executed in Britain. Brookside Stores and the Memorial Hall, located in Church Lane. She died on the gallows before a crowd of several thousand outside prison on Refreshments and Accommodation Sunday 5th august 1843. Refreshments are available from Brookside Stores and Café and the Chequers Inn. For further details on accommodation, Cockayne Hatley was originally a please contact Sandy Tourist Information Centre, 01767 682728. Saxon settlement. The village and the 1500 acre estate appear in the Doomsday Book. Useful Maps Sir John Cockayne purchased the estate in The walk is covered by Ordnance Survey 1408 and gave the village its present name. Landranger sheet no. 153 and Explorer sheet no. 208. St. John’s church contains a number of brasses, monuments to early members of the Cockayne Hatley walk is 3.6 miles / 5.9km Cockayne family. In the churchyard there are Water End walk is 3.5 miles / 5.7km monuments of particular interest. One large monument is of the nineteenth century poet W.E.Henley, his wife and their daughter Margaret. Margaret was only 6 when she died. J.M.Barrie, a friend of the Henley family, would sit Margaret on his knee and she would call him her “Fwendy”. It is said that this inspired the character of Wendy in Peter Pan. Robert Lewis Stevenson met Henley while he was undergoing treatment following the loss of a leg as a result of tubercular infection. Stevenson wrote to Henley to tell him that he had modelled Long John Silver in Treasure

Island after him as he only had one leg.

The Wrestlingworth Walks The Wrestlingworth The Wrestlingworth Walks The Wrestlingworth