Upper Boddington to Oxford Canal Boddington Byfield HS2 will be on a 5 metre high embankment across this section. The W E Carpenters Arms in Lower Boddington is 500 metres north of the route L S H and the Local Wildlife Site at Aston Le Walls dismantled railway will be R O Boddington filled in. A D Reservoir Distance: 8 miles Time: 4 ½ hrs ay lw ai OS Map: Explorer 206 r ed tl n Start: Car park at Boddington Reservoir Nursery a Cleveland m is Grid Ref: 449920E 253200N Farm d Aston le Walls Railway Line The Carpenters A neutral grassland LWS Arms Lower with scrub and hedgerows From car park, back to road, turn left over bridge to smaller car Boddington providing sheltered park, go through gate onto Bridleway, round edge of field to far B conditions for many Cedars AN Tilbrooke corner, follow path to road. BU Farm R Y Farm wildflowers, butterflies and R Cross road, through gate, follow path to farm, left through gate, O A other insects. D 1 Aston le Walls 6 down hill to road, keeping to pavement for 100 metres before Railway Line 3 A turning left onto Bridleway which you follow to road. H Turn right along road and turn left opposite The Carpenters Arms. S 2 Through R W E L After 300 metres turn right into field (this is the exact spot where O SH gates on both U R T O HS2 will pass) and follow edge of field to stile on far side, continue E Westbrook A sides of road Farm D Redhill Farm and continue across field to stile in fence on right, through trees and left over second stile. Lower up steep hill Springfield Farm and look back Cross stile and wooden bridge, continue to stile at disused railway, Glebe House Farm | for wonderful straight on to stile and wooden bridge and head towards canal, Manor Redhill House Wood view. Continue veering to the left towards brick wall at lock ay Aston le Walls railw on footpath dismantled Climb over wall using pile of bricks and turn left along tow path. (more views to Continue to road bridge, turn left after bridge onto road and right) and turn left immediately right onto Bridleway named Millennium Way. M IL onto road keeping LE Field W N E Over wooden bridge and turn right, continue to the left of copse, N L IU Farm S wood (with bluebells M H up steep hill and take in view at top before continuing to road. W A R in spring) to right. Y O A | At road, cross stile and turn left and follow road to Appletree, D After 100 metres continue on bridleway to gate. veer right onto bridleway l and follow round top end Cross stile on right and follow footpath over stile, through kissing a disused n gate (marking the exact route of the track), further kissing gates a Appletree airfield of wood and down hill to C MA d CM Appletree House junction with Bridleways. and farmyard to Aston-le-Wells. r IL o L A f N x W Appletree AY Turn left keeping hedge to Continue past church on left to main road, turn left and then right O Farm Appletree Industrial right and continue to wood which through gate onto bridleway aiming for double hedge. Estate you enter through gate. Follow footpath Traditional bridleway continues between hedges, crosses over field Churchlands through wood. and then follows well defined route to road where you turn left for Emerge from wood through single gate. Option to 100 metres. cross road and follow bridleway down to three ponds for stop or Through Kissing gate on left, following footpath for 3/4 mile, Chipping Warden continue by crossing road to the left and follow footpath into field. Look past Binley Pool Nature Reserve on left and back to Boddington Circular Distance: 5 miles out for gap in hedge where footpath continues in neighbouring field. Reservoir, turn right and follow path to Car Park. Time: 2 ½ hrs Cross stile and wooden bridge back into first field and continue HS2 is mostly in a green tunnel OS Map: Explorer 206 alongside new hedge and copse. Footpath continues in south- for this walk but with no major Start: Village Centre west direction crossing road and passing through young roads within earshot the silence Grid Ref: 449930E 248890N woodland. Redhill Farm of this area will be gone forever. On reaching A road HS2 will be 15 metres below you emerging Take Culworth Road past The Griffin out of the village, ignore on the far side of the airfield. Climb stile, taking care, cross road Warden Redhill Grange first footpath and after 800 metres take footpath on left over stile turning left and walk on verge for 50 yards before turning right Wood 1 which marks the exact path of HS2 which goes into the green into airfield and then left onto wide track. Follow for 300 metres 6 3 tunnel about 100 metres to the left. Continue across field, over looking for narrow footpath that leads back to Chipping Warden A brook up to road. crossing two stiles on the way. Warden H Hill S 2 R Horseclose O Spinney U W T E ‘Battlefield Walk’ Culworth/Edgecote Zigzag around edge of hedge and continue on Bridleway E L S Wardenhill disused H Covert Wardenhill Farm crossing path of HS2 which will be in a deep cutting. airfield R O HS2 crosses the northern edge of Danesmoor, the site of one of the A main battlefields from the War of the Roses. The Battle of Edgcote Over brook and veer right past wooden bridge, cross D Danes Moor uphill past Old Spinney on your left, past farm was fought in July 1469 between loyalists and rebels. An 8 metre high Appletree buildings and branch right over large green barn. Industrial DStone viaduct carries HS2 over the Cherwell River as can be seen in the A Estate O House R picture below right. Past Douglas Barn, keeping hedge to your right, cross Calves Close D Job’s gallop and pass Hill Barn. L Spinney E Chipping I Hill F The Griffin Y Distance: 8 miles Turn right and head downhill and fork right at next field past Warden B Inn Time: 4 hrs edge of Spinney and continue to cottages. Turn right onto road CU WORTH L ROAD OS Map: Explorer 206 and continue straight passing Edgcote House on your right. 1 The Rose 6 & Crown Start: The Red Lion, Culworth 3 Follow sign to Mill House, crossing River Cherwell over A Grid Ref: 454220E 247090N old stone bridge and turning right and then right again over stile. Cross further stiles following River Cherwell to Park at The Red Lion, head right and turn right before church into your right, the two kissing gates before the road mark the HS2 route-a symbolic level crossing! Banbury Lane. After 20 metres right onto Bridleway. Continue View from Trafford Bridge, Battlefield straight, under railway bridge for 2km. (Head down road, over bridge to view battlefield – see image on right.) Cross road and head across field towards bungalow, through gate, past pond on right to Trafford House. Trafford Bridge Marsh Past house and go through gate round back of hose passing This swamp grassland LWS along the banks of the River Cherwell remains of Medieval village. Cross wooden bridge and head is home to many scarce wetland plants thanks to its unusual and right before turning right and crossing another wooden rich mosaic of habitats. bridge. Head up hill in SW direction for approx 1 km until reaching road. 1 6 3 W A CULW ORTH ROAD E L S H Trafford Chipping R O House Admire views before crossing stile, turning left for 100 metres A Warden D and then right over stile and follow path, down to old railway Ø Site of Medieval bridge where you turn right (do not cross bridge) and follow tracks Village downhill, through gate and up hill back to Culworth crossing one Lower Farm final stile. At road, turn left and Red Lion is on your right. Trafford Bridge Home Farm Marsh Edgcote Cherwell The HS2 route runs through the south-western edge of Edgcote The House Pool Trafford Bridge | Culworth Mill Northamptonshire skirting the edge of Brackley. It has a direct impact on a Site of Special Scientific Interest (SSSI) and three Edgcote Drive 9 Local Wildlife Sites (LWS), with two other important sites in Cottages Information Panel close proximity to the proposed route. Trafford Bridge Farm H S Sites directly affected 2 R Edgcote HIG O H U S These are sites where the HS2 route will result in the direct loss Hill T T Stone E and fragmentation of valuable wildlife habitat and impact on The Red Lion p House many important species. o Culworth l l QU Hall a EEN S g ST Danes REET Sites where HS2 will run within a 500m buffer Edgcote Lodge Moor Culworth Farm Old ay Spinney bridlew Although HS2 does not directly impact these sites the associated Hill construction works and disturbance from the trains running along Barn Douglas’s the line could have a major impact on local wildlife. y Barn a w l i a r E N d A le L 0 1/4 1/2 mile t n Y a R U sm Culworth B Upper i N Scale bar for all maps d Grounds A 0 500 m 1 km Wardington B .