Four breathtaking woodland walks in Northamptonshire to enjoy this Spring

Springtime is nearly upon us so pay a visit to some of these woodland walks in the county to take in the beautiful colours and nature watch
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Evenings are slowly but surely getting brighter, the skies are rich with birdsong and snowdrops have emerged from their slumber.

February is drawing to an end and we can finally start to say a hearty hello to Spring.

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What better way to welcome in the season with some woodland walks to admire the Spring wildlife?

Badby Wood.Badby Wood.
Badby Wood.

The Northamptonshire Walks website was launched in 2014 by founder, Dave Askew, and his Facebook page soared to over 25,000 followers during the lockdown period. He since launched group walks to help combat loneliness.

Naturally, we consulted Dave as our local walking expert to share with us some of the best woodland walks across the county to enjoy this spring and here they are:

The Badby Circular

Distance: 8 miles (12.9km)

Fermyn Woods Country Park.Fermyn Woods Country Park.
Fermyn Woods Country Park.

Time to walk: Around 3.5 hours

This trail is described by Dave as a mixture of road, field and woodland paths with some steep climbs so it makes for a good cardio workout.

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You ideally want to take this walk around late April or May so that you can see the stunning carpet of bluebells in Badby Woods.

The route starts in the beautiful village of Badby, which is situated to the west of Daventry and then follows the River Nene to Newnham before crossing the woods to Fawsley and then back to Badby. You may even meet some friendly alpacas along the way.

There are several pubs along this route, including The Windmill and The Malsters in Badby, where you can start or end your adventure with refreshments.

The Badby Circular walking route can be found at https://northamptonshirewalks.co.uk/about/badby/.

The Fermyn Woods Circular

Distance: 2 miles (3.22 km)

Time to walk: Less than one hour

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This route is ideal for those wanting to embark on a shorter simpler walk but Dave warns that it can get quite muddy once you get into Fermyn Woods.

Fermyn woods forms part of the ancient Rockingham Forest and is open 365 days a year. It is home to a proliferation of butterflies, moths, newts, dragonflies and birds depending on what time of the year you visit and, with benches situated every couple of hundred yards, it makes for the perfect nature watching spot.

Dave recommends a cafe called the Skylark, which is situated inside the Fermyn Woods visitor centre.

The full Fermyn Woods Circular walking route can be found at https://northamptonshirewalks.co.uk/about/walk-44-flip-flop-frenzy-in-fermyn-woods/.

The Harlestone Firs Circular

Distance: 2 miles (3.22 km)

Time to walk: Around 30 minutes

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This is another quick and easy route, which is very popular with dog walkers and mountain bikers for its flat forest paths. You are also spoiled for choice on paths you can explore.

Harlestone Firs, mostly consisting of fir trees, covers 300 acres and is owned by the Althorp Estate - home to Althorp House, which is the childhood home of Princess Diana.

If you decide to take Dave's walking route, you will pass by a sawmill.

Conclude your work with a hearty lunch at the Fox and Hounds pub just down the road or have a browse in the garden centre, situated on the other side of the road.

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The full Harlestone Firs Circular route can be found at https://northamptonshirewalks.co.uk/about/walk-30-a-quicky-in-harlestone-firs/.

The King's Cliffe and Blatherwyke Circular

Distance: 7.5 miles (12.1km)

Time to walk: Roughly 3.5 hours

Dave describes this woodland walk as very "peaceful" and it passes through some "beautiful" villages as well Westhay Wood and Fineshade Wood. Avid bird watchers would also enjoy this walk and you will discover why soon.

The walk commences in King's Cliffe and then heads worth through Westhay Wood and then Fineshade Wood, where Dave says there is an opportunity to have a close encounter with Red Kites.

Fineshade Wood is also home to adders amongst other reptiles and scare breeding birds including nightingales, nightjars, woodcocks, grasshopper warblers and more.

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The path then heads towards the small hamlet of Blatherwyke before following its lakes and the Willow Brook back to King's Cliffe.

The full King's Cliffe and Blatherwyke Circular route can be found at https://northamptonshirewalks.co.uk/about/walk-98-red-kites-bizarre-statues-kings-cliffe-blatherwyke/.

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