Walk 128: Wallington East Loop

6.4 miles (10.4km) with 89m of total ascent

Rushden and Wallington bridleway 24

This is our second walk from Wallington. Our first was Walk 127: Wallington SW Loop. This route, Walk 128, heads NE and passes Blagrove Common, described as “one of the few remaining areas of unimproved marshy grassland in Hertfordshire” and which is a Site of Special Scientific Interest (SSSI). As with the other Wallington walk you also pass the cottage where the author George Orwell lived for four years as well as Manor Farm mentioned in his novel Animal Farm.

Update 20/06/2024

The last stretch of this walk from point 17 - which follows the Hertfordshire Way - can be overgrown with nettles and slippy after rain. At the end of Wallington footpath 31 where it meets Kit's Lane it can be particularly bad. The detour, in orange on the map below, has been suggested by Gerry Gross and avoids the overgrown and slippy section.

The suggested detour at the end of the walk

Gerry has also reported that there is also a long stretch of new deer fencing along the route between points 8 and 9 which was not in place when we tested this route and published the directions in April 2021.

Fly through preview of walk

If you want to check what sort of landscape you will be crossing before you set off on this walk you can view a short 3D video of the route below. It's created using the free version of Relive.

Directions

Map for Walk 128: Wallington East Loop
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Created on Map Hub by Hertfordshire Walker
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There is an interactive map below these directions

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There are a few parking opportunities in Wallington and we didn't notice any restrictions, but please double check in case things have changed since these directions were published. The two options we found were on the south side of Kit's 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 cottage where George Orwell lived for four years

1: Start the walk at the cottage where the writer George Orwell lived for four years between 1936 and 1940 (see image above). It’s close to the junction of Kit's Lane and The Street in Wallington (location - https://w3w.co/brothers.wimp.belt).

Manor Farm made famous in Orwell’s Animal Farm

From Kit's Lane turn right and head S along The Street for 130m until you pass Manor Farm on your left (see image above), which features in Orwell’s novel Animal Farm. Continue along The Street for another 100m until you reach a pond on your right at the point where The Street bends to the left (location - https://w3w.co/heartburn.mistaking.bucks).

2: Look for a footpath straight ahead. This is Rushden and Wallington footpath 27, which is also the Icknield Way along this stretch. Follow this footpath SSE for 130m until you reach a footpath junction (location - https://w3w.co/inert.recliner.rider).

Take the left fork, still Rushden and Wallington footpath 27, and continue heading SSE for 330m until the path bends to the left to reach a crossing in the track (location - https://w3w.co/joke.splashes.bedding).

The footpath heading ESE (point 3)

3: Head ESE, still on Rushden and Wallington footpath 27 (see image above), for 280m with the field on your right and the hedgerow on your left until you reach a brook called Cat Ditch (location - https://w3w.co/blatantly.kilowatt.bike).

Cross the footbridge and head ENE towards the cottage (point 4)

4: Cross the brook and take the left fork in the tracks, still on Rushden and Wallington footpath 27, and cross a field heading ENE for 190m towards the left of a cottage with three dormer windows, see yellow arrow in image above (location - https://w3w.co/towns.refills.bespoke).

The junction at the start of Sandon footpath 33 (point 5)

5: After crossing the field you emerge on a lane. Cross the lane and head ENE, now on Sandon footpath 33 (which is also The Hertfordshire Way and the Icknield Way), and continue for 1.2km, keeping the hedgerow on your left and the fields on your right, until you reach a footbridge (location - https://w3w.co/scorecard.quail.steaming), see image below.

The footbridge mentioned in point 5

Cross the footbridge and then head NE across a field for 200m until you pass between cottages (see image below) before reaching the lane in Roe Green (location - https://w3w.co/congested.detriment.scariest).

The footpath heading NE to Roe Green (point 6)

6: When you reach the lane in Roe Green take the path just to the right of Alwyns Farm (location - https://w3w.co/grunt.imported.character), see image below.

Sandon footpath 3 from Roe Green - see point 6 above

This is Sandon footpath 3 which you follow NE for 680m crossing several fields and going through several gates eventually reaching Rushden Road (location - https://w3w.co/soap.influence.could).

Two of the many gates along Sandon footpath 3 between Roe Green and Sandon

7: When you reach Rushden Road turn left and head NE along this lane for 20m looking out for a footpath on the right (location - https://w3w.co/indicated.bangle.thick).

The footpath off Rushden Road mentioned in point 7 below

There are two footpaths here. You take the left fork and follow Sandon footpath 47 as it heads NE with the hedge on the left and the field on the right for 120m before the footpath dips down to a gate at the back of Sandon JMI School (location - https://w3w.co/lateral.spaces.angry).

Continue heading ENE for another 100m with the school and hedgerow on your left and the fields on your right until you reach a footpath junction (location - https://w3w.co/sobbed.pegs.investor).

Head to the right of the line of trees (point 8)

8: Turn right at this junction and head E for 30m then SE for 40m towards a marker post to the right of a line of trees (location - https://w3w.co/pool.balanced.cemented), see yellow arrow in the image above.

This is Sandon footpath 7, which you follow SE for 650m with the woodland on your left and fields on your right ignoring all paths to your left and right until you reach a right-hand bend (location - https://w3w.co/invents.strongman.kind).

The point where you take Sandon footpath 10 and continue ESE (point 9)

9: At the bend turn to your right and head ESE for 60m to a footpath junction where Sandon footpath 7 goes off to the left (location - https://w3w.co/proclaims.tentacles.gearbox) and you continue straight ahead, now on Sandon footpath 10, see image above.

Head ESE on Sandon footpath 10 for 130m until you reach a footbridge (location - https://w3w.co/responses.plausible.shortens), see image below.

The entrance to Blagrove Common off footpath 10

* Here you can take a detour by going through the gate on your left to explore Blagrove Common, a 40-hectare nature reserve which is managed by the Herts and Middlesex Wildlife Trust. According to the trust the common is one of the few remaining areas of unimproved marshy grassland in Hertfordshire, earning it Site of Special Scientific Interest status.

“It is bisected by a stream and varies from marshy to dry neutral grassland. The marshy areas are dominated by rushes and tufted hair grass. Among these, large numbers of early marsh, southern marsh and common spotted orchids and a variety of their hybrids can be found. The drier areas of the Common support meadow foxtail grass, common cat’s ear and common sorrel among many other species.”

10: Cross the footbridge, turn left on Sandon footpath 11A, then head S for 340m with the field on your right and the hedgerow on your left, until you reach Beckfield Lane (location - https://w3w.co/tummy.vocab.transmits).

Turn right on Beckfield Lane, pass Beckfield Farm Cottage on your left then take Sandon bridleway 49 on your right. After 180m this bridleway crosses a parish boundary and becomes Rushden and Wallington bridleway 14. Head S for 480m and follow the bridleway into Friars Wood. Continue through Friars Wood following the bridleway as it weaves S, W, then S again for 490m until you reach a path on your right just before the path you are on bends to the left (location - https://w3w.co/fidgeting.voltage.huddling).

* This part and the next section both look like they could be muddy after rain.

11: Turn right here, still on Rushden and Wallington bridleway 14, and head E for 200m before the path bends left and you head SSW for 250m until you reach a footpath junction (location - https://w3w.co/scrolled.puns.sticky).

12: Take the footpath on the right, Rushden and Wallington footpath 20, and head NW for 800m until you reach Rushden Road (location - https://w3w.co/streaking.directors.second).

The footpath on the right off Rushden Road (point 13)

13: Turn left on Rushden Road and head W for 400m before taking a footpath on the right, see image above.

This is Rushden and Wallington footpath 1 (location - https://w3w.co/unleashed.chain.narrate), which crosses the River Beane then turns sharp left and heads W for 820m until you reach a lane at Redhill (location - https://w3w.co/risen.workflow.degrading).

The junction mentioned in point 14 below

14: Turn right on the lane for 25m then left for 10m then right again for 35m before taking the footpath straight ahead (see image above). This is Rushden and Wallington footpath 34 (location - https://w3w.co/dangerously.smothered.hound).

Turn left before the gate and head W

Follow Rushden and Wallington footpath 34 NW for 260m across a field to a footpath junction (location - https://w3w.co/chairs.suspend.jubilant). Don’t go through the gate but instead take the left fork (see image above) and head W, along the edge of the field, now on Rushden and Wallington footpath 46, for 490m until you reach a junction (location - https://w3w.co/promising.defeated.surviving).

Rushden and Wallington bridleway 24

15: Turn right at this junction on Rushden and Wallington bridleway 24 and head NNW for 640m until you reach a track on your right (location - https://w3w.co/describes.shred.laughs).

16: Turn right then follow the lane NE for 250m until you reach the Church of St Mary on your left, a Grade II listed building. Look out for a footpath on your left as you reach the church. The path goes through the church grounds and to the left of the church.

17: This is Rushden and Wallington footpath 31 which you follow N for 136m. Go through a gate and continue heading N for another 150m until you reach Kit's Lane, Wallington where you turn right then retrace your steps back to the starting point.

Interactive map

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