Wolverton Walkabout

Approximate time: 2 hours. Distance 4.7Km or 2.9 miles.

Start map reference: What3words: reinforce.soups.blogging: Map Ref: 566 588

The walk begins at the George and Dragon Country House Hotel, which is a free house and serves meals.  The public house is a listed building and reputedly replaced an earlier inn of the same name established after the Crusades at the head of nearby Brazenhead Lane.  If parking, please ask their permission to do so.

Turn left along the road for about 400m.  Turn right at the side of Townsend Lodge, which has unusual brick and flint walls and adjacent to it is The Forge.  The path passes through a five-bar gate and into the woods of beech and oak.  The path bears left at a large oak tree.

Follow the yellow waymark signs through a clearing and then through mixed woodland.  The path turns right and continues on to reach Wolverton Road.  Turn left and pass the children’s play area on your right and immediately past it, turn right onto a path.  On the left is the Old Hare and Hounds which is now a private dwelling, pass through a five-bar gate into the woods, and, immediately past it, turn right onto a path.

The wood is called Brock Copse.  Turn right and walk along the path leaving the play area on your right.  Follow the path through a young-wooded plantation until some houses come into view.  At a T junction in the path turn left, follow the yellow waymarking, and keep the hedge and paddock on the right.  Follow round with the paddock on the right and the woods on the left to a kissing gate into a field.

Keep to the left-hand side of the field to the next field – noting that the field to the left has a fine display of bluebells in late April/May (see photo).  Walk diagonally to the left-hand corner to a five-bar metal gate.  Turn immediately right up the hill to pass by Springfield Farm on the right, and through a small gate into the field to the front of Century House.

Follow the path along the right-hand edge of the field through to a stile leading on to Wolverton Road.  Turn left.  After the last house turn right onto the footpath called Baldwin’s Lane.

Continue along the footpath, with a field on the left and woods (Baldwin’s Copse) on the right until reaching the corner of the field.  The path bears slightly left into a field - head for a gap in the opposite hedge. and cross the brook – noting the beautiful swathe of wild daffodils by the stream in March (see photo).

In the next field (coasting.ramp.sleepy) head across the middle of the field, aiming for the left corner of the house which faces the field.  A small wooden stile can be stepped over onto a narrow path which leads to Ramsdell Road. Turn right along the road to return to the George and Dragon.