Walk 9: A Hike to Huddington Court

5 miles / 8 km (approx  1¾ - 2  hours)

Map Walk Nine

This walk heads N to Huddington, past the church and spectacular moated house.  The route passes through Mill Farm which, if you are interested has an impressive personal collection of old farm implements.  The Church of St. James in Huddington is a lovely Grade 1 listed building with origins in C12, well worth visiting: St James Church, Huddington, British Listed Buildings.  This walk is always lovely but it may be worth avoiding when the ground is very wet as there are sections across cereal fields and alongside Bow Brook.

Huddington Court is a magnificent black and white C15 moated manor house where Thomas and Robert Wintour, members of the gunpowder plot, grew up.  It was also used as a hiding place by some of the conspirators.  The house is Grade 1 listed and scheduled ancient monument: Huddington Court, British Listed Buildings .  It is a private residence, not open to the public but can be admired discretely from the path running through the garden.

Millstone at Churchill Court

1.     From the Village Hall go through St.Kenelm’s churchyard, out onto Pershore Road (B4082) past the village shop, across A422 and N and walk to the end of the track.

2.     Go through two sets of gates and along a bridleway on the R side of the field, through a gate where the field narrows.  Continue N (slightly L away from the fence line) toward a stile into a spinner   Go through the spinney, through a gap into a field continue in a straight line N across this field, passing under the power lines, to the opposite corner.  Go through a gap in the hedge then slightly L (NW) towards the L corner of a small copse, through another gap in the hedge R and through a gate.

3.     Follow the footpath N diagonally across a field toward Mill Farm and through the gate on the R of the farmstead then over a stile into Huddington Lane.  Turn L on the lane and go down the hill into Huddington, past the church drive L.

4.     Around 50m after the church drive, take a footpath to the L through a small wooded area onto a track between the Huddington Court garden and millpond.  Walk down and then up a few steps next to the millpond.  Just after passing a black and white C17 dovecote and a greenhouse on the R, go through a small gate then a wrought-iron gate. Turn R in front of a large millstone, through a small wooded area and over a stile into a field.

5.     Bear R (W) diagonally across the field, over a stile in the corner then L along the L side of a field into the corner, then L over a small wooden bridge and stile into woodland.  Walk through the spinney, over the stile then take the L branch of the two footpaths straight ahead across the field.  Continue SW, under power lines to the opposite side of the field, through the gap in the hedge and along the L side of a field to the corner.

6.     Turn L, along the R side of the field (S) to a gap in the hedge, bear R and continue along the L side of the field to a lane toward Crowle.  Turn L, walk approx. 500m along the lane, past Commandery Farm and The Mordaunts to Rectory Farm.
(At this point you could continue walking straight on along quiet the lane to the crossroads, turn L and walk to the stile at Point 8; this may be preferable to walking through the fields if they are full of cattle.)

7.     Turn L opposite Rectory Farm, take the R branch of the two fo otpaths and walk SE across this field, through the kissing-gate just after the power lines then on to the stile and gate at the end of the new Manor House drive onto Froxmere Road.

8.     Turn L and walk a few metres along the lane then turn R over a stile, through a field R of Bow Brook and continue to a footbridge.
(This pleasant path gets very muddy in wet weather but can be avoided by walking up the lane towards Froxmere and taking a higher path above Bow Brook.) 

9.     Once over the bridge, turn R, go over two stiles and walk along the R side of the field to a gate and farm track.  Go L onto A422 by the Old Bull Cottages.

10.  Cross the road opposite the The Oak, over the stile and up the hill towards Holy Oak Farm.  Go through the gate and turn L, to a final gate into school the car park and back to the Village Hall.

Follow this link to download a PDF of the route with sketch map:    Walk Nine Route

 © Hilary Williams