Ketwel one

Slow Way not verified yet. Verify Ketwel here.

Walked from Kettering to Wellingborough. This should be a good route, but it involves several large fields with no cut path, and the path down from Great Harrowden is currently obstructed by housing development - I managed to climb a locked gate to get down to the busy A509 but would not recommend walking on it or crossing where the footpath ends.

From the bus station on Kettering, we cross the Market Place and head south along Sheep Street. Use the lights to cross the main road then head straight on along Headlands (ignore the road further right that leads to the station). This pavement leads us easily to a T junction, where we take the cycle track straight on over the railway and the golf course access road over the A14. Immediately beyond the bridge we take the footpath that starts down steps to the left and follows the A14 and skirts the travelodge before heading left across the field on a well marked path. In the next large field the path disappears, and it is easy to drift too far right. The next two fields have little sign of a marked path either so I was grateful that the crops are low at this time of year.

We soon reach the road to Pytchley, which has fairly good verges, and by the time we reach the bends we are in a 30 mph zone, so I don't think the detour onto the bridleway is necessary. Stringers Hill and Orlingbury Road have pavements on the left side as far as the edge of the village and a walkable verge beyond it. We follow the signposted path next - once again the route through the first field was not clearly marked. The second field is wet in places - there is a plank bridge over the wettest part, but the water either side of it makes it a little awkward. We then join a better used bridlepath to cross a wood and a bridge on a muddy path, then take a fairly good field path up the hill. Just before Isham Road there was a large puddle in the field that encroached onto the path - fortunately the water was not deep and the surface was fairly solid.

Beyond the road we cross another large field downhill with no clear marked path - here I drifted too far left but once the wood below was visible this was easily corrected. Once in the wood there is a good path up to Little Harrowden. The path between Little Harrowden and Great Harrowden is well used and in good condition.

In retrospect, had I known about the large housing development in the field below, I would have followed Orlingbury Road to the A509 junction and used the cycle track to reach Wellingborough Road, and a local might like to check this out and submit it as an alternative route. As it was, the path down started clearly enough but petered out lower down, and eventually I opted to climb a gate to reach the A509 and pick my way gingerly down the narrow verge. The crossing to Wellingborough Road is still just about visible, and once through that section we are on a good pavement/cycle track that has an underpass under Northen Way. After crossing a stream we leave the main road left along The Pyghtle, and we follow housing estates into the centre of Wellingborough, where the meeting point is at the bus stops opposite the church.

Good mix of both towns and countryside in-between.
Not bike friendly due to stile and steep stairs after crossing A14.
On some fields track not clear due to recent planting and little traffic.
Lucky my OS map helped me out.
One safety issue, when entering Pychley keep on the outside on the blind bend.
I did notice a bridleway on the OS which could cut this out.

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