Westnor two

Slow Way not verified yet. Verify Westnor here.

For the most part, an enjoyable walk which I started from Northampton. The route leaves the bus station and loops past multiple eateries, shops and the reconstructed house where Oliver Cromwell stayed, before passing the station. From there a section of park and then pavement pounding brings you to Kingsthorpe Meadow Nature Reserve. From there you follow the route of an old railway line, popular with local cyclists and dog walkers and for an early section, lots of local rabbits! In a strange coincidence on a day when I'd wondered about taking a book of GM Hopkins poetry with me, the pub, the Windhover offers a stopping option about a third of the way into the walk. It's the last for a while. You leave the Brampton Valley Way as you reach a station on the Northampton and Landport Railway. When I got to the farm at Boughton Mill, there was a temporary diversion due to construction work, but I could see the more direct route of the Slow Way throughout my trip through a meadow full of butterflies. Finding the path wasn't easy and I wonder if carrying on along the footpath by the railway and joining Brampton Lane earlier might have been an easier option. In Chapel Brampton, I now realise there is a pub, although I didn't spot it from the route. Beyond Chapel Brampton was my favourite section of the walk. A series of trails through the rolling countryside, eventually joining the Via Beata. There is a section of lane walking which I quite enjoyed. The lanes are open and straight, and the verges flat and wide. However, from the edge of Teeton the nature of the roads change and although I didn't feel unsafe, I did feel quite exposed. It was this section from Teeton to Far Heath that stopped it from being a five star walk. Beyond Far Heath you go through the village of Coton and pick up a very well marked path which takes you to West Haddon. In summary, this a direct, interesting and enjoyable Slow Way. It has stiles, so it's a walk rather than a wheel. It makes the best of the few refreshment and transport links it has. If the road walk near Teeton could be eliminated I'd give it full marks for safety. But as it is, it's a 4. I can't believe I nearly forgot to mention it, but the plotting is impeccable. A very easy route to follow. Congrats to Panic452.

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