Via Dry Drayton & Back via Local Road

The is an interesting walk that, depending on the weather (and those walking) has a potential break point in the middle leading back through the village to the hotel.

Summary:

The long version of this route takes you around Bar Hill and down, via the Bar Hill Cycleway, to Dry Drayton and then back across the bridge over the A14 and along the local road into the village.

Route Detail:

We start this walk from the Hotel and head off into the centre of the village towards the second meeting point outside the Parish Council offices and then off towards Lolworth. Instead of carrying on all the way to Lolworth after crossing the perimeter road we then walk along it (in a wooded area) until we arrive at the Nature Reserve at the southern point of the village. Then we either cross over and skirt the northern edge of Dry Drayton and walk back along Oakington road, over the A14, and re-enter Bar Hill over the bridge (Route 2), or we travel round the rest of the village in the wooded area until Truffle Way when we cut back into the village and walk back in on the Spine path (Route 1).

The difference in journey time between the two routes is about 45 minutes (so it’s 45 minutes vs 90 minutes). 

Risk-wise, it’s actually pretty good and smooth going. We are walking on a path in the woods as we go round Bar Hill - the nearer we get to the main road the better the quality of the path is. The nature reserve (oddly!) is fully concrete paths. If we look round the village the walking is better.

Going down to Dry Drayton this route is concrete. We have a farmers' field as we skirt the north of the village, and Oakington road is an A-road. There is no formal path but there is an off-the-road space on the verge that is trampled and obviously used for walking on. Once we hit the roundabout on the A1307 then it’s tarmac all the way back to the village. Young children walking around the path by Oakington Road will need watching but it is a recognised footpath and the traffic is coming on the side of the road you’re facing so it’s not too bad.

Mapping data/ image (c) OpenStreetMap contributors.