The Seven Shires Way - Stage 4

Stage 4: Mollington to Wardington, Friday 9 November 2012

Usual journey to Banbury on the 10:07 train from Oxford. This connected well with the Stagecoach 66 bus out to Mollington. Back into the village, past the only open evenings Green Man and then headed past the pretty church north towards Farnborough. Attractive country to the east of the barely audible M40. Footpath had been ploughed up at GR435484. 

Farnborough Church

Oak Tree Farnborough Park

Skirted the village through the parkland of Farnborough Hall and then headed south to cross the Warwickshire-Oxfordshire boundary on the A423. Footpath from the road took some finding, sign was completely overgrown and the farmer had fenced off the line of the path and removed the footpath roundels, (GR439487). Frontier shire folk!

Had a bite of lunch sitting on some straw bales and then followed a minor road under the railway to Claydon,  the northernmost village in Oxfordshire. Pretty place with lots of old farm houses that had been converted into dwellings (some even in keeping with the style and history of the place). No pubs. 








The book took us down to the Claydon Locks on the Oxford Canal and then across muddy fields but with evidence of pebbles of Ice Age origin (white quartz, quartzite, schist, i.e. not stones local to this area).

As we followed the Northamptonshire border it was clear we were on a different estate. The farmer had actually reinstated the footpath after ploughing (GR 471497) – it was still knee deep in mud  but we could see where to go.  Pushed on across more fallow fields, over the Cherwell river and then up to Wardington (GR 492463). Footpath took us past a garage specialising in rebuilding old Porsche cars. Stagecoach in Oxfordshire bus number 200 to Banbury - a 15 minute ride.

Discovered the Bell Inn, Banbury, 8 out of 10. Unpretentious pub selling great beer had been rated by Camra as a good pub in 2007. We tried the Hereford Light Ale (a guest beer), at £2.50 a pint so this was a pleasant surprise. Could have sampled some others but the first pint is usually the best so had at least another one before walking five minutes to the station and our Cross Country train to Oxford and Reading (full as always).

Summary:  About 7.5 miles. A pleasant day despite all of us feeling a bit below par.  Improved greatly by the Bell Inn which we will visit again.