This walk has been established by members of the Ise Valley Vagabonds Walking Club (BWF Club No 70) and is a qualifying event in the IVV award scheme.  It can be walked at any time.  Points of interest are too numerous to include in this route description.  Many of them are signposted, whilst others are well documented in the various leaflets available in the Museum and Tourist Information Centre.  There are public toilets near the Post Office.

 Leave the car park and immediately turn left over the bridge.  Cross the meadow and the second bridge, then at the riverside parking area, turn left along Bath Row and follow the road ahead into St Peter’s Vale.  Halfway up the cobbled hill, turn left into Austin Street and left again when you reach Rutland Terrace.  Cross over to the right hand side.  At the mini-roundabout, turn right, then left into Queen’s Walk.  Between numbers 88 and 90, turn right onto a tarmac footpath.  At the T junction, turn right, now onto a grass path and emerge onto Empingham Road.  Turn right and first right again into Foundry Road.  Opposite the ‘Hit or Miss’ public house and Clare Close, turn left along Eight Acres. 

QUESTION 1.  WHAT IS THE NAME OF THE HOUSE AT NUMBER 11 EIGHT ACRES? 

At the bottom of the steps (do NOT go down the second set of steps), turn right.  This is Rock Road.  Turn left at the end of Rock Road and go straight over the traffic lights into North Street.  Cross to the right hand side when possible.  Continue over the crest of the hill.  At the pedestrian lights, turn right into Nags Head Passage (no name here, just a sign saying ‘No Cycling’), go through the arch and turn right into Broad Street.  Follow the right hand pavement and go ahead into Crown Street.  Turn right into All Saints Place and go ahead to Barn Hill, past the ‘No Through Road’ sign, following it as it bends to the left. 

QUESTION 2.  OPPOSITE TRINITY METHODIST CHURCH, WHEN DID KING CHARLES 1 SLEEP FOR THE LAST TIME AS FREE MAN ON THE SITE OF No 9 BARN HILL? 

At the main road, turn left into Scotgate and cross over to the right hand side.  Cross All Saints Place to the Post Office.  Turn left to walk with All Saints Church on the left and follow round to the right, then turn left using the pedestrian crossing to cross the main road (formerly the Great North Road) into the High Street.  Walk the length of the High Street and continue on into St Paul’s Street.  Turn right at the traffic lights into Brazenose Lane and at the T-junction, turn right into St Leonard’s Street.  Continue past the Daniel Lambert pub to the end of the street. 

QUESTION 3.  THERE IS A PLAQUE ON THE DANIEL LAMBERT PUB.  WHAT WAS FORMERLY ON THIS SPOT? 

Turn left into St George’s Street.  At the right hand bend, go straight on along the alley with the church on the right.  At the end turn right and go ahead into St Mary’s Street.  Turn left just before the church and follow the left-hand pavement around St Mary’s Place, then turn left at the main road and continue on to the traffic lights.  Turn left at the traffic lights and follow Wharf Road, crossing over to the right hand side as soon as safely possible.  Turn right into Albert Road, cross the bridge at the end and turn right along the riverside walk.  Turn left just before the traffic lights, into St Martin’s Close.  Go to the far end of the close where you will find an alleyway beside house number 16.  Go through this alleyway to the main road.  Turn left along the main road and go past the Bull and Swan pub.  Opposite the Garden House Hotel, turn left into Burghley Lane and go through the small gate at the end into the park.  Go straight ahead, in the direction of the public footpath marker, through the park passing between a cricket pitch on the right and a circular plantation on the left, eventually reaching a tarmac road.  Turn right onto the tarmac road, heading towards Burghley House.  Just where this road starts to go uphill, another tarmac road joins from the right.  Turn right on this road and follow it to exit the park at the ‘Bottle Lodges’.

 QUESTION 4.  WHAT IS THE DATE ABOVE THE ARCH? 

Turn left and after 200 meters, almost opposite a bus-stop, turn right into First Drift Wothorpe.  Follow the road as it bends to the right.

 QUESTION 5.  WHEN WAS LAUREL HOUSE BUILT? 

Immediately after Clare Lodge and Long Acre (on the right hand side), turn right onto the public footpath between two hedges.  Cross the bridge and go through the kissing gate into field, then go diagonally left towards the next kissing gate.  Go through and cross the track, then the bridge and over the stile into another field.  Again go diagonally left to the next kissing gate.  Go through and ahead to the road.  CROSS WITH EXTREME CARE and go ahead into Wothorpe Road.  Bear left at the fork to continue along Wothorpe Road back to the car park. 

The Ise Valley Vagabonds have established other Permanent Trails at Bedford (2), Chester, Daventry, Kempston, Kettering, Kings Lynn, London (2), Marston Mortaine (2),

When completed, this form should be forwarded to Carol Jones,138 Rushden road, Wymington, Rushden,Northants,NN10 9LE.

 Please remember to enclose:    1) The Correct Fee.  2) A Stamped Addressed Envelope of a suitable size.  3) Your IVV Records books, or Insert Cards.

Insert Cards can be used instead of having to send your books away by post. they must be submitted
with a normal Record card when claiming an award.
( these cards are accepted by both the AVV and the CVF.)