Walking

WNC Walks Programme

West Northamptonshire Council Active Lives Team have a big ambition. We want to inspire people in West Northamptonshire to walk more often, particularly those who currently don't incorporate walking into their everyday lives. We want to help you find your own motivation to walk.

We have developed a regular programme of free and sociable group walks, led by trained volunteer walk leaders. West Northamptonshire has excellent locations with a huge variety of opportunities to explore the stunning countryside, historic towns, villages, canals, rivers and much more.

The walks offer helps support local communities to maintain active lifestyles and improve the health and wellbeing of local people.

The benefits of walking

There are several benefits of walking:

it is accessible and free, and walking is a low impact activity
it can boost your mood and improve your quality of life
it can prevent and manage heart disease, diabetes, and many other long-term health conditions
every minute counts, so even a 10 minute walk each day can make a difference
it can be a sociable activity, helping to reduce loneliness and isolation
it can help to maintain independence, improve balance, and reduce the risk of falls
walking is suitable for people of all ages
it is a great way to explore your local area
it burns calories, helping you to lose weight or maintain a healthy weight. Most people can burn an average of 100 calories per mile walking
walking is better for the environment than getting in your car

To get the health benefits, try to walk for at least 30 minutes as briskly as you can on most days of the week. ‘Brisk’ means you can still talk and you may be puffing slightly.

Moderate activities such as walking pose little health risk but if you have a medical condition, check with your doctor before starting any new exercise program of physical activity.

How to become a walk leader

Volunteer walk leaders help people in their community to get active and healthy, providing vital support they may not receive elsewhere. If you are interested in becoming a volunteer Walk Leader, you can access free training and resources.

For further information contact the WNC Active Lives Team at [email protected].

The following tips can help you keep safe on walks:

make sure you have a fully charged mobile phone in case of an emergency
a phone will also enable you to track your walk on an app. Have a whistle to attract attention. Plan your route so you don’t get lost
always wear a comfortable pair of trainers or walking shoes. Wear layers of clothing
take a waterproof/windproof jacket or clothing
be seen – wear reflective clothing and carry a torch if it’s dark
check the weather forecast before you leave
take sun cream and a sunhat if it’s hot or gloves and a woolly hat if it’s cold
have food and water to keep hydrated and keep energy levels up
if you’re walking alone, let someone know where you’ll be walking and when you expect to return

Many walking apps have personal safety features to track your location and send updates to designated contacts in case of emergency:

Streetsafe is a pilot service for anyone to anonymously tell the police about public places they feel unsafe
St Johns Ambulance app gives you instant access to the information you need to know to handle the most common first aid incidents and emergency situations. It’s simple to follow with illustrated guides and voiced instructions. Available on Google Play and the App Store
What3Words makes it easy to find, share and save precise locations. Available on both Google Play and the App Store
Go Jauntly
Active 10 anonymously records every minute of walking you do. Just pop your phone in your pocket and away you go! Available on Google Play and the App Store
Good Gym: A community of runners, walkers and cyclists who combine regular exercise with charity to help local communities
MapMyWalk
Geocaching
Walkmeter tracks more than 250 statistics, plus maps, graphs, splits, intervals, and zones, temperatures, and weather conditions. It shows you terrain and traffic with Google Maps
Star Walk 2 is a star gazing app thats uses your devices sensors and GPS to identify the stars, planets and the constellations of the night sky
PictureThis can identify the local or global species of plants, flowers and trees that you’re bound to encounter outdoors. The app is also a handy companion if you are exploring with curious children or pets so you can keep them away from plants which may be toxic to them
Picture Insect allows you to take photos, or upload photos, of insects so it can identify them for you

The Ramblers are a charity dedicated to removing barriers so everyone can enjoy walking in green spaces and to preserving and improving hundreds of thousands of miles of well- loved paths, tracks and trails across England, Scotland and Wales
Northamptonshire Walks is a walking blog showcasing hundreds of walks across the county. There is an extensive resource of walking routes for you to try varying from 20 minutes upwards across the county
Country Parks, Parks and Open Spaces within West Northamptonshire
Salcey Forest
Sensory Walks allow you to use your senses to connect with your surroundings whilst staying active. Sense has partnered with Ordnance Survey to help you find sensory waling routes, as well as developed resources and training to support you to use your senses to connect with nature
Self-guided walks of Daventry - Museum Volunteer, Mike Arnold, has compiled his knowledge and history of Daventry’s beautiful, open spaces and created these fascinating self-guided walks
Paranormal Hunts - Explore the haunted history of West Northamptonshire with ghost hunts, offering a unique and thrilling experience at various haunted locations

When going on one of our walks, please keep in mind:

they do not take place on public holidays
anyone under the age of 18 needs to be accompanied by an adult

Regular timetable of walks

Monday

Location	Frequency	Time	Meeting point	Further information
Billing	Weekly	10am	Bellinge Community House, Fieldmill Square, NN3 9AQ at which refreshments are available after	40 minute walk
Billing	Weekly	10:45am	Bellinge Community House, Fieldmill Square, NN3 9AQ at which refreshments are available after	1 hour walk

Tuesday

Location	Frequency	Time	Meeting point	Further Information
Weston (NN12 8PU)	Weekly	9:30am	Meet on West High street outside Baptist Chapel	Long Walk – Usually 2 to 4 miles Slow Walk - Roughly 2 miles Both walks take around 1hr 30mins Coffee & cake afterwards at around 11am
St Crispins (NN5 4XD)	1st, 3rd and 5th Tuesday of the month	1:30pm	Starts and finishes at The Memorial Car Park, by the wooden soldier, Berrywood Road	45 to 60 minute walk
Duston (NN5 6EX)	2nd and 4th Tuesday of the month	1:30pm	Starts and finishes at Duston Sports Centre	Circular route for up to one hour No obstacles such as stiles Refreshments and chat at the end for those who wish to stay
Eastfield (NN3 2QY)	Weekly	10:30am	Meet outside Broadmead Church by the notice board	45 to 60 minute walk

Wednesday

Location	Frequency	Time	Meeting point	Further information
Brackley (NN13 7AB)	Weekly	10am	Meet outside the Town Hall	90 minute walk
Daventry (NN11 4FP)	Weekly	12pm	Meet at Everyone Active (Daventry Sports Centre)	30 minute walk approximately
Moulton (NN3 7TA)	Weekly	10:30am	Meet opposite Moulton Working Men's Club on the High Street	45 minute walk
Delapre Abbey (NN3 7TA)	Weekly	10am	Meet at the car park at the Abbey end of the main drive	45 to 60 minute walk
Harlestone Health (NN5 6UJ)	Weekly	2pm	Meet by disabled bays in the car park of the garden centre	45 to 60 minute walk

Thursday

Location	Frequency	Time	Meeting point	Further Information
Aynho (OX17 3AP)	Weekly	10am	Meet at the Pavilion on the Aynho recreation field, off The Portway	1 hour 30 minutes to 2 hour walk
Aynho Strollers (OX17 3AP)	Weekly	10am	Meet at the Pavilion on the Aynho recreation group, off The Portway	1 hour 15 minutes walk
Cogenhoe	Fortnightly	10am	Meet at the scout hut on Short Lane	1 hour to 1 hour 30 minutes
Daventry Country Park (NN11 2JB)	1st Thursday of every month	10am	Meet at the play area	This is a Macmillan Walk - for anyone affected by cancer

Friday

Location	Frequency	Time	Meeting point	Further information
Grange Park (NN4 5BE)	Weekly	9:30am	Foxfield Pavilion Foxfield Country Park Foxfield Way, Northampton NN4 5BE Continue to the end of Foxfield Way where there is a free Car Park	1 hour walk Coffee is available at the Bar at the end of the walk
Kings Sutton (OX17 3PG)	Weekly	9:45am	Meet at the Memorial Hall just off Astrop Road next to the recreation ground	1 hour 30 minutes walk
Towcester (NN12 6HZ)	Weekly	10am	Meet in the Waitrose car park at cafe end	The walks are all on pavements/footpaths, there are no stiles and can take between 30mins to an hour to complete. There are some “gentle” hills
Bradlaugh Fields (NN2 6HZ)	Weekly	2pm	Meet at Bradlaugh Fields Barn	30mins slow walk over rough terrain Spend time connecting with nature, identifying wildflowers, trees and wildlife and embedding mindfulness and awareness of the surroundings
Daventry (NN11 4FP)	First Friday in every month	9:30am	Meet outside front of Daventry Leisure centre Please contact the Walk Leader Mariet Tidmarsh by email if you would like to attend at [email protected]	1 hour 30 mins Roughly a 5K around the lake at Daventry Country Park and back to starting point
Delapre Abbey (NN4 8AW)		11am	Meeting place is at the gate near the Car Park	1 hour walk followed by a short 15 minute walk at 12:15pm Coffee at the cafe afterwards. This walk is a Macmillan walk for anyone affected by cancer.

Saturday

Location	Frequency	Time	Meeting point	Further information
Hartwell (NN7 2HE)	Weekly	10:20am	Meet at the Hartwell Club	1 hour 30 minutes with refreshments at the end, in a range of locations around the village.

Sunday

Location	Frequency	Time	Meeting point	Further information
Towcester (NN12 6HZ)	Weekly	10:30am	Meet in the Waitrose car park at cafe end	The walks are all on pavements/footpaths, there are no stiles and can take between 30mins to an hour to complete. There are some “gentle” hills

Walking websites and additional links

Walking with Children

Last updated 15 October 2024