Kings Sutton Circular walk
A leisurely stroll through Northamptonshire with ample refreshment.
History
This is a list of previous times this walk has been done by the club (since Jan 2010). For more recent events (since April 2015), full details are shown.
Date | Option | Post | # | Weather |
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Sun, 27-Mar-22 | Kings Sutton | 3 | overcast | |
Sun, 05-Jan-20 | Sunday Walk - Undulating Northamptonshire - Kings Sutton Circular | 12 | overcast but dry | |
Sat, 25-Aug-18 | Kings Sutton Circular | 4 | overcast with several light showers | |
Sun, 18-Mar-18 | Northamptonshire - Kings Sutton Circular | |||
Sat, 08-Apr-17 | Saturday Walk - Plentiful pubs en route | 5 | Bright warm and dry | |
Sat, 27-Aug-16 | Third Walk | 12 | cloud rain teeny weeny sunshine | |
Sat, 25-Jul-15 | Saturday Second Walk - Four villages, each with a good pub | 4 | sunny and warm all day | |
Sun, 10-Aug-14 | Kings Sutton Circular | 1 | ||
Wed, 02-Apr-14 | a | Banbury to Kings Sutton | ||
Sat, 23-Nov-13 | Kings Sutton Circular | 0 | ||
Sun, 28-Apr-13 | Kings Sutton Circular | 2 |
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Fri, 25-Mar-22
Intend going.
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Wed, 30-Mar-22
Surprisingly just3 of us on this overcast Sunday walk; 2 others whom I had not seen since pre c19. A good day out with lunch at the Blackbird PH, Croughton.
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Sun, 05-Jan-20
SWC, what's going on? 27 on the urban walk today, 12 on this, the country walk (the joint highest attendance in its history), so 39 in total. On a Sunday! Without sunny weather! New Year's resolutions kicking in? Keep it going...
We lost 1 of the 12 within minutes as one of her boots disintegrated in the first serious mud, and with more mud and some standing water to come, retreat to the station was the sensible option (not one of us had duct tape on them, quite an amateur error really!). The usual noise from the nearby motorway stayed with us a bit longer than hoped for, all the way to Souldern really (leafless trees the culprits? wind direction?) and the starting stretch to Aynho also had plenty of mud, some of the sticky variety, but none too deep thankfully.
We considered lunching in Souldern, but preferred a pub further along beyond halfway, so after a phone call ensuring space was available, we marched on to Croughton and The Blackbird Inn. Our table for 8 was set, the (all female) staff were amazingly friendly, the food quick and tasty, all in: a basic pub, but a very good place.
The picnickers (and the lagging SWC Photographer) had joined us, and we moved on together, reaching KS in good time for the 15.57 train.
4 though chose to sit out that train at The White Horse for a convivial bottle of bubbly by the fireplace, later joined by the lagging SWC Photographer. 16.50 train for us 5.
The sun never broke through, so 12 overcast but dry
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Sun, 05-Jan-20
...which, incidentally, makes it exactly 100 walkers across the 5 weekend walks. a record?
Length: 17.2 km (10.7 miles). Toughness: 3/10
Catch the 9:43 from London Marylebone (changing at Banbury arr: 11:02 dep: 11:08) arrives Kings Sutton station 11:12. Direct return trains to Marylebone: 16:52, 18:49, 20:52, 22:21 else change at Banbury (catch northbound train: 17:58, 19:12, 20:08, 22:04)
An enjoyable walk courtesy of JB. Good news all the pubs are still open, here, here, here, here, here and here
Recent comment from an experienced and trusted walk checker for CW2
"Sun 29 Jul 18, 17:58
There are some great long views on this walk and much is out in the open across the large fields mentioned below, with less variety than for some walks. It's a shame therefore that the author did not point out some of the noteworthy features of the villages (apart from the pubs): churches in most of them have unusual features (e.g. medieval wall paintings in Croughton, spire and weird monument in Kings Sutton, tablets in Aynhoe), the fine Grammar School in Aynho, Anynho Park (grand 17th century house, Soane involved in design, gardens by Capability Brown) is private but one gets a very good view of the house from the road, handsome houses such as Souldern House and others.."
T=swc.176
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Fri, 24-Aug-18
Intend going.
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The slow guy did the Banbury circular, which despite its eccentric walk directions, was rather nice. Pity about the now closed Black Boy, which the ex landlord told me was put out of business by the council closing the road outside his premises for six months.
Some well meaning locals then got it declared a community asset, preventing him from selling it as anything other than a pub for five years.
So he’s sitting put with a notice outside saying it will not (underlined) reopen. Said locals are unwilling to buy it themselves, however.
Broken Britain,eh?
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I, in contrast, travelled via Reading and waited 40 mins for the official train, which of course contained no walkers! I made good progress to Aynho and Souldern but I couldn't find the path to Croughton and the local fisher folk were no help. I ended up scaling a high iron security fence and dropping down on to the B4100, a few metres North of where I'd crossed it earlier, so I gave up and returned to Aynho, where I encountered the first of the outgoing walkers! Long Buckby is another Northants village with a station.
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Sun, 26-Aug-18
Reposted to correct the walk number (now 4 )The day didn’t get off to a good start when our train couldn’t leave Marylebone because another was parked in front. :( This and further delays meant we missed our connection at Banbury and, with the next not due for two hours, the 3 of us started the walk from there, an extra 4 miles along the canal :( We were walking at different speeds, one faster than me and, get this, one slower. I last saw “fast guy” as we left the canal, racing to get to the Fox before they stopped serving. By now, “slow guy” had completely disappeared.
It took me a few minutes to get my bearings in Kings Sutton, marrying up the reverse canal directions to the official start. I was not best pleased to realise that I was passing the station at the same time as the two-hours-later train was due :( Did you know .... Kings Sutton is one of only two Northants villages to have a station? My mood lightened when the magic words “Short Cut” appeared in the directions, glowing like a beacon. Readers, I took that short cut. It took me to Charlton where I stopped for a little refreshment. That knocked 4 and a bit miles off. But I still did about 10, right? The pub was friendly but the beer was pale. Cider for me.
A pretty section followed, with rolling hills, mowed fields and before long I was back in Kings Sutton, nursing a pint in the White Horse. It’s a pretty walk, what I saw of it, with a very Cotswold feel to it, stone walls, stone houses, archetypal fields and hedgerows, friendly villagers (well the ones in the White Horse were,anyway). overcast with several light showers
Length: 17.2km (10.7 miles) Toughness: 3/10
09:40 Birmingham Snow Hill train from Marylebone, changing at Banbury (arr 10:36, dep 10:44) arriving Kings Sutton at 10:50.
Direct return trains are at 14:50, 16:50 and 18:50 (journey time 76 mins). Or take a train to Banbury (opposite direction) at 15:56 or 17:56 and change there for a fast train to Marylebone (approx. same total journey time).
Buy a Super Off-Peak Return to Banbury (£20:15 with railcard – same price as a return to Kings Sutton)
This walk through pleasant Northamptonshire countryside passes through four small villages, each with a good pub serving real ale. The suggested lunch pubs, both about halfway round the walk, are The Fox Inn in Souldern (01869 345284) or The Blackbird Inn in Croughton (01869 810237).
It is possible to lengthen the walk by starting or finishing in Banbury. Either option will add around 6- 8km to the length of the walk.
You will need to download the walk directions.
T=SWC.176
Length: 20 km (12.5 miles).
Extended walk option: 27.2km (16.9 miles).
Toughness: 3/10
Catch the 9:40 from London Marylebone, arrives Banbury 10:36.
A variation on the Kings Sutton walk starting and finishing at Banbury and taking the short-cut route to Charlton for lunch. You may combine the Banbury start / finish with the standard Kings Sutton walk for a longer 27.2km walk, with lunch at Aynho or Souldern or Croughton.
Banbury via Charlton gpx route (zip) T=swc.176
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Mon, 03-Apr-17
Intend going.
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Banbury Circular, Sat 8 April 2017
The posting for this walk didn't conform with every detail of the Trade Descriptions Act 1968, billing the distance as 12.5 miles rather than 14.5. Four completed it, with one more doing a longer variant, so 5 altogether. Bright warm and dry with spring making a very definite step forward compared with just a week ago.
The Rose and Crown in Charlton made for a very satisfactory lunch stop, not at all crowded. Banbury's renown for attractive tea places has yet to spread very far: three of us wound up in BB's Coffee and Muffin shop in Castle Quay shopping centre near the Town Hall, which provided sophistication and charm in the quantities you would expect.
Length: 23.2 km (14.4 miles). Toughness: 3/10
Shorter (standard) walk option from Kings Sutton: 17.2km (10.7 miles).
Catch the 9:40 from London Marylebone, arrives Banbury 10:36. (For Kings Sutton dep. Banbury 11:08, arr. Kings Sutton 11:13. To shorten your wait at Banbury, you may catch the slower 9:43 from Marylebone which arrives at Banbury 11:02) A day return to Banbury for the main walk starting at Banbury, otherwise a day return to Kings Sutton.
Return trains: Direct from Kings Sutton 16:49, 18:49, 20:49, 22:20. Changing at Banbury 17:58, 20:17.
Lunch: The Cartwright, Aynho (after 10km), The Fox, Souldern (after 12¼ km), The Blackbird Inn, Croughton (after 16km).
T=swc.176
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12 walkers on this and the weather was bloomin awful with cloud rain teeny weeny sunshine
6 did the full walk and 6 did the Kings Sutton short version but we all met up at the Fox where lunch was had by 5 of us - the others opted for sandwhiches.
The fish was excellent as was the soup but the bread and butter that came with the soup left a bit to desired. The Fox was very quiet which is a great shame as they look and are a nice pub but I can't imagine them surviving on such low numbers for long.
Lovely walk and most got a train away from Kings Sutton around 5 pm whilst three of us finished with an excellent meal at the White Horse in Kings Sutton which was very good.
Wellfed 3 snoozing on the train
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To add to Anonymous’s report: After a sultry, muggy morning – which included an interesting lesson from a thatcher on how to thatch a roof - the skies darkened, the heavens opened and thunder, lightning and torrential rain dogged us on exposed ground all afternoon. (I, who had overheated in the morning, welcomed this refreshing, if dramatic, change in the weather with, literally, open arms.) The long wait for the 2-hourly train ¬- next time it might be worth investigating whether tickets are valid via Oxford - was enlivened by some of us removing various sodden items of clothing, an aerobics class to warm up and the passing, at full throttle, of a glorious steam train.
Length: 17.2 km (10.7 miles)
Toughness: 3 out of 10
9.36 train from Marylebone to Banbury, arriving 10.40, connecting there to the 11.02 train to King's Sutton, arriving 11.07
Buy a day return to Banbury.
For walk directions click here.
I have had a request for this walk, which has not had a Saturday outing for a good while, if at all, and so deserves one now.
The author says little about the type of terrain traversed, though from the map it seems to be gentle territory to the south of Banbury. But the walk does apparently have four good pubs, each in its own village and each serving a good selection of real ales, so it should be a pleasant way to while away a fine summer's day.
A walker who did this walk in November 2013 commented: " Not a walk for the more precious SWC-folk, what with several long arable field crossings and the ever present hum of the M40 in the morning, but a delightful addition for the rest of us. Lovely villages, some rolling hillocky bits providing occasional far(ish) views, plenty of woods, several impressive stately piles, interesting churches and plenty of pubs, the occasional road walking mostly on quiet lanes."
A glance at the train times will show you that there is a 22 minute wait in Banbury on the outward journey for a connection (for a stopping train heading back SOUTH). You can cut this out by simply starting the walk from Banbury, adding 6km (3.7 miles) to the walk: directions are given in the document.
Trains back from Kings Sutton are at 16.34, 16.43, 17.29, 18.28, 18.43, 19.07, 20.11, 20.28, 20.44. These go in various directions and require various changes:
- The 16.34 and 20.11 are direct services southwards to London
- The 16.43, 18.28, and 20.28 require a change in Banbury - that is, you head north and then connect to a fast train south
- The 17.29 heads south and you change in Oxford.
- The 18.43 heads north requires a change in BOTH Banbury and Oxford.
- The 19.07 also heads south and requires a change in Oxford, but if you also change in Didcot you save 20 minutes (1 hour 30 v 1 hour 50).
- The 20.44 heads south and you change in Oxford and Reading
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4, sunny and warm all day . All agreed this is an exceptional rural walk in the border of Oxfordshire, with gentle rolling hills, woods and beautiful landscape. Villages are cotswolds like with pretty stone cottages. The previous walker's description did not do this walk a complete fair justice. And we also found the direction, although in slightly different style from usual SWC format, it was largely clear and easy to follow. Some M40 traffic noises could be heard in the morning as mentioned in the post but the scenery more than compensated. We stayed together in the morning, had lunch at Fox Pub in Souldern (very pretty village with an interesting church). Pub food was good and reasonably priced. Orange juice only cost 80p. After lunch, one went ahead, three of us stayed together. Had tea in Rose & Crown Pub in Charlton - another cotswolds like pretty village before catching 6:28pm train back to London. Will definitely do this walk again.