From St Lawrence’s Church, walk around the outside of the churchyard and pass by a small car park. From here, take the track that becomes a lane and pass by Church Leyes Farm. At the lane junction, go ahead and follow the driveway towards the superb windmill which comes into view – the building and its land are private, so please respect the ‘Private’ signs and keep off the property.
Reaching wooden gates, go right along a footpath around the outside of the property, following the waymarkers. Through a gate this leads to lovely open land, and you now can go downhill, following the path that descends beside a fence line. After crossing a stile, continue steeply downhill. The path then bears sharp left and leads you past a fishing pool. Keep by the fence to reach the lane by the side of Tilehurst house, Brickyard Lane. Go right down the lane and cross bridge No. 112 over the Oxford Canal.
Over the bridge, descend right onto the tow path, go through a gate and then walk to the left by the canal. This is easy, pleasant walking with great views up to your right of Napton Hill with its windmill on top. Walk under the bridge with the A425 going over and carry on to the next bridge.
Leave the tow path at bridge No. 110 via a gate, and walk up the lane back towards the village. Just before a road junction, go right over a stile and cross the corner of a field to a further stile onto the A425 road. Bear right and cross the main road and a road called Hillside, then go through a waymarked gate and begin to climb the hill up a clear, hedged footpath. As you approach the top of the hill the path becomes less steep and you will go through two metal kissing gates and two bridle gates to reach open land once again. To your right, you will see St Lawrence’s Church. Go right along the church lane back to your car to complete the walk.
There has been a windmill at Napton on the Hill since 1543 – it is one of the great landmarks in Warwickshire. Next to the privately owned mill building is the former miller’s stone cottage, which still houses parts of the original bread oven. Early maps of the area reveal that there were once two... windmills on the hill. They drew a regular and pure supply of water from underground springs and wells. The present windmill is in good condition but not open to the public. On a good day, in fine weather, you can see seven counties from the windswept summit. The village of Napton on the Hill, whose name derives from the old British word ‘cnapton’, meaning ‘farm on the knap of the hill’, was a substantial settlement in 1086. It was granted a charter in 1321 to hold a weekly market and an annual fair, and became a prosperous medieval village. Today, attractive mellowed brown and gold thatched houses contribute to a picturesque scene. You could be forgiven for thinking this was a timeless image, untouched by the revolutionary industrial changes that were taking place elsewhere in the West Midlands, but even Napton succumbed to ‘canal mania’ towards the end of the 18th century. Britain was gripped as the whole country clamoured to invest in the new transport technology. In a two-year period in the 1790s, 37 separate Acts of Parliament were passed to enable the construction of an amazing system of 4,250 miles (6,840km) of navigable rivers and canals. The Oxford Canal, completed in 1790, was part of this and it encouraged canalside businesses to develop. Workmen were more than happy to take alcohol at The Folly Inn while they laboured in the construction of the flight of seven Napton Locks. The 12th-century St Lawrence’s Church, on the brow of the hill, was originally going to be built at the bottom of the hill, and the stone was assembled there, ready for its construction. Overnight, however, the stone was mysteriously moved to the present site, near the top of the hill – and the church was erected where it lay.
The sparkle of sunlight on a gentle river as it meanders through beautiful countryside; the reflections of sailing boats on a lake; relaxing with a pint in the garden of an old English pub in a picturesque village; brightly coloured narrow boats making their way through a flight of lock gates; the imposing silhouette of an historic castle. These are the scenes that make Warwickshire a delight.
From St Lawrence’s Church, walk around the outside of the churchyard and pass by a small car park. From here, take the track that becomes a lane and pass by Church Leyes Farm. At the lane junction, go ahead and follow the driveway towards the superb windmill which comes into view – the building and its land are private, so please respect the ‘Private’ signs and keep off the property.
1 of 4
Reaching wooden gates, go right along a footpath around the outside of the property, following the waymarkers. Through a gate this leads to lovely open land, and you now can go downhill, following the path that descends beside a fence line. After crossing a stile, continue steeply downhill. The path then bears sharp left and leads you past a fishing pool. Keep by the fence to reach the lane by the side of Tilehurst house, Brickyard Lane. Go right down the lane and cross bridge No. 112 over the Oxford Canal.
2 of 4
Over the bridge, descend right onto the tow path, go through a gate and then walk to the left by the canal. This is easy, pleasant walking with great views up to your right of Napton Hill with its windmill on top. Walk under the bridge with the A425 going over and carry on to the next bridge.
3 of 4
Leave the tow path at bridge No. 110 via a gate, and walk up the lane back towards the village. Just before a road junction, go right over a stile and cross the corner of a field to a further stile onto the A425 road. Bear right and cross the main road and a road called Hillside, then go through a waymarked gate and begin to climb the hill up a clear, hedged footpath. As you approach the top of the hill the path becomes less steep and you will go through two metal kissing gates and two bridle gates to reach open land once again. To your right, you will see St Lawrence’s Church. Go right along the church lane back to your car to complete the walk.
There has been a windmill at Napton on the Hill since 1543 – it is one of the great landmarks in Warwickshire. Next to the privately owned mill building is the former miller’s stone cottage, which still houses parts of the original bread oven. Early maps of the area reveal that there were once two... windmills on the hill. They drew a regular and pure supply of water from underground springs and wells. The present windmill is in good condition but not open to the public. On a good day, in fine weather, you can see seven counties from the windswept summit. The village of Napton on the Hill, whose name derives from the old British word ‘cnapton’, meaning ‘farm on the knap of the hill’, was a substantial settlement in 1086. It was granted a charter in 1321 to hold a weekly market and an annual fair, and became a prosperous medieval village. Today, attractive mellowed brown and gold thatched houses contribute to a picturesque scene. You could be forgiven for thinking this was a timeless image, untouched by the revolutionary industrial changes that were taking place elsewhere in the West Midlands, but even Napton succumbed to ‘canal mania’ towards the end of the 18th century. Britain was gripped as the whole country clamoured to invest in the new transport technology. In a two-year period in the 1790s, 37 separate Acts of Parliament were passed to enable the construction of an amazing system of 4,250 miles (6,840km) of navigable rivers and canals. The Oxford Canal, completed in 1790, was part of this and it encouraged canalside businesses to develop. Workmen were more than happy to take alcohol at The Folly Inn while they laboured in the construction of the flight of seven Napton Locks. The 12th-century St Lawrence’s Church, on the brow of the hill, was originally going to be built at the bottom of the hill, and the stone was assembled there, ready for its construction. Overnight, however, the stone was mysteriously moved to the present site, near the top of the hill – and the church was erected where it lay.
The sparkle of sunlight on a gentle river as it meanders through beautiful countryside; the reflections of sailing boats on a lake; relaxing with a pint in the garden of an old English pub in a picturesque village; brightly coloured narrow boats making their way through a flight of lock gates; the imposing silhouette of an historic castle. These are the scenes that make Warwickshire a delight.
