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The Walk
to Souldern – A Village Favourite
Village Square - Lower Aynho Grounds - Souldern
Mill - Souldern Village - The Fox - Souldern Church - Aynho, Croughton
Road - Village Square.
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Leave the Village Square down Little Lane. At
the bottom of the lane turn right and cross the main road with
care. Take the footpath round into Station Road, following the
sign for Deddington, and continue to the bottom of the hill.
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Turn left up the drive of Lower Aynho Grounds.
Follow the drive with Aynho Park to your left over the wall. There
are good views of Aynho Park House back over your left shoulder
from certain points along this part of the track. After about
half a mile, at the bottom of the hill, the drive curves to the
right. The bridleway branches off to the left with parallel concrete
wheel tracks indicating the route. The fence is on the right of
the track.
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The track, known as Miller’s
Lane, continues down to Souldern Mill where the stream crosses
the track and it may be necessary to ford on the rare occasions
when the water level is high.
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Souldern Village:
Souldern Manor, which you pass on your right, was built
by Bernard Weedon in 1655 after he had pulled down an old
Saxon Manor near the church. It has been restored and the
grounds spectacularly redeveloped by the present owner.
Half way along the main street on your right you will pass
a narrow lane leading to a lovely old pub, The Fox.
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Pass through the village and turn left
at the village pond. Take the road down to the church.
Souldern Church
The Church of St Mary the Virgin dates from the twelfth century,
although many alterations have since been made. The font is twelfth
century and the chalice is Cromwellian. There are six bells, most
of which date from the seventeenth century. Wordsworth stayed
in the old rectory, formerly to the north of the church, in 1820,
and wrote his sonnet, ‘A Parsonage in Oxfordshire,’
during his visit.
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Pass to the left of the churchyard along the
concrete road. Stay on this road through two metal gates. You
have now reached the sewage works and need to take the narrow
path between the fence and the stream. This is sometimes overgrown
in summer, and a stick can come in handy.
At the stile cross into the field, and head diagonally
left up the slope. As you approach the fence keep it on your left
until you reach the stile at the very end of the field. Across
the stile a track leads through woods. Follow this across a stream.
You are now back in Northamptonshire.
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The track becomes a concrete road as it emerges from the
wood and takes you up the hill. At the top the concrete
road turns right, but go through the gate on your left,
and continue in your original direction down the hill to
a double gate at the bottom.
A herd of deer can sometimes be seen in this area. It is
descended from the Aynho Park herd which became dispersed
during the Second World War.
Through the gate the path now follows the field edge with
the fence on your left as you climb the hill ahead.
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At the top of the hill a low stile
leads into a path between two fences which quickly
become two stone walls. Pause at the stile, however,
as you may well need to recover your breath, and the
view behind you is of a magnificent sweep of countryside.
The path ahead passes under a tunnel and finally emerges
at the B4100 Croughton Road through the village. Cross
the old stone stile, turn left, and you will soon
pass the Cartwright Arms and enter the village Square.
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