Long Itchington
Circular Walk 26 (6.5 Miles)
Walk Overview
A lovely walk from Long Itchington, a village with 7 pubs, on the A423 two miles north of Southam. See our Points of Interest below.
Our walk goes through the village, over lovely open fields, down a track called Ridgeway Lane and back along a long stretch of the Grand Union Canal. During the first half of the walk you will enjoy the Millennium Way with our distinctive black and white waymarkers.
Walk Details
- Start: Duck on the Pond Long Itchington CV47 9QJ
- Start Grid Ref: SP416 653
- Parking: Duck on the Pond if taking refreshment or roadside
- Refreshments:
- Duck on the Pond - Indian Food, opens 4pm-11pm (01962 815444)
- Harvester Inn (01926 812698)
- Buck & Bell (01926 259221)
- Maps: OS Explorer 221 &222 or OS Landranger 151
- Distance: 6½ miles
- Time: 3 hours
- Stiles: 1 (dog friendly)
- Download: Walk GPS (GPS Exchange Format, GPX)
- GPS and GPX explained
- Find a mobile app on the Apple App Store or Google Play
Updated February 2025
Walk Instructions
Section B
After crossing the bridge turn left and after 20 paces cross over newly created path on disused railway line (note lovely new Millennium Way signpost) to take metal gate into field. Go left round field for 60 paces to come to field corner. Stop. ( At this point the landowner has suggested a permissive path going left, to then keep to edge of field emerging onto Stonebridge Lane then going right along lane - you can use this permissive path if the main route is heavily cropped or ploughed ) - otherwise, to stay on the main route, go diagonally 3/4 right, initially parallel to power lines, across field and then under power lines, to find mid hedge gap by a telegraph pole with small white footpath sign. Take gap and go straight across next field towards distant white house to take mid hedge stile (the only one on this walk). Continue ahead over next field maintaining line to exit by telegraph pole to Stonebridge Lane. ( you will also arrive here if you have taken the permissive route above. ) Go right for some distance then, as you start to rise, some 200 paces before brow of hill, go left through gate along track known as Ridgeway Lane (here we leave the Millennium Way which goes right). Continue ahead, passing Print Wood, on an often muddy track for 3/4 mile (path in field on right useful at times) to eventually reach The Welsh Road. Cross road then continue along track, turning left onto canal towpath just before the bridge. (HS2 works are alongside at this point and as you start off on the towpath).
Section C
You are now walking along the towpath of the Grand Union Canal for nearly 2 miles, passing Bascote Locks, until you reach Bridge 25.
Section D
Do not pass under bridge, unless you want to stop off at The Two Boatspub a few yards on, but go left by the small brick-built cubicle next to the towpath (here we rejoin the Millennium Way). Go behind the cubicle to take a kissing gate leading into a paddock. Cross paddock and take two further kissing gates on either side of a farm track. Go ahead over field to take wooden footbridge, then continue on to exit by kissing gate and ahead on grass track between trees towards a modern white house with a distinctive rear projection. Take kissing gate and turn left to follow Thorn Way which arrives into an open tarmac area known as The Square. Exit The Square by going right passing the quaint and friendly Harvester Inn on the right to reach crossroads. Go right and very shortly you will come back to main road with Duck on the Pond pub opposite.
Canal side Walk
Points of Interest - What to know and what to see...
by Andy Botherway
Tudor House
Long Itchington
The Tudor House, just opposite the walk start on the A423 Southam Road, is said to have been visited by Queen Elizabeth in 1572 and 1575, when it was the home of Lady Anne Holbourne, daughter of Robert Dudley, Earl of Leicester. The old "Manor House in The Square dates from the 15th Century.
Holy Trinity Church
The oldest part of the church is the 13th Century south aisle. The chancel, nave and tower are 14th Century.
The River Itchen, after which Long Itchington is named, flows into the River Leam. The River Leam starts in a spring at Helidon and is about 26 miles long joining the River Avon between Warwick and Leamington.
St. Wulfstan was born in the village c1012. He became Bishop of Worcester in 1062 and by 1076 was the only remaining English bishop not to have been replaced, by William the Conqueror, with a Norman.
To the west of the disused cement works is a small Model Village which was built to house the workers in the early 1900’s.
The view from the bridge of the disused railway line to the north west is of the junction of the Weedon branch joining the Leamington Rugby line. This line opened in 1851 and closed to passenger traffic in 1959. The line remained open for freight serving the now closed cement works in Long Itchington until 1985. Trains for the cement works had to reverse from the Rugby line onto the Weedon branch as the Leamington section had been removed.
Cement Works Landmark Chimney
Bascote Locks
Bascote Locks on the Grand Union Canal
The top two locks at Bascote on the Grand Union Canal, numbers 14 and 15, are paired as a staircase - that is the top gate of the bottom lock also acts as the bottom gate of the top lock.
Operating a staircase is very different from operating a normal flight of locks.This is an efficient, but potentially confusing, arrangement and British Waterways provide a notice giving instructions to boaters. Our picture from below shows what a substantial piece of engineering they are. The main line of the Grand Union Canal starts in London and ends in Birmingham (Digbeth), stretching for 137 miles with 166 locks.