Pete's Walks - Lilley to Barton-le-Clay walk (page 3 of 6)
If you are considering walking this route yourself, please see my disclaimer. You may also like to see these notes about the maps and GPX files.
As I now headed northwards along the eastern edge of the reserve, I soon passed about half a dozen Dartmoor ponies that sometimes graze here. The path ran to the left of a fence, still along the top of the hills and passing the heads of three short side valleys that go left to meet the main valley here. Eventually the path went through a gate and dropped downhill, the descent utilising three small flights of 'steps'. At the foot of the slope I went through another gate, turning right and then immediately left in a field corner. Beyond this field the path continued past paddocks to reach the end of Church Road, Barton-le-Clay, where I turned right.
Dartmoor Ponies - I haven't seen them here for a while, but there were six or so next to the path today
Looking west over Barton Hills again
Dartmoor Pony
The path heading along the eastern edge of Barton Hills
The path heading along the eastern edge of Barton Hills
View from Barton Hills - the wooded hill on the left is Sharpenhoe Clappers
The path descending from Barton Hills
The path descending from Barton Hills
The path descending from Barton Hills - I continued along the field edge, past the paddocks and turned right into Church Road
I followed the road, passing the village church on my right, until it ended at a T-junction, where I went a short way right and then went down Manor Road on the other side. I followed this road for just over a quarter of a mile then, shortly after passing the village school, I took a path on the right that went down a short alley and turned left along the edge of a large field. I very soon turned right in a field corner. For some distance I now had a hedge on my left, the path continuing straight on when it ended - all this while there was a pleasant view to the hills over to my right. There was then another short section of hedge on my left, at the end of which the path turned left for a short way, before turning right behind another hedgerow. I followed this hedge on my right for almost half a mile, then after crossing a footbridge over a tiny stream, the path went half-right to go diagonally across a field to reach a lane on the edge of Hexton, where I turned right.
Church Road, Barton-le-Clay
Manor Road, Barton-le-Clay, approaching the school
The alley where I turned right from Manor Road
Near the start of the path from Barton to Hexton
The path from Barton to Hexton - at the end of this short bit of hedge it turns left, then turns right behind the hedge on the left
The path from Barton to Hexton
The path from Barton to Hexton
Approaching Hexton
The lane into Hexton