The Route

Take Bridge Street north east and after 0.25 mile follow the gyratory by going left along Church Street and then right into Warwick Road (after the sharp right hand bend).  Continue straight on passing the shops (the road becomes Kineton Road) and after 0.5 mile turn left into the road signposted ‘Moreton Paddox.

 After 1.5 miles turn left at the signpost for ‘Moreton Morrell’ and continue for ¾ mile into the village centre where there is a right turn into Brook Lane signposted ‘Lighthorne’.  After 0.5 mile cross over the Fosse Way and then continue on this lane for 1 mile into Lighthorne where you turn right at the church and then left at the village green.  Then, after 0.5 mile you come to a cross roads with the B4100.  Go straight across continuing over the M40 and a number of cattle grids to the hamlet of Chesterton Green where you turn right at the T-junction.

At 0.5 mile after the junction you pass the isolated Chesterton church on the left after which is the end of the classified road where there is a gate (usually closed), dismount and pass through the pedestrian gate.  After the gate continue and after ⅓ mile follow the road around a sharp left hand bend at a large house (Kingston Manor Farm), ignoring the right hand turn, go up the hill and continue until you come to a farm and houses where you keep left and eventually 0.5 mile after this you take the right hand fork where the road splits.  The road re-joins the public highway at a multiple junction where four roads meet.  This last section from the pedestrian gate to the public highway has restricted rights of way so you must follow the footpath and bridleway signage and note that only the middle part from the top of the hill to the fork in the road is bridleway, the first and latter parts are designated footpath and you must be dismounted through these sections.

Take the road directly opposite signposted Harbury, but immediately take the left turn 'Bush Heath Lane', taking you to the southern outskirts of Harbury.  When you come to a T-junction in the village either turn right (Park Lane) to explore the village centre or turn left (Temple End) to continue.

1 mile after leaving Harbury take the second left into Windmill Hill Lane (signposted Chesterton and Ashorne)and you will see the windmill and its access on your right.  Continue down the hill and carry on for 1.25 miles when you come to a T-junction with the B4455 ‘Fosse Way’ where you turn left, crossing over the M40 and down to a roundabout.  Take the third exit signposted Ashorne which is 1.25 miles after a short steep hill.  You enter the village after going over a cross roads.

Pass through the village with The Cottage Tavern on your right hand side and at 0.5 mile you come to a T-junction where you turn left into the B4087 which takes you back via Newbold Pacey (0.5 mile) to Wellesbourne (2 miles).  In Wellesbourne you come to a T-junction where you turn right and immediately left into Bridge Street and a further 0.25 mile brings you back to Chestnut Square.

Topography

This is an undulating ride with two notable short but steep climbs, one at Staple Hill just after leaving Wellesbourne (a tip is to warm up first) and then after the B4100 roundabout on the way to Ashorne.

Advisory

Take care when crossing the B4455 ‘Fosse Way’ on the way out.  Similarly there is also a short stretch of riding on the ‘Fosse Way’ later on before crossing the main B4100 at a traffic roundabout which has five exits.  Also take extra care on the B4087 through Newbold Pacey as traffic travels relatively fast on this road.

Points of Interest:

·         St Giles church and deserted plague village of Chesterton.
·         Harbury village attractions including 13th century All Saints church, pubs and eclectic mixture of stone cottages and houses.
·         Chesterton Windmill which dates back to 1632.
·         Attractive villages of Ashorne, Lighthorne and Moreton Morrell
·         St George parish church, Newbold Pacey.
·         See also ‘A Trip to Kineton and Lighthorne’.

In its elevated position Chesterton Windmill is one of Warwickshire’s most notable landmarks dating back to 1632.  Now in the domain of the Warwickshire County Council access is freely available via a short walk from the roadside gate.  The Grade 1 listed structure has a local limestone cylindrical tower with sandstone detailing and wooden sails.

Harbury is a large 'village' with shops, a cafe, pubsand an eclectic mixture of stone cottages and houses.  There is an interesting looking converted windmill, although this very tall structure no longer has any sails.   All Saints church dates back to the 13th century.

There is no longer a village at Chesterton but the large attractive St Giles church dating back to the 12th century remains.  It is understood that the original village was deserted following a visit from the plague and a new settlement at nearby Chesterton Green which you pass through was established.  Located just off the Fosse Way the Roman legacy remains in the place name ‘chester’ deriving from the Latin ‘castra’ suggesting there was a Roman military camp here.

Newbold Pacey and Ashorne are part of the same parish and the former was once the main village with Ashorne being just a hamlet.  Now the opposite persists and rumour has it that Ashorne developed as people escaped the plague in Newbold Pacey!  The attractive church in Newbold Pacey dates back to Norman times and is a worthy diversion for your bike and its elevated position offers some good views of the surrounding countryside.

This ride crosses over the M40 twice.  This is a modern motorway and the section here only opened as recently as January 1991 with the adjacent Warwick service station in 1994.  The M40 diverted traffic away from the adjacent A41 which was declassified to the B4100.  Historically this important route dates back to 1726 and was developed by the Birmingham, Warwick and Warmington Turnpike Trust.

Refreshments

Cottage Tavern, Ashorne
The Black Horse, Moreton Morrell
The Antelope Inn, Lighthorne
And in Harbury:
·         Biblio’s cafe at Village Library (check times as these are limited)
·         Pubs including The Crown Inn, The Shakespeare Inn, The Old New Inn and The Gamecock

Library of routes to download as .pdf maps or .gpx GPS files