Country walk

Our customers love this 4 mile countryside walk, beginning and ending at the George & Dragon. We’ll have a pint ready for when you return!

Turn right on leaving the George and Dragon, then turn left into Nutbean Lane. Continue down the lane, passing a small cemetery on your right. Pass a cottage on your left, then some houses on your right. Just after the last house, which has wrought iron gates, turn right and go over the footbridge across a ditch. Continue over a stile, then bear left and follow the path around the edge of the field. On reaching the River Blackwater, turn left at a stile and follow the riverbank.

When you reach a footbridge, do not cross the river but continue along the riverbank, heading for a gate and stile leading out onto a lane. Cross the lane and follow the waymarked path along the edge of the field, with the river still on your right. In the corner of the field, cross a stile and continue to a rustic footbridge in the next corner. Continue in the same direction to yet another stile and footbridge. Keep on to the corner of the field then bear left a short distance to a stile. This brings you out onto a lane. Jouldings Farm is on your right.

Bear left and follow the lane. When it goes right, turn left on to a bridleway following it between trees and thick hedges. Continue uphill through the trees till you come to a quiet country lane. Turn left and continue along the lane, passing a footpath on your right. Just before a cottage on your right, bear right and follow the hedge lined path for about 50 yards until you come to an oak tree. At the oak tree turn right over a stile and follow the waymarked path, crossing a double stile. Turn right and continue along the edge of the field. After about 70 yards, you reach a waymark post. Now turn left and head down the slope, keeping in line with some oak trees, with farm buildings over to your right.

Cross the stile at the bottom, then after a few yards turn right at a footpath sign. Continue between the trees and dense undergrowth till you come to a road. Follow the road to the left, round a left hand bend to a junction. At the junction, go straight across along a signposted byway. Keep to the byway, disregarding a footpath on your right. When you reach the next road, turn right and when the road turns to the right, you bear left across a stile onto a waymarked path. Bear left by a line of trees, following the clear track. Cross a stile, keeping to the edge of the field. Watch out for a gate in the hedge on your left. Go through the gate and turn left to continue in the same direction as before till you reach the corner of the field. Now turn left and follow the path across the fields, back to The George & Dragon.