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A compact woodland circuit through Irchester Country Park, with a pause beside Big Foot Pond and a glimpse of the landscape left by ironstone quarrying. Allow about an hour for the 2.3 km route. It uses the park’s established walking paths and stays clear of the surrounding roads.
Begin at the Woodland Car Park within the park, near the trail information point. Head north through the trees, follow the paths around the northern woodland, then turn east and south towards the pond. Continue along the path beside Big Foot Pond before returning west through the woods to your starting point. Several signed routes share these paths, so check the plotted line at junctions rather than assuming every waymarker belongs to this circuit.
The former quarry is now a wooded country park. Its uneven ground and long cuts through the trees make the landscape different from a flat ornamental park. Look for the changes in level along the walking paths, while leaving quarry faces, steep banks and fenced areas alone. The railway museum is elsewhere in the park and has its own opening times; it is an optional separate visit.
The route includes gravel tracks and narrower woodland paths, with some slopes and steps. Mud and wet leaves can make the smaller paths slippery after rain, so wear shoes with a good grip. There are unguarded pond edges; keep children close and dogs out of the water. Share the wider tracks considerately with other park users.
Parking is charged. Use the pay-and-display machine or the council’s advertised PayByPhone service, following the location number on the signs. The upper parking remains open all day, while the lower car park beside the café has seasonal closing hours. Toilets and the Quarryman’s Rest Café are near the lower car park, a short separate walk from this circuit’s start; check their opening times.
Route and visitor information checked against North Northamptonshire Council’s park map and visitor page: https://www.northnorthants.gov.uk/irchester-country-park
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