Longborough via Moreton-in-Marsh and Blockley

This walk starts in Longborough where there is plenty of roadside parking. From Longborough we will walk along The Monarch's Way to the busy market town of Moreton-in-Marsh and onto the Batsford Arboretum. At the Arboretum we pick up the Heart of England Way to the charming village of Blockley and then finally back to Longborough along the Diamond Way.

See all the photos at flickr and see the route on an OS map at Social Hiking.

After parking in Longborough we start the walk heading down the hill passing the memorial and church and leave Longborough along The Monarch's Way on the first leg of the walk, heading towards Moreton-in-Marsh. This long distance path will take us through a mixture of arable and green fields, there are several stiles along this section and be prepared for a bit of mud.

After about 3 miles we will reach the market town of Moreton-in-Marsh, here we will find an abundance of Inn's & tea shops and eateries, as well as lots of little curiosity shops. We continue down Corders Lane for the next leg and following the signs for Batsford Arboretum. We will continue our walk on Monarch's way through very similar terrain as before, through arable and green fields. We will pass the entrance to the Arboretum where there is a well signed cafe open to walkers.

From the Arboretum we will join the Heart of England long distance path, it will take us uphill through a patch of woodland to reach the B4479. cross here and continue towards Blockley. We will get a good glimpse of the village on the approach from the top of the hill, with its church standing out above the houses. On a Sunday morning it's possible to hear the congregation inside the church singing as you walk down the hill.

Blockley is the half way point, so a good place to stop and eat, head towards the church to find a seat to rest your legs or try out the local pub.

After lunch continue through Blockley passing the fresh water spring at the side road and pick up the Diamond Way on the outskirts of the village. It's a long uphill section to the A44 now as we leave the village, but nothing too difficult.

We cross the A44 and head downhill and into a rather muddy churned up field. Eventually we reach Bourton Downs where there is a great view as we walk over the hill towards The Warren, a small woodland area.

Then we have a couple of hills to get over an then a nice long flat walk back to Longborough to finish the walk. Towards the end of the walk there is a lovely view across to Moreton-in-Marsh.