Tucked away on the southeast corner of Northamptonshire, bordering Oxfordshire and Buckinghamshire, is the pretty market town of Brackley.
Once hugely significant in the wool and lace trade, this historic town sprung up on the convergence of trade routes connecting the major cities of London, Birmingham, Oxford and Cambridge. Nowadays though, it’s probably more famous for being the base of the Mercedes F1 team.
Brackley is a great hub for events and festivals throughout the year, catering to a variety of interests from motorcycles to food. It’s also a great destination for anyone with their pooch looking to explore a new town that’s easy-to-reach with a wealth of nearby walks.
Speaking of which, Brackley is only a stone’s throw from Banbury, so it’s worth researching the best dog walks in Banbury too, as many are within a short drive.
Country & country park walks
Knightley way
The Knightley Way long distance footpath travels through Northamptonshire from Badby to Greens Norton, a fifteen-minute drive away from Brackley. Given the length of the walk, you and the pooch will have to get public transport to the start of the route or back to where you began after this long, linear walk.
Your walk will begin by passing Badby Woods and Fawsley Hall, and you will catch a glimpse of the handsome manor sat within its landscaped estate. After crossing the canal, you’ll stroll to the site of the castle at Preston Capes.
The rest of this walk is over farmland and fields and is everything you would expect from a long countryside stroll, including ample off-lead walking for the pup. The walk itself is fairly easy, but given the distance, you’ll need good footwear and good legs!
There are plenty of local spots to paw-se for a rest and refreshments, as this walk passes through Badby, Farthingstone, Litchborough, Foxley, and Greens Norton. If you wait until the end for a well-deserved drink, The Butcher’s Arms in Greens Norton is very dog friendly. If you need to park in Badbury, here’s where you can leave your car.
Walk Length: 19.3km
Difficulty: Moderate
Starting Point: Badby
Terrain: Trails, fields, flat, slopes, uneven, woodland
Free Parking: Yes
Address: Badby, Daventry, NN11 3AR
More information: GPS Routes, Walking Englishman, LDWA Knightley Way
Turweston to Whitfield
This wonderful circular stroll will take you from the leisure centre on the edge of town and out to explore the open countryside and farmland with the pup. There’s plenty of op-paw-tunities for the dog to roam off the lead as long as you follow the usual rules around livestock.
You’ll visit the aerodrome halfway around this route, which has a little cafe. The walking is fairly easy and suitable to bring children along for a picturesque rural ramble, but the route isn’t suitable for pushchairs.
The other great draw of this walk is that it passes several pubs. You will begin your walk by the Chequered Flag and pass The Greyhound and The Bell before you’ve even left Brackley. There’s also the Stratton Arms in Turweston and The Sun Inn on the edge of Whitfield.
When you reach The Sun, you can choose to take the track that goes onward to Whitfield itself to explore the village before returning to this route. We think the best place to paw-se for refreshments is the Stratton Arms as the river passes by their garden and makes for the prettiest pit-stop.
Walk Length: 10.4km
Difficulty: Moderate
Starting Point: Brackley Leisure Centre
Terrain: Trails, fields, flat, slopes, uneven
Free Parking: Yes
Address: Springfield Way, Brackley, NN13 6JJ