The area itself is a strange experience in my honest opinion and I do want to make it clear for the very start that this is MY opinion and not based on others as some others may think its the best walk since sliced bread.
Potentially it has the ingredients to be a truly great walk and it probably is as I've only scratched the surface. The one time I did scratch the surface , I got spectacularly lost and had a wonderful walk in the meantime because I probably discovered the true Harlestone Firs experience that I was sceptical of on my first few visits . The walk starts with parking off the main A428 road straddling Dobbie's garden centre and its heavily inflated priced products. Crossing the road is NOT for the faint hearted and can be an issue if you are used to opening the boot to see you beautiful dog gleefully leaping out the back and barrelling around. This is not an option here as you will need to have full control.
Once you have got over this and I have highlighted this as an issue of which I am wary of, then you are into a bloody big area of tracks that go all over the area. It is spectacular as a wood with huge imposing evergreens and you will almost certainly need to be aware of actually where you are going. There are focal points on the walk as there is a wood saw mill in the centre which is good reference point as well as the golf course and not any golf course, Northampton County and its beautiful course where a winter round of golf will set you back £60. If you did what I did and follow your instinct as I turned mostly right and followed the brook along Darlington and eventually came out into an open field. At this point , I was thinking Bear Grylls and building camp for the night as the light was fading but took a punt on the fields where I ended up near the golf course, eventually nearly getting taken out by some dudes on MTB bikes. They saved the day and I made it back in semi darkness.
If you tur left or go straight on from the start following the tarmac road straight or the track left, you will be fine, just take a map.
Watch out for the MTB boys and girls as they come out of nowhere and be on the general lookout for all sorts of people bearing in mind that you are in the wood and likely to be in there with Northampton's finest, so be careful.
I do really want to go back , really I do as I don't want to be negative. It`s simply not fair to have this attitude as it is a great place all year round (muddy in winter) so if anyone wants to guide me, feel free and give me a shout.
If you go in the summer t like I have been, particularly on the hot sultry night that I went , you will see the biggest ants you will ever see. They are enormous.
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