This is a short family-friendly route around the heart of Sutton Benger village, pointing out places of historical interest.
This trail provides more information about places that are listed on the two 'Welcome' signs, one located on the Village Hall and one in Draycot Cerne.
This is a circular cross-country walk from the Village Hall, to Gate Farm and then to Chissell Brook, and back via Sutton Lane Meadows to the Village Hall.
This is a walk from the Village Hall, to the Draycot Park entrance, to Draycot Cerne, and return.
This is a walk from the Village Hall, to Sutton Lane, back along the High Street and Seagry Road to La Flambé, then along the footpath (the old Barrett Lane) to the B4069 bridge over the River Avon, and then into Christian Malford. Return via the Christian Malford meadows to the Avon Weir, back across the Avon to Sutton Lane, and along Sutton Lane to return to the Village Hall.
This walk takes you past various locations associated with the Romano-Saxon history of Sutton Benger; but note that there is no visible evidence of this history. Also, close to the walk, are remains of pillboxes from World War II; but please remember to stay on Public Rights of Way at all times.
This a long walk, uphill from Sutton Benger along Seagry Road, to cross the M4, left along the footpaths to Harding's Farm, into Upper Seagry along Scotland Road and Henn Lane, to Goss Croft Hall, then back through Upper Seagry along the roads to Seagry Hill, returning to Sutton Benger Village Hall.
If you would like to see some autumn colours, take the optional loop through Seagry Woods; follow the optional directions from Scotland Road, after leaving Harding's Farm.
As another alternative, you could start this entire walk from Goss Croft Hall, to Sutton Benger, returning to Upper Seagry via Harding's Farm.
This is a circular cross-country walk from the Village Hall, to Gate Farm and then to Kington Langley, stopping for a cup of tea or coffee at the Workshop Cafe at Kington Langley's Church Farm.
Return to Sutton Benger via the 'old road' from Kington Langley to Draycot Cerne - the 'road' that was replaced by the 'Draycot Straight' in the 1700s and is now just footpaths / bridleways. (Caution! - it can get muddy.)
If starting from the eastern end of Sutton Benger (from the Village Hall), you could take an alternate route, either from Queens Close alongside the Big Field, or via Sutton Lane, to Sutton Lane Meadows; then pick up the old bridleway west to Kington Langley.
An anti-clockwise cycle route from Sutton Benger Village Hall, north across the M4, past Lower Seagry to Great Somerford, left to Startley, then left to Upper Seagry and back to Sutton Benger.
Enjoy the Wiltshire Countryside on this scenic circular walk. Apart from a few hundred yards along Sutton Lane, the route is along public rights of way (PRoW) footpaths and bridleways across fields and tracks. The trail includes Avon Weir and Sutton Lane Meadows.
NOTE: As the Ordnance Survey notes, meadows near the River Avon are 'liable to floods'. If the weather has been exceedingly wet recently, some of the fields may be too flooded to walk through safely, and you are advised to re-route via Sutton Lane and then along the bridleway to Sutton Lane Meadows. Although note that the bridleway may also be flooded at times.
A Sutton Benger Christmas Trail
This Christmas Trail follows a route around Sutton Benger, starting at the Village Hall there is a pictorial clue to find at the 12 locations. You can wander the route in any direction, solving the clues in any order that you want. Email the answer to hello@bengertrails.co.uk
At some stage in the late 1930s Gonville and Caius College bought land in Sutton Benger, including much (if not all) of Manor Farm, as an investment. In the long term this was to lead to the building of the ‘College Green’ bungalows and the houses to the south of Back Lane / Chestnut Road.
Parish Council records of the time refer to ‘Cabbidge College’ as well as ‘Caius College’, and there was some confusion regarding Oxford and Cambridge. It seems likely that the College in question was actually Gonville and Caius, Cambridge, despite there only being one record anywhere of that full and precise title. Precisely why the College invested in Sutton Benger is not clear.
There used to be a Turnpike gate - or Toll Bar - across Sutton Lane, roughly where the postbox is outside College Green. The gate can be seen on the 1839 map as a line across the road.
Sutton Lane was not a Turnpike, but the High Street was; this gate was here to stop people from trying to cheat the system by bypassing the main gates, which were on Seagry Road (near the old School House) and on the High Street by Gate Farm.
The Minutes of a Meeting of Turnpike Trustees, dated 16 July 1831, recorded that:
... Notice be given for erecting a Toll Bar or Toll Bars across the entrance to a certain Road called Sutton Lane branching out of the said Turnpike Road nearly opposite to a Messuage in the occupation of Thomas Hayward, and near the Bell Inn in the Village of Sutton Benger.
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