[1] Head north from the B4451, through a metal gate and along a waymarked footpath, keeping the hedgerow on your left. You soon approach the woodland of Itchington Holt. The footpath makes a right turn at the corner of a field to run along the boundary of the wood. You now enter Holt Ley, a long grassy enclosure with mature trees along its centre. Follow the left hand boundary as it curves, disregarding a footpath branching off the the right. At the far end of the enclosure cross a stile beside a gate and follow a path along the left margin of a field. This will bring you to Christmas Hill Farm. Continue straight on in front of the buildings, over a private drive and onto a grassy lane.
(A) You now have good views of the Jurassic hills to the south and east, from Edge Hill and the Burton Dassett Hills to the microwave communications tower on the hills at Charwelton.
Continue in the same direction on a waymarked footpath. A path branching off to the right can be disregarded.
[2] When you reach a small wooded area in the corner of a field, go through the wooded area and cross a stile to reach a junction of footpaths. Take the path heading diagonally to your right across the next field. This path is aligned on the tower of Bishop's Itchington church which may be glimpsed through trees ahead.
(B) As you leave this field notice the ridge and furrow in a field to your right. This is characteristic of land that was part of an open field in the medieval period but has not been ploughed since.
Cross the next field towards a derelict brick building and turn left on a green track just beyond it. Follow the track to a road, cross over and walk along Manor Road opposite, continuing in your previous direction. When Manor Road bends right go through a gap on the left into the church yard. Follow the tarmac path past the porch down to the red pillar box on Gaydon Road.
(C) Bishops Itchington church was built in 1872 by architect Ewan Christian in the gothic revival style. Although there was previously a chapel on this site the original parish church was elsewhere, probably in the part of the village now known as Old Town. An artistic bench made from an old oak tree makes a pleasant rest point in the church yard..
Turn left along Gaydon Road and walk to the second turning on the left:
At this point you are only 200 metres from the village centre with a public house and café. To visit walk right along Fisher Road.
[3] At the junction with Church Close (leading to Mount Pleasant), turn into the close and follow the signed footpath to Harbury, initially alongside a small housing estate and then on into fields.
This section is part of the Harry Green Way, developed by the Southam Branch of the Ramblers Association.
Disregard a footpath branching off to the left. Cross the large field diagonally and then enter the next field, continuing straight on along the boundary to your left.
(D) A distant view of Rugby cement works on the skyline opens out to your right. The rather closer chimney of the Southam cement works will come into sight next.
Continue along the footpath, which soon passes close by to Harbury Quarry.
(E) The disused Harbury quarry provided limestone for the local cement factories. The flooded quarry is now known is Bishops Bowl Lakes and is a centre for angling. There is no public access to the quarry from this direction.
Going on from Bishops Bowl look out for the point where the footpath switches to the right hand side of a hedgerow. When you reach the road turn left and walk along the road to Kingston Farm.
[4] At the road junction at the entrance to the farm, cross straight over the road (with care as there can be fast moving traffic at this point). Walk down the private estate road which is also a public footpath. From this point the route follows part of the Warwickshire long distance path Centenary Way.
(F) On a clear day the Malvern Hills can be seen on the horizon ahead as you you reach a junction of estate roads.
Turn left and go through a metal gate into a small wooded area. Continue in the same direction out into fields where the path follows the right hand side of a hedge.
(G) The views on this side of the ridge are not as extensive as those seen on the first part of the walk, but at various points along the final section it is possible to see the monument on the Welcombe Hills north of Stratford, the Lickey Hills and their smaller neighbour Frankley Beeches, the towns of Warwick and Leamington, Chesterton windmill and, eventually, the spire of Coventry cathedral. It helps to have keen eyesight or binoculars.
The path gradually turns to the right and you find yourself once more walking alongside the woodland of Itchington Holt. Turn sharp left at the corner of the wood and continue in the same direction to reach a road. This final leg is closely paralleled by the M40. Walk left along the road the short distance to your starting point.