4. Village Saints Walk (approx 1- 1.5 hours)

Suitable for dogs and all abilities, there is one steep hill down to Ryebridge Lane from the top of Saintbury Hill. Shorts are okay. The parts of the walk on the single track road should be quiet. There is one section which is on a permissive path next to St Mary’s Church.

Many of the cottages in Upper Froyle have a statue of a saint set high on the front wall under the eaves. These were said to have been brought back from Italy by Sir Hubert Miller, a past Lord of Froyle Manor, and gave rise to the title “The Village of the Saints”. 

This walk passes many of them but also gives you the opportunity to walk past the church of St Mary and the Assumption which houses many vestments. See https://www.froylevestmentsgroup.org.uk/ for more details.

Many of the saint statues are visible from the road but some are not, these are private houses so please do not try and get a closer look if you cannot see a statue clearly from the road, please respect the privacy of the private house owners.

There are 15 saints to watch out for.  [We’ve not included the further two on the other side of the A31!]

Click here to download a handy pdf of all the saints you can see along this walk.

From the Village Hall Car Park facing the road, turn left along Ryebridge Lane.  At the road turn left and approximately 250 yards, cross over and turn right into Bamber Lane. Follow Bamber Lane to the From the Village Hall Car Park facing the road, turn left along Ryebridge Lane.  At the road turn left and approximately 250 yards, cross over and turn right into Bamber Lane. Follow Bamber Lane to the top and on your left you will see the house known as Saintbury Hill and your first saint.

Just past Saintbury Hill there is a kissing gate, turn left here and follow the footpath down the hill, down some steps and down a steep path through a field (breathe in the view!), at the bottom you’ll reach a footpath crossroads, take the path to your left and this brings you out on to Ryebridge Lane again, just on your right you’ll see the house known as St Katherine’s which also has a statue.

Head back up Hen and Chicken Hill and turn right back onto Ryebridge Lane and walk down to the church. Enter the churchyard and follow a path to the right of the church round the back alongside a wall. Turn right through a brick arch and along a path past the rear gates to Froyle Park, down a lovely passageway created by tree branches. Continue left along the “Avenue” along the permissive path and down past the Froyle Wildlife Pond on your right and just past the gas pumping station on the left hand side. Turn left through the kissing gate here and follow St Swithuns Way route as signposted, along the field boundary straight ahead and over a small footbridge between two fields with a swing gate. Carry on straight ahead along another field boundary and when you reach the end turn left up the hill, you go over another small footbridge and through a second field leading to a small coppice. Turn right onto the track leading to some small stables (on your left) and continue straight along until you pass The White House on your left. As the path comes out in front of this house, cross in front of their gateway onto a short footpath back to the recreation ground and the Village Hall Car Park.