Pete's Walks - Buckland Common, Chesham, The Lee (page 2 of 4)
As the path rose uphill I heard a Buzzard somewhere, and then as the path continued beside a section of Ramscoat wood to my right I spotted the bird over the trees ahead of me. The wide path then passed through part of the wood, before becoming a fairly well-surfaced track running between meadows or paddocks. At its end I turned left, now with gardens on my right, and soon came to a minor road on the northern outskirts of Chesham. I took a path opposite, initially along the drive to Mount Nugent Farm but then bearing half-right through a sequence of gates and then between a fence and a hedge to reach Captain's Wood (I was in a Sergeant's Wood last week!).
Looking back from the edge of Ramscoat Wood
The track from Ramscoat Wood to the edge of Chesham
The path to Captain's Wood
I turned left on entering the wood, and after a couple of hundred yards or so I turned right at the next path junction, now heading quite steeply downhill through the trees. On emerging from the wood, the path continued downhill between fences then joined the drive to Hazeldene Farm. Across a minor road I joined the unmade Buslins Lane, which turned left, then right, then left again to go steeply uphill to reach another road on the edge of Chesham. Here I turned left, following the residential street for about half a mile before taking a path on the right (at a point where the road curved left). This was soon enclosed for a while, running behind some garden fences, before emerging into the open again with a series of paddocks or pastures sloping down into a pleasant valley on my right.
Heading south in Captain's Wood
Going downhill through Captain's Wood
Buslins Lane
The path on the western edge of Chesham
I followed this pleasant path for about half a mile to the next path junction, where I turned sharply right - at this point I left the Chiltern Chain Walk and joined the route of the Chiltern Link (which I walked once, over five years ago). The path went downhill through an area of rough grass and small bushes, then crossed a lane and continued across two huge paddocks (pastures for horses would possibly be a better description, I associate paddocks with smaller areas enclosed by wooden fences).
The path on the western edge of Chesham
From the edge of Chesham, looking ahead towards the valley of Herberts Hole
The second large 'paddock', start of Herberts Hole on the right
I then went a short distance right along a lane, ignoring one bridleway on the left before taking a second bridleway on the left. This was a bit of the Chiltern Link that I'd been looking forward to walking again, following the bridleway along an attractive valley called Herberts Hole. I soon spotted another Buzzard (there'd been four Red Kites just before the junction where I turned sharp right). The valley was certainly very pleasant, but unfortunately the bridleway was very muddy and it became a rather tiring slog walking along here, my feet often slipping slightly.
Start of the bridleway through Herberts Hole
The bridleway through Herberts Hole
The bridleway through Herberts Hole
After about a mile and a half the bridleway ended by Herberts Hole Cottage, situated next to a lane junction. I turned right on a footpath immediately after the cottage, following it uphill between a wire fence and a hedge. Near the top of the hill, it ran between a garden hedge on the left and a fence on the right, before briefly joining a private drive.
Approaching the end of the bridleway, looking towards Herberts Hole Cottage
The footpath starting beside Herberts Hole Cottage
Further along the same footpath