Pete's Walks - Chenies, Chipperfield Common, Ley Hill (page 3 of 5)
I was now back on (slightly) familiar territory, as I stopped for lunch by Apostles Pond on Day 11 of my Hertfordshire Way walk (amazingly that was almost six years ago!). I turned left, following a bridleway along the southern edge of Chipperfield Common for around two-thirds of a mile. There were several other people using the wide path, unsurprising on such a lovely Saturday morning.
Chipperfield Common
Chipperfield Common
Chipperfield Common
When I eventually reached a minor road at Belsize, I went a few yards left before taking a path on the other side of the road and continuing westwards on a field path that soon brought me to Woodman's Wood. At a path junction I turned right on a bridleway (though it would be shorter to go straight on). The bridleway had been recently resurfaced, and I followed it initially through deciduous trees then through an area of conifers as it curved round to the left to reach the appropriately named Holly Hedges Lane (the shorter way if I'd gone on at the path junction would have meant a bit more lane walking). I turned right along the lane, then after a few hundred yards took a path on the left (leaving the Hertfordshire Way and joining another section of the Chiltern Way).
The path from Belsize to Woodman's Wood
The path continuing through Woodman's Wood
The bridleway in Woodman's Wood
The bridleway in Woodman's Wood
I soon reached Lower Plantation, and the path continued pleasantly through the wood to reach a lane junction on the far side. I took the lane ahead of me to reach Flaunden (the Chiltern Way goes left immediately before the lane reaches the village). I continued straight on through the village, passing the Victorian church (I would later pass the site of the mediaeval church it replaced, in the Chess Valley). I spotted my only Red Kite of the day here, before I followed the tree-lined road as it gradually went down Flaunden Hill to reach the valley of Flaunden Bottom.
The path from Holly Hedges Lane to Lower Plantation (another part of the Chiltern Way)
The path through Lower Plantation
Looking back, from the centre of Flaunden
Flaunden Church (I would pass the site of the original church in the Chess Valley later)
The road from Flaunden down Flaunden Hill
Here the road turned left along the valley, but I took a bridleway going straight on. This went slightly uphill, soon turning right (northwest). I was now back on familiar territory again, this long bridleway to Ley Hill being part of Walk 7 of my Chiltern Chain Walk. The gradient soon eased and this bridleway was very pleasant to walk. I soon passed a spot where I remembered seeing my first ever Silver-washed Fritillary last year. Further on I spotted a bird on a fence post - it kept flying from post to post as I tried to photograph it, but I managed to get some almost reasonable shots [Update 8/3/14: at the time of this walk and for a long time afterwards I thought this was a female Stonechat, but eventually when I happened to look at the photos again I realised it was actually a Whinchat, the only one I've seen so far on my walks].
The start of the bridleway going northwest from the bottom of Flaunden Hill
The bridleway continuing northwest towards Ley Hill
The bridleway continuing northwest towards Ley Hill
The bridleway continuing northwest towards Ley Hill
The bridleway continuing northwest towards Ley Hill