Pete's Walks - Whiteleaf Hill and Loosley Row (page 1 of 3)
I did this roughly 7 mile circular walk on Sunday, 11th January 2015. Click here to see a map of the walk (but only if you have already read my disclaimer and notes regarding maps). It was a repeat of a walk I did in March 2012.
I parked in the car park by Whiteleaf Hill, near Princes Risborough. A short path out of the end of the car park soon took me to a section of the Ridgeway national trail, where I turned right to head north towards Whiteleaf Hill. I soon spotted the remains of some practice trenches from World War I on my right, and immediately after them I turned right onto a bridleway (the summit of Whiteleaf Hill was only another hundred yards or so further on, and would be well worth the detour if you'd not been there before - there are some photos and information part-way down this page here). The bridleway ran along just inside the edge of an attractive beech wood, with a large field just feet away on my right. To my left, the wood dropped away steeply into a valley - this area is named The Hangings on the map, I don't know if that means the wood or the valley. I was surprised how muddy the bridleway was (though I've known it to be bad before), I think there must have been much more rain in this part of the Chilterns than we've had near Dunstable. After almost half a mile I came to a fork in the bridleway, where I kept right. Soon after I reached the end of the field on my right, and a few yards further on I turned right at a path junction. I was now in Sergeant's Wood, still with the same very large field nearby on my right.
The Ridgeway heading north to Whiteleaf Hill
Not too clear, but these are the remains of practice trenches dug during World War I
Near the start of the bridleway heading east past or through The Hangings
The bridleway heading east past or through The Hangings
The path on the west edge of Sergeant's Wood
When the path left the wood, it soon reached a crossroads of bridleways, where I turned left. I now had Sergeant's Wood on my left, with another large field over a fence or hedge on my right. After a third of a mile I reached the end of the field, and a few yards further on I turned right along a path in Sergeant's Wood with the field still a few feet to my right. The path led on through a garden in the hamlet of Green Hailey to a road (the one past the car park where I'd started) where I turned left.
The bridleway on the southern side of Sergeant's Wood
The bridleway on the southern side of Sergeant's Wood
The path on the north-western side of Kingsfield Wood
The road near Green Halley, just before I turned right
After maybe a quarter of a mile I went right where a fingerpost indicated the start of a bridleway. This ran beside part of Hillock Wood, with a field again to my right. Just past the field corner the bridleway turned left and headed south through the wood - the steep Chiltern escarpment sloped down on my right, though there was only really one point where I got a view out through the trees towards the Vale of Aylesbury. After about half a mile the bridleway took me to the hamlet of Parslow's Hillock. I followed a drive a few yards to the left to reach a minor road, where I turned right then turned left into a lane beside the Pink and Lily pub. After almost half a mile I turned right, joining the route of the Chiltern Way as it followed part of an ancient earthwork called Grim's Ditch. This was very muddy, but after only a hundred yards or so I stayed on the Chiltern Way as it forked right and crossed the corner of a field.
The start of the bridleway to Parslow's Hillock
The bridleway to Parslow's Hillock
The bridleway to Parslow's Hillock
Lily Bottom Lane
Grim's Ditch, just before I forked right
Start of the path from Grim's Ditch to Lacey Green