Pete's Walks - Maidensgrove, Nuffield, Shepherd's Green (page 2 of 6)
If you are considering walking this route yourself, please see my disclaimer. You may also like to see these notes about the maps and GPX files.
The path continued through Haycroft Wood, soon crossing a drive going down to Swyncombe House. A fairly short distance after this, the path left the wood at a stile, continuing along the top of the park land above Swyncombe House, with Straights Plantation on my left. After a sunny start to the walk It had now clouded over, but this section of the path was still highly enjoyable with very nice views - both over Swyncombe to Swyncombe Downs, and out over the Oxfordshire Plain.
The path approaching where it crosses a drive to Swyncombe House
The same path continuing through Haycroft Wood
The path continuing along the top of the park land above Swyncombe House
View towards the Oxfordshire Plain
The path continuing along the top of the park land above Swyncombe House
View towards the Oxfordshire Plain
The path continuing along the top of the park land above Swyncombe House
On reaching the end of this path, I turned left along a section of the Ridgeway, which after a few hundred yards turned left into the farmyard near Ewelme Place. I continued straight on here, soon passing the grand house on my right. After passing a large paddock on my left, the path went a short way through bushes (with a pond on the left), and then dropped gently downhill across a huge arable field (a Red Kite approached quite close to me hear). I then went through a tree belt (where the Ridgeway crossed the Chiltern Way), and continued across another large arable field, before the path rose uphill through a small wood to meet a main road (the A4130).
The Ridgeway heading towards Ewelme Park, after I turned left
The Ridgeway heading towards Ewelme Park
The Ridgeway passing Ewelme Park
The Ridgeway continuing south from Ewelme Park
View towards the Oxfordshire Plain, from near Ewelme Park
The Ridgeway continuing south from Ewelme Park
The Ridgeway continuing south from Ewelme Park - it crosses the Chiltern Way in the tree belt running across this shot
The Ridgeway continuing south from Ewelme Park
The Ridgeway continuing south from Ewelme Park
I turned left and crossed the road. Just to the left of the buildings on that side, I went through a gap in a hedge and set off across part of Huntercombe golf course (Ian Fleming was once a member here), aiming for a white post on the other side of a couple of fairways. On reaching a road (where a path went straight on), I took a second path a few yards to the left. Both paths crossed a fairway to two white posts on the far side, but then they crossed each other on the next fairway where I walked to the rightmost of two white posts on the far side. After crossing another fairway, the path continued along the left edge of a field to meet a bridleway running through a tree belt on the other side.
The start of the path across Huntercombe golf course
Where the path crosses the minor road through Huntercombe golf course - I chose to go a few yards left and take another path here, the two paths crossing in the second fairway, where I aimed for the rightmost of two white posts
The path crossing the last part of the golf course
The path continuing from the golf course