Pete's Walks - Kensworth-Ivinghoe (part 5)
Dagnall church
At the end of the drive, I turned right and followed a road through the village of Dagnall. By a roundabout I passed the rather unusual village church. A few hundred yards further on I turned left, initially through the car park of the village school and then between hedges and fences, with paddocks on my left and a ploughed field to my right. To my delight, a Red Kite flew slowly and gracefully out of a tree beside the path, and headed out of view across the field.
The path from Dagnall School
The path ended at a lane (from Dagnall to Studham, where it becomes Common Road - I cross it on a number of my walks). I went a short distance to the right, then took a path on the left. This started through a garden, then gradually rose up a steep hillside just inside a wood, with a pasture then the tall fence of Whipsnade Zoo to my left. It was a slow but steady plod up the hill, but it wasn’t too far.
Looking back from the lane at Dagnall to Ivinghoe Beacon
Looking towards part of Whipsnade Zoo from the start of the path to Whipsnade Golf Club
The path uphill to Whipsnade Golf Club
At the top I went over a stile and entered Whipsnade Golf Course. I walked in front of a tee, then went straight on to walk through a line of trees separating two fairways. I came to a marker post where I normally turn left, crossing several fairways to reach the boundary fence of the zoo (the Icknield Way, which I’d been following since Ward’s Hurst Farm goes that way). But today I carried straight on. I passed the green at the end of the fairway on my right, and went through a hedge gap to leave the golf course.
Whipsnade Golf Club - the footpath runs along the line of trees to the left of the photo
The footpath now went half-left across a corner of a ploughed field, aiming for a gap close to a projecting corner of a hedgerow. As I crossed the field, I heard a small commotion, and saw a partridge fly out of the hedge gap and cross the field, briefly chased by a Spaniel! The dog’s lady owner soon appeared, with a second dog on a lead. Through the hedge gap, I continued with the hedge on my right, heading towards a wood with another ploughed field on my left. I happened to turn round at one point here, and saw a Red Kite again - I watched it fly all along the hedgerow on the opposite side of the field to me, before it disappeared over the wood.
The path crossing the ploughed field immediately after the Golf Course
The path heading towards the woods near Studham church
I entered the wood and after a short distance turned left. This path soon brought me to a path junction on the far side of the wood, where I went over a stile to leave the wood and follow a fence across a small pasture, where several mature trees grew. Over another stile, I passed Studham church on my right. I continued past two ploughed fields, then turned left at a path junction and followed a hedge on my left.
Looking back from just by Studham church
The farm track from Studham church
The field path heading towards the road from Holywell to Studham
This field path brought me to the road between Holywell and Studham. I took another path on the opposite side (a few yards to the left), which ran uphill just inside a small wood, with paddocks to my left. On leaving the wood, the path continued beside a fence, separating a paddock from a large arable field. The path then continued, with the garden fences of Holywell on my left and a small wood on my right. Beyond the wood was another ploughed field. The path continued beside more garden fences, soon veering slightly left to run with a hedge separating me from the field on my right.
The path from the road, heading towards Holywell
Approaching the edge of Holywell
Path beside the edge of Holywell
At the bottom of a slight slope I reached a valley bottom. Here I went right at a path crossroads and immediately came to Buckwood Lane, where I went a few yards to the right and turned up Dovehouse Lane. The tall hedges either side formed a cool tunnel over the lane, which rose up a small hillside. At the top of the slope, opposite Shortgrove Manor farm, I turned left onto a very familiar path. This followed an overgrown track through a small meadow, then crossed a very large field of recently mown grass. On the far side, a metal kissing gate beside a rather ornate field gate gave access to the Whipsnade Road. I turned right, and followed the road the few hundred yards back to Kensworth.
Dovehouse Lane
Approaching the Whipsnade Road
The Whipsnade Road, heading into Kensworth. This road was only built in about 1930 to provide easy access to the newly built Whipsnade Zoo - before that, Dovehouse Lane must have been part of the main route between Kensworth and Whipsnade.
I arrived home about 3.50pm, so allowing for lunch I’d been walking a little over six hours. I was quite pleased that I’d averaged close to 3mph, considering that I’d stopped to take 257 photographs during the day, easily a new personal best! It had been a splendid long walk, on an absolutely heavenly day. The whole walk had been thoroughly enjoyable, but the highlights had been the very scenic path from Ivinghoe towards Ashridge, and then the path from Ward’s Hurst farm to Hog Hall with splendid views over the Gade Valley.
To see this walk done again on 24/4/10, click here - Kensworth and Ivinghoe, again.