Pete's Walks - Shorter Ashridge walk (part 2)
The path came out on the road from Ringshall to Northchurch and Berkhamsted, with Northchurch a short distance to my right. I turned left along the road (I'd not actually done this bit of road walking before). I admired the view to my left, where I could trace the route I'd followed along the edge of the wood. There was an area of bracken immediately in front of me, and I saw the tops of a large Fallow buck and a young buck as they walked between the bracken and the bushes on the far side - often it was just the large buck's antlers that were visible.
The road, just outside Northchurch
From the road, looking back - the path I'd followed had run just inside the edge of the trees
After a few hundred yards, I took a footpath on the right. I soon forked left, back into more trees, passing a circular clump of pine trees on my right. On reaching the drive to Northchurch Farm, I turned left and walked past the farm. A waymark then showed where the path continued ahead across a large grassy sports field, which I believe may be a polo pitch.
The path near Northchurch Farm
I think this is a Polo pitch - it's by Northchurch farm
Beyond the polo pitch, the path continued beside a hedgerow descending into a small valley, with a double fence separating me from the grassy field on my right. I spotted a large Fallow buck with about a dozen females in this field. Despite being several hundred yards away, my presence alarmed them and they ran to the far corner of the field.
The path beyond the polo pitch
Close-up of some Fallow deer in the field to my right - despite being several hundred yards away, my presence on the footpath obviously disturbed them
The path joined a farm track near the valley bottom, passing a wood on the right. It turned left and then right, following a hedgerow on my right along the edge of a vast ploughed field. The track continued beside the field for about half a mile. Eventually I reached the corner of the field, where I went over a stile and crossed a grassy meadow half-left, passing an overgrown pond on my right as I approached Coldharbour Farm.
The track continuing towards Coldharbour Farm
The path approaching Coldharbour Farm
Beyond the farm house I turned left onto a surfaced track that goes to Little Coldharbour Farm. But after only a few yards, I left the track as it turned slightly left and continued on a path back into the trees. I've just noticed that this area is marked 'Berkhamstead Common' on the map - there is no 'a' in the name of the nearby town, and there is a Berkhamsted Common shown about a mile south-east of here.
The track from Coldharbour Farm to Little Coldharbour Farm
The path just after leaving the track to Little Coldharbour Farm
It was again pleasant walking through the sun-dappled trees. After a few hundred yards I came to a junction where a path went right. There were a lot of small birds fluttering amongst the trees here, and I saw Blue, Great, Coal and Long-tailed Tits. I also heard another Fallow buck roaring or bellowing, and so decided to take the path going right as they would take me nearer to him (if I'd have gone straight on I'd have reached the next road at the same point anyway). The path descended slightly to another junction, where I turned left along a long line of old beech trees running beside a huge pasture on my right. This pasture is entirely surrounded by woods, and as well as cattle there are often Fallow deer to be seen, sometimes in large numbers - I've certainly counted 80 or more on occasions.
The path descending towards the beech avenue
The beech avenue, beside the large pasture on the right