Pete's Walks - Pitstone Hill, Dagnall, Ashridge (page 3 of 3)
On reaching Woodyard Cottages, I turned right and followed the boundary fence of the huge pasture - it sometimes contains large numbers of deer but not today. At the end of the pasture I continued on along a well-known avenue of beech trees, to reach the Ringshall-Berkhamsted road. I took the bridleway opposite, one of many in Ashridge that have been recently resurfaced by the National Trust. Although it feels wrong to be on a man-made gravel surface in these beautiful woods, I understand why it was done as the large number of visitors does make the bridleways very muddy during the wetter months of the year. I went straight on at a major bridleway crossing (where I normally go right to return to the Bridgewater Monument) and soon reached another of the isolated cottages dotted about in these woods. I then turned right on a bridleway following the top of the Chiltern escarpment, passing above the attractive village of Aldbury.
The path alongside the huge pasture in Ashridge
The avenue of beech trees
Further along the avenue
Bridleway in Ashridge
Bridleway in Ashridge
View out from Ashridge, looking over Aldbury to the Vale of Aylesbury beyond
I briefly joined the main track from Aldbury up to the Bridgewater Monument, but soon forked left onto a bridleway that continued contouring just below the top of the steep slopes. A few of the trees were already showing their autumn colours. I passed a couple more cottages just below the Monument, and then reached a path junction. The bridleway now headed quite steeply downhill, emerging from the trees of Ashridge at the foot of the slope.
Bridleway in Ashridge - a few trees were beginning to show their autumn colours
Bridleway descending from Ashridge - it looks flat but is actually fairly steep
I usually turn right on to a path towards Duncombe Farm and then taking one of two paths that lead back uphill to join the main track from the Monument to Ivinghoe Beacon. But today I stayed on the bridleway as it followed a hedgerow, with the fairly gentle eastern slope of Pitstone Hill in view ahead. The bridleway ended at a stables on Stocks Lane, which runs from Aldbury (to my left) past the Pitstone Hill car park to Ivinghoe. I turned right and followed the narrow lane for about a third of a mile. I then took a footpath on the left, one which I'd seen often but had never walked before. This started by following a hedgerow that curved to the right. The grey skies had cleared a bit as I'd walked through Ashridge, but as I drew near the end of the hedgerow, a shower started . Looking at the blue skies ahead I was clearly just under the edge of the rain clouds. The path continued across two large stubble fields, where there was obviously no shelter from the falling rain, but fortunately it soon stopped, and by the time I reached the far end of the path (at the foot of the northern end of Pitstone Hill) my clothes were dry again.
Looking towards Pitstone Hill from the bridleway just after it leaves the trees of Ashridge. I normally turn right here on a path towards Duncombe Farm, but continued on the bridleway today.
Stocks Lane, heading from Aldbury towards Ivinghoe (I could have followed it all the way back to the car park by Pitstone Hill)
The start of the path from the lane towards Pitstone Hill - I got caught in a shower as I reached the end of the curving hedgerow
The path continuing towards the foot of Pitstone Hill
Looking back along the path, with the steep wooded slopes of Ashridge in the background
I turned right, and went the short distance to the top of the 'hillock' beside the car park. I saw a young couple leave the hillock just before I got there, and as I got to its top I saw them running back into the car park. As I stopped and took a few photos, I suddenly saw why they were running - a far heavier belt of rain was clearly rapidly arriving over the Vale of Aylesbury. I managed to get back to my car and change out of my boots just before the rain arrived. It was quite heavy, and lasted the whole of my journey back to Kensworth, so once again I'd been lucky with my timing. The walk had taken about four and a half hours.
Ivinghoe Beacon and Steps Hill from the 'hillock' by the car park (just visible, bottom right)
Pitstone Mill and part of the Vale of Aylesbury from the 'hillock' - you can see the rain approaching
This was a really good walk, though for some reason I was feeling a bit out of sorts as I made my way through Ashridge and so chose a shorter route than I could have taken. I was glad to have finally walked the path from Gallows Hill past the Wireless Station, though it wasn't the pleasantest of paths as the tall fence and hedge either side limited any views and it ended with a road walk into Dagnall. The other new path, from Stocks Lane to the foot of Pitstone Hill was nice but again it entailed a road walk, along the very narrow Stocks Lane (the reason I hadn't done it before). The path and bridleway from Dagnall to Little Gaddesden, and then the path to Hudnall (which I'd only done once or twice in the opposite direction) were really good, and I'm sure I'll make more use of these paths in the future.