Pete's Walks - Coombe Hill and Great Missenden (page 3 of 3)
As I climbed the hill, there was a nice view back over Great Missenden. The path followed the edge of Coneybank Wood on my left for a while (I ignored a path going left), before entering the wood near the top of the hill. The path then wound its way through the trees, before I turned right on a bridleway on the far side of the wood. I passed a large cattle pasture on my right, with some rather glum looking cattle that stared at me curiously as I went by, then went left at a bridleway junction - I was continuing north-westwards along the broad ridge between the two valleys. I stopped to eat my packed lunch at some point here - I was glad I'd brought some coffee (in a thermal mug, a gift from my brother Tim and his family which is one of the most useful presents I've ever had) as there was now a bitingly cold wind. Lunch over, I chose to follow the footpath over the hedge to the left of the bridleway through a couple of large empty pastures, as the bridleway looked particularly muddy here. I then rejoined the bridleway for the last few hundred yards into the hamlet of Cobblershill.
Looking back to Great Missenden and the Misbourne Valley
The path through Coneybank Wood
Looking across to the head of the Misbourne Valley, with Wendover Woods and Barn Wood surrounding the valley of The Hale
The footpath through the pastures, beside the bridleway to Cobblershill
The bridleway approaching Cobblershill
I took the continuation of the bridleway from Cobblershill towards Dunsmore. I could have followed the South Bucks Way as it forked left to cross a side valley and reach Little Hampden, but chose to stick to my original plan and take the more direct route back to Coombe Hill. This was partly because I was trying to beat the predicted snow, and partly because I wanted to stick to a route that simply went up and down either side of the valley without any unnecessary deviations. Also, the early part of the path (after the South Bucks Way branched off) I'd only walked once before (with my brother Tim) on a walk that I'd not put on this web site, whereas the other route I'd walked a few times before. The path was very pleasant, with occasional views over the Misbourne Valley on my right to where I'd been walking earlier. Much of the bridleway was through the edge of a wood, with some nice beech trees in places. It eventually reached a cottage, where I joined a track leading into the attractive and isolated hamlet of Dunsmore.
The start of the bridleway from Cobblershill to Dunsmore
Looking across the Misbourne Valley towards Barn Wood, from Cobblershill
Near the start of the bridleway from Cobblershill to Dunsmore
The bridleway from Cobblershill to Dunsmore
The track leading into Dunsmore
From near Dunsmore, looking across the Misbourne Valley to The Hale, surrounded by Wendover Woods and Barn Wood (right)
I kept straight on through Dunsmore (I've spared you my usual photos of the chapel and village pond!). Beyond the hamlet, the bridleway continued through woods towards Coombe Hill. I stuck to the bridleway today, having deviated off onto paths through the woods the last couple of times I've been this way. Initially the bridleway runs between fences, then follows the remains of a tall iron fence on the right. At some point the bridleway goes slightly left, but a path continues by the old fence. Where the fence eventually bears slightly right (about a mile from Dunsmore), I continued ahead a short distance through the trees, the route of the footpath marked by occasional yellow arrows on the trees. A few flakes of snow now fell, as I turned left onto a rather muddy avenue that led back to my car.
Lane through Dunsmore
The bridleway from Dunsmore to Coombe Hill
At the end of the bridleway is a short path through the trees, marked by yellow arrows
The muddy avenue back to the car park at Coombe Hill
I timed the walk very well - it was snowing quite heavily by the time I'd got my boots off and set off for home. It snowed most of the 30-40 minutes as I drove back to Kensworth, though it stopped briefly as I went over Bison Hill and through Whipsnade. I had to take a slight detour, as the road from Whipsnade Heath to Kensworth was closed (due to a burst water main, as I'd discover the next morning).
This was a very pleasant walk, which I'd happily do again. Only two ups and downs, but a good mixture of woodland and field paths with some nice views and some interesting villages along the way. The Chiltern Way cuts the rectangular route neatly in half (between Cobblershill and a point just south of Kingsash), so two shorter walks of 7-8 miles each are possible.
To see this walk done in the opposite direction on 16/10/10, click here - Coombe Hill, Great Missenden, The Lee.