Pete's Walks - Kensworth, Markyate, Studham, Whipsnade (page 3 of 3)
I then turned right and followed a bridleway just inside the edge of Church Grove. On leaving the wood, the bridleway went slightly right to follow a mature hedgerow on my right. The bridleway dropped gently down into a small valley and up the other side, with a large field on my left. It continued through a small meadow to reach a small bit of wood, where I went straight on at a path junction. The wood quickly ended, with the path continuing between a tall hedgerow and the fence of Whipsnade Zoo on my left. The bridleway ended when it met the former lane from Holywell to Whipsnade, where I turned left. After about a quarter of a mile (just after some bollards) I took a footpath on the right, which went uphill along the left side of a field. Through a gate in the next field corner, I turned left through on open gateway and followed a hedge on my right to reach Whipsnade church. I then made my way through the churchyard, passing to the left of the church.
Bridleway through Church Grove, Studham
Bridleway to Whipsnade Zoo
Bridleway to Whipsnade Zoo - you can see that several people had walked this way already
The bridleway beside the zoo fence - numerous Wallabies and Chinese Water Deer were about
The old lane from Holywell to Whipsnade
The path from the old lane to Whipsnade church (it meets a path behind the hedge at the top of the field, with the church to the left and Holywell to the right)
Approaching Whipsnade church
It was now that I abandoned my planned route, and headed downhill across the green to reach a road opposite the Old Hunter's Lodge restaurant. A few yards along the road, I took a track forking right which soon brought me to a road junction. I went a few yards left to a roundabout then turned right (towards Kensworth), before turning left through the Whipsnade Heath car park and a picnic area. The path continued through a wood, ran between a fence and a hedge past a field on my left, before crossing a field to return to Common Road, Kensworth. I then turned right to head back to my home.
From the green at Whipsnade, looking over the Old Hunter's Lodge towards Whipsnade Heath
This is the old bit of Buckwood Lane, made redundant when the Whipsnade Road was built about 1930 to provide access for visitors to the zoo
Whipsnade Heath (you probably worked that one out yourself!)
Path through Whipsnade Heath
The path from Whipsnade Heath to Kensworth
Common Road, Kensworth
The forecast had said that the early sunshine would give way to cloud, but I was still (unreasonably) disappointed that so much of the walk was under leaden skies that resulted in less interesting photographs. I was also slightly disappointed that so many trees were bare of snow, again making for less attractive scenes. I do love getting out for a walk in the snow, but this was the first time I can remember having to contend with snow that had drifted to knee-high for several hundred yards - the first few steps were quite entertaining, but then it became a bit of a hard slog. Overall, I only managed to walk at about two-thirds my usual pace, which shows how much the snow slowed me down. But I enjoyed myself nevertheless, and if the snow stays around for a few more days I'll try to get out in it again.