Pete's Walks - Maidensgrove Common and Henley (page 4 of 5)
After about a mile of woodland walking the path joined a drive, which I followed left to reach a road junction. At the junction I followed a lane left for maybe 3-400 yards before taking a woodland bridleway on the right. There was initially a green field nearby on the right, but as I went over a path crossroads this was replaced by Famous Copse - I remembered the name from the Chiltern Way, though I hadn't recognised the bit of the route that I'd just crossed. I still don't know why Famous Copse got it's name - perhaps I should have asked the lady with the very friendly poodle who went by. The bridleway continued on through the trees, soon entering Earls Wood. After about another mile of woodland walking since the lane, the bridleway descended quite steeply to a bridleway junction. Here I turned right, with a field containing some Highland Cattle (one bellowing long and loud) on my left, Earls Wood still on my right. As I neared the next path junction I was surprised to see the lady with the poodle again - looking on the map, we'd both walked two opposite sides of a rectangle of paths, but she must have walked a bit quicker than me.
The lane on the edge of Lambridge Wood
The bridleway on the far side of the lane
The bridleway on the far side of the lane, near Famous Copse
The bridleway continuing, shortly after passing Famous Copse
The bridleway continuing through Earl's Wood
The bridleway continuing through Earl's Wood
The bridleway continuing through Earl's Wood
The bridleway along the western edge of Earl's Wood
I turned left, now in a wood rather curiously marked Tartary on the map. I was briefly on the route of another walk from Maidensgrove that I did in February last year, but that route soon went off to the left (to Rocky Lane and then Shepherd's Green). I continued on through Tartary for about another half mile, the path gradually turning right (from west to northwest). I then crossed an open area of grass and crossed a drive, this area being marked Scotland on the map (Paradise Wood, Fairies Hole, Famous Copse, Tartary, Scotland - this was quite a walk for odd names!). [UPDATE 7/5/12: I am indebted to Howard Dell who emailed me with the following information about the name of Tartary Wood:- "If you weren't aware, you were walking on the Fleming Estate (owned by the Fleming family which embraced the late Ian Fleming of James Bond fame). Tartary Wood is named after the book 'News from Tartary' written by another famous Fleming author, Peter Fleming, published in 1936. It's said that the proceeds of the book bought the wood."]
This wood is name Tartary on the map
Continuing through Tartary
According to the map, this is near Scotland!
The footpath then turned left and continued westwards through a wood called Holly Grove. After a quarter of a mile or so I reached a path crossroads, where I turned right onto a bridleway. I was now back on the route of that walk I did last February, which I would now be following all the way back to Maidensgrove Common. I remembered this section of woods well, as it was quite thick with rhododendrons.
The path continuing westwards through Holly Grove (I think)
The bridleway going north-west through Holly Grove (perhaps Rhododendron Grove would be a better name!)
The bridleway going north-west through Holly Grove