Pete's Walks - Watlington Hill, Maidensgrove and Southend (page 5 of 5)
I followed the bridleway parallel to Holloway Lane for about half a mile. Shortly after a crossing path it turned right, to gradually climb up hill with trees on either side. After maybe another half mile it reached the end of a lane in Ibstone. I followed the lane a short distance, to near Hellcorner Farm, then took a path on the left. This ran along a drive towards a garden gate, then went half-left between hedges and crossed a field to reach Great Wood.
Start of the bridleway from near Holloway Lane to Ibstone
The bridleway from near Holloway Lane to Ibstone
The bridleway from near Holloway Lane to Ibstone
The path continued through a new section of the wood, then turned left and then went round almost a hairpin bend to the right. As the path now dropped downhill through the wood there were glimpses ahead over the Wormsley valley. I crossed a narrow section of a huge open meadow between Great Wood and Hale Wood, then beyond the latter wood continued across a field that had the remains of a maize crop in it.
The path down through Great Wood to the Wormsley Valley
The path down through Great Wood to the Wormsley Valley
The meadow between Great Wood and Hale Wood, Wormsley Valley
The path continuing from Hale Wood
On the far side of the maize field I turned right along a bridleway running through the centre of the broad valley. After a few hundred yards I turned left (briefly joining the route of the Chiltern Way), crossing a large empty field of grass to reach a drive to the grand house of Wormsley Park. On the other side, the path continued downhill through part of an empty pasture to another drive on the Wormsley Estate. A few yards right, a path forked left into a wood. After a hundred yards or so the Chiltern Way went half-left (towards Northend) but I kept straight on.
The bridleway in the Wormsley Valley
Footpath in the Wormsley Valley
Approaching the path junction where the Chiltern Way goes left to Northend - I went straight on
There was now a long section of over a mile through woods, flat at first then gradually climbing uphill. Towards the top of the slope the wood became a typical beech wood. I turned right at a path junction at the the top of the hill, but only for a hundred yards or so before I turned left at another path junction. This path soon turned left and then right, then followed a track to reach a road on the northern edge of the delightfully named village of Christmas Common. I turned left towards the village, but very soon turned right at a junction and followed the road for a quarter of a mile back to the car park on Watlington Hill.
The path from the Wormsley valley to Christmas Common
The path from the Wormsley valley to Christmas Common
The path from the Wormsley valley to Christmas Common
The path from the Wormsley valley to Christmas Common
The path from the Wormsley valley to Christmas Common
The road from Christmas Common to Watlington - the car park on Watlington Hill is roughly where the road disappears from view
I really enjoyed this walk, the first long walk I've done for 5-6 weeks (for a variety of reasons). It was a shame about the mist in the morning, but from lunchtime onwards it was quite a sunny day. It was very nice to spot the first few Spring flowers, I just hope that Winter has gone for good. But this walk is definitely better in the opposite direction, because of the views that way from Stonor Park and from the path from Turville Court.