Pete's Walks - Watlington Hill and Russell's Water (page 5 of 5)
The path ended on a road on the edge of the wood, and I followed the road a short distance right to reach the village of Cookley Green. Here I turned left and followed a surfaced track heading northwards towards Coates Farm. I continued on past the farm, the track now more like a lane. As I passed a small wood on the left I saw a white flower along the verge which I later had identified on a website as Few-Flowered Leek. I crossed a lane and continued for a hundred yards or so along another farm drive, before bearing right on a bridleway.
Church Lane, going east to Cookley Green
Cookley Green
The track from Cookley Green to Coates Farm
Approaching Coates Farm
The drive continuing northeast from Coates Farm
The bridleway headed steadily downhill, soon running through a pleasant area of beech trees. I met a few mountain bikers along this section, on quite a steep climb for those coming the other way. At the bottom of the slope I continued on along the drive from Dame Alice Farm.
The bridleway going northwest towards Dame Alice Farm
The bridleway going northwest towards Dame Alice Farm
The bridleway approaching Dame Alice Farm
The bridleway near Dame Alice Farm
At a track crossroads I turned right (again I was briefly joining the Ridgeway) - when I did this walk in the opposite direction, I took the permissive path here running parallel to the farm drive but on the other side of the hedge, but the gate giving access to it was not easy to open or close, so I decided to stick to the drive today. At the end of the drive, I left the Ridgeway and followed the Watlington-Nettlebed road to the right. After maybe a quarter of a mile I turned left along a drive, then almost immediately forked left onto a path running between hedgerows. After passing a couple of fields, the path started climbing steadily up Watlington Hill - the signs encouraged people to follow the ancient 'hollow way' here which has recently been restored. There was a long line of Yew trees on my left, as I puffed and panted my way to the top. Coming at the end of the fifteen-mile walk, this biggest uphill of the day was a little tiring but at least it led directly back to the car park that I'd started out from.
Watlington Hill, from the drive from Lys Farm House
The start of the path up Watlington Hill
The path up Watlington Hill
The path up Watlington Hill
The path up Watlington Hill
Approaching the car park on Watlington Hill
This was yet another really enjoyable walk. A nice variety of woodland walks and field paths, several ups and downs, some good views, plenty of birds, wildflowers and other wildlife (I spotted a couple of Muntjac near Cookley Green). I think I enjoyed it as much this way round as when I walked it in the other (anti-clockwise) direction.