Pete's Walks- North from Hambleden (page 1 of 4)
If you are considering walking this route yourself, please see my disclaimer. You may also like to see these notes about the maps and GPX files.
Google map of the walkDownload GPX file of the walk
NOTE: You now have to pay to use the car park in Hambleden. I usually manage to park along the village street to the west of the church (looking at the church from the village centre, take the street on the left and follow it round to the right).
I did this roughly 9 mile circular walk on Saturday, 29th March 2014. This was a new route for me, though only about about half a mile was on a path I'd not used before on other walks. Also there were three sections that I'd only walked once before in the opposite direction.
I started from the village car park in Hambleden (grid reference SU785866) about 10:25am. I followed the street from the car park to the village square, continuing past the church on my right and down a street on the other side which soon turned right and passed a second side of the churchyard. After a few hundred yards I turned right at a footpath sign (there was a Chiltern Way sign here too) and followed the path across a large empty pasture. This was quite squelchy in places, especially around the kissing gate where I went into the next smaller pasture. Beyond this second pasture I went through a paddock to reach the hamlet of Pheasant's Hill. I hurried past the man-eating hedge (see photo below!) and followed the path onwards between gardens. On reaching a track or lane, I turned right along it. When it turned right, a narrow footpath led straight on between garden fences or hedges to reach a lane.
Hambleden, the street from the car park
The start of the footpath to Pheasant's Hill
Approaching Pheasant's Hill
The man-eating hedge at Pheasant's Hill is still at it - those are a different pair of boots since the last time I was here!
I took the footpath that started on the other side of the lane, which rose steadily uphill through a wood. This was a very pleasant section, the path continuing through the wood for about three quarters of a mile, with occasional views to the left over the Hambleden Valley. I was a little disappointed that I didn't see any wildflowers, other than some Lesser Celandine (which I would see almost everywhere today).
Near the start of the footpath from Pheasant's Hill to Beeches Farm
The footpath from Pheasant's Hill to Beeches Farm
Looking left from the footpath from Pheasant's Hill to Beeches Farm, over the Hambleden Valley
The footpath from Pheasant's Hill to Beeches Farm
The footpath from Pheasant's Hill to Beeches Farm
Almost at the end of the footpath from Pheasant's Hill to Beeches Farm
Eventually the path reached a lane near Beeches Farm. I turned right, passing the farm, then after two or three hundred yards took a footpath on the left. This path went diagonally across an empty pasture or meadow, then followed a garden boundary to reach another lane. I turned left and followed the lane for about half a mile. Immediately after passing St Katherine's Convent at Parmoor, I turned left along a bridleway - the next half-mile or so would be the only part of the route I'd not walked before. The bridleway was initially surfaced as it passed the grounds of the convent on my left - I noticed a Cowslip amongst some Violets on the right here. Beyond a cottage on the right, the surfacing ended but the bridleway continued ahead along a track with young beech trees either side. Further on the bridleway entered Hatchett Wood - when a path came in from the right I was back on familiar territory (although I'd only walked the rest of the bridleway twice before, and both times in the other direction).
The path across the meadow at Pheasants
The lane near the convent at Parmoor
The start of the bridleway, running past the grounds of the convent
The bridleway continuing past the grounds of the convent
The bridleway now heading towards Hatchet Wood
The bridleway in Hatchet Wood