Pete's Walks- Cowleaze Wood, Studdridge Farm, Christmas Common (page 5 of 5)
The bridleway descended steadily down the hillside, with occasional views ahead out to the Oxfordshire Plain. Over to my right, I soon saw a group of Fallow deer on the side of Pyrton Hill. At the bottom of the slope I continued along a surfaced drive past the entrance to Pyrton House and past a timber merchants. A little further on down the drive I turned right onto a footpath running along the foot of Pyrton Hill.
Close-up shot of some Fallow Deer on Pyrton Hill
View from the bridleway that descends near Pyrton Hill
View from the bridleway that descends near Pyrton Hill
The drive past Pyrton Hill House
Beyond the foot of Pyrton Hill the footpath continued along the edge of Shirburn Wood, sloping up to my right, and soon there were fields on my left. After a while I could see Shirburn Hill ahead of me. As I drew close to this prominent hill, I spotted some deer in the field corner just ahead of me. I expected they'd be more Fallow deer, but quickly realised they were Roe Deer, including a buck with velvet on its new antlers. I've only seen these deer in the Chilterns half a dozen times or so, and I don't think I've ever seen more than one at a time anywhere.
The path along the foot of Pyrton Hill
The path along the foot of Pyrton Hill
The path continuing along the edge of Shirburn Wood
The path continuing along the edge of Shirburn Wood
The path continuing along the edge of Shirburn Wood, heading towards Shirburn Hill
Shirburn Hill
Three Roe Deer, including a buck with velvet-covered antlers
The path went through a gate and then started a long but not too steep climb up the southern side of Shirburn Hill. There were lots of mole-hills near the start of this uphill section, which I remembered seeing here before. There were good views back over the Oxfordshire Plain, but I was looking straight into the sun so my photos failed to do them justice. Coming at the end of the walk, it was a bit of a slog going up here, but not too bad and the views and the scenery around it certainly made it worth the effort. Towards the top of the slope, the path passed through a narrow section of Shirburn Wood. It then crossed a flat and empty pasture, heading to the corner ahead and to the left. I then just had to cross a road and go a few yards left to pick up a short path that led through trees back into the Cowleaze Wood car park where I'd started.
Looking ahead to the path up Shirburn Hill
The path up Shirburn Hill
Looking back from the path up Shirburn Hill
The path up Shirburn Hill, passing through a narrow section of Shirburn Wood
The path continuing across an empty pasture, heading back to Cowleaze Wood
I think that this was quite simply one of the best walks I've ever had in the Chilterns, even though at 9-10 miles it was shorter than most walks I do here. Possibly I'm slightly biased because it was such a beautiful sunny day, because I managed to include some paths I'd not walked before and because it was the longest walk I've managed for a while (due to post-viral fatigue), but I don't think so. Almost every part of the walk was really enjoyable in very attractive surroundings and often with really good views. There were numerous enjoyable sections through typical Chiltern woods, and the sections through fields almost always benefited from fine views. The pretty and quiet Wormsley valley that the route crossed twice is one of my favourite parts of the Chilterns, and the final section from Christmas Common to Shirburn Hill is always a delight to walk.