Pete's Walks- Ashridge and Frithsden (page 2 of 2)
The bridleway soon passed in front of a tee on the Berkhamsted Golf Course (the second golf course of the walk) then continued through trees beside a fairway on the left. Having passed a path junction where a path came in from my left, I was back on the course of the Ashridge Estate Boundary Trail and I started to pass the occasional runner coming the other way (they were all well spaced out so I suspected there was a staggered start rather than everyone starting at the same time). After a few hundred yards the bridleway reached a minor road. On the other side, it crossed another fairway of the golf course and then continued through a belt of trees with fairways either side. Beyond the golf course I went straight on at a bridleway junction, soon following a very broad gap through the trees that took me to Brickkiln Cottage.
The bridleway through Berkhamsted Golf Course
The bridleway through Berkhamsted Golf Course
The bridleway through Berkhamsted Golf Course, having crossed the road
The bridleway continuing from Berkhamsted Golf Course, heading towards Brickkiln Cottage
The bridleway then narrowed as it ran through a narrow neck of woodland, with a large open grass area close by on my right. About three quarters of a mile after passing Brickkiln Cottage I passed Coldharbour Farm, also on my left. Here the Ashridge Estate Boundary Trail turned left, but I stayed with the bridleway which continued straight on along a roughly surfaced drive. Where this turned left after a hundred yards or so, I went straight on along a path into the trees of Berkhamstead Common. Somewhere along here I spotted a small group of Fallow Deer crossing the broad path ahead of me (many years ago I once counted 60 deer crossing the path here). After about three-quarters of a mile I came to a fork in the now broad path, where I took the right fork which soon took me to a small car park (not shown on the OS map, it is beside the Ringshall-Northall road and at the south-western corner of Thunderdell Wood).
The bridleway just beyond Brickkiln Cottage
The bridleway continuing beyond Brickkiln Cottage
The bridleway approaching Coldharbour Farm
The bridleway just past Coldharbour Farm - where the drive turns left, I continued along a path into the woods
The path through Berkhamstead Common
The path through Berkhamstead Common
Across the road a bridleway led into the woods of Ashridge. After a third of a mile I reached a path crossroads, where I turned right onto a straight and broad footpath (for many years I assumed it must be a bridleway). It soon passed the edge of a large pasture on my right (unusually there were no deer to be seen in it today), and continued on in a straight line (roughly heading north) for around half a mile to reach the drive to the Bridgewater Monument at Ashridge. I was rather surprised to see how many cars were parked along the drive, considering it was a cold and now very grey day in March.
The start of the bridleway, across the road from Ringshall to Northchurch
The footpath to the drive to the Bridgewater Monument
The footpath to the drive to the Bridgewater Monument
A large number of cars parked along the drive to the Bridgewater Monument in Ashridge
Across the drive a path continued into the trees for a short distance to reach a path junction where I went right. After another short while this broad path turned left, and now ran in a very straight line (heading northeast) through a part of the Ashridge woods named Sallow Copse on the OS map. Somewhere along this lengthy path I spotted another group of Fallow Deer in the trees on my left. I went straight on at at least one path crossroads, then about half a mile from where the path had turned left I went right at another path crossroads - the car park where I'd started was now clearly visible just a hundred yards or so ahead of me.
The footpath on the other side of the drive, after I turned right
The long straight path heading northeast towards Ringshall
Fallow Deer, seen from the long straight path heading northeast towards Ringshall
The long straight path heading northeast towards Ringshall
The sunshine I'd had at the start of the day soon disappeared and as forecast the skies had been generally very grey. In fact there was a slight drizzle for about the last half hour of the walk, from just before I crossed the Ringshall-Northolt road. Nevertheless it was an enjoyable walk, and yet again I felt very grateful to have such a fine place as Ashridge to walk so close to my home.
It took me three hours to walk almost 8 miles, I've definitely slowed down a bit. Unfortunately I've been having problems with my leg for a week or two, and it was quite sore for the second half of the walk (I should have chosen a walk that I could easily cut short). It's a problem I've had several times before, I have to wear special insoles ('orthotics') mainly because my left leg is shorter than my right, and sometimes they need adjusting or replacing. I've now got an appointment with a podiatrist in a couple of weeks, so I'm not sure when I'll next manage to go walking.