Pete's Walks- Maidensgrove and Greys Court (page 2 of 5)
The path continued through Coney Burrow, joining a farm track at one point. After a while the path went straight on where the track went right, at this point moving from an area of conifers into a typical Chiltern beech wood, Bushey Copse. As usual, white arrows painted on trees every so often guided the way, then the path left the wood and crossed an arable field to reach the A4130 main road in the village of Bix.
The path through Coney Burrow
The path continuing through Bushy Wood (this is where it leaves the farm track)
The path continuing across a field from Bushy Wood to the village of Bix
Across the road, I went down what looked like a lane but which a fingerpost indicated was actually a 'Restricted Byway'. I spotted my first Garlic Mustard of the year here, and immediately wondered if I'd see any Orange-tip butterflies today, as this is the plant their caterpillars feed on. After a couple of hundred yards or so, I turned left onto a footpath through a wood named Hatch Copse. After a while I passed some farm buildings on my left, and soon after the path descended into a valley, continuing along a strip of grass in the valley bottom. I was now in Earl's Wood. Just as I reached a path junction, I did indeed see my first Orange-tip of the year.
The public byway from Bix, across the A4130 main road
The start of the path through Hatch Copse
The path through Hatch Copse
The same path, roughly on the boundary between Hatch Copse and Earl's Wood
The footpath continuing south through Earl's Wood
I turned left at the path junction, initially along a gravelly track. I soon passed a patch of grass on the left, where I saw some Primroses and a Green-veined White butterfly. When the track then turned left the footpath continued ahead, soon turning right and passing a pond or reservoir on the left just before it exited from Earl's Wood. The path then turned left and followed a fence on the left through a large empty meadow or pasture. Beyond this field I turned right and entered a wood, rather mysteriously named Famous Copse. I ignored a path going left immediately, and went straight on, close to the western edge of the wood on my right. On the southern edge of the wood, I turned left. Here I followed a path along the edge of the wood again (this is not shown on the OS map but there are white arrows pointing the way, it forks right from the bridleway that the map does show). I left the wood when this path met another path coming in from my left.
The start of the path going east through Earl's Wood
The path going east through Earl's Wood
I'm not sure if this is a pond or reservoir, on the edge of Earl's Wood
The path continuing east from Earl's Court to Famous Copse
The footpath going south through Famous Copse
At this point there are two paths going south from the wood across a meadow or pasture. I took the left-most one as I'd never followed it before, always having used the right-most one before (it is part of the route of the Chiltern Way, which I'd already come across a couple of times on this walk). The path went almost straight across to a gate in a corner. I then crossed a drive and took a footpath that ran to the left of a farmyard. Beyond the farm buildings or sheds the path went through two gates in quick succession, then followed a fence on my left. I soon rejoined the Chiltern Way, which came in from my right, the path then passing a pond and continuing across a meadow to reach the car park for Greys Court, a National Trust property (which was clearly doing good business today).
The leftmost of the two paths going south from Famous Copse
The start of the path to Greys Court
The path to Greys Court
The path to Greys Court