Pete's Walks- Cadmore End, Ibstone and Turville (page 2 of 3)
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.
I crossed the road and sat on the first of the two seats next to the cricket pitch to eat my lunch (it was now about 1pm or a bit later). I then followed the edge of the pitch past the second seat and then took a path going straight on through the common. I turned left where another path crossed, went over a drive, and followed the edge of the common on my right to reach a lane. I turned right along the lane, which soon passed the intriguingly named Hellcorner Farm.
The cricket pitch on Ibstone Common
The path on Ibstone Common approaching the lane
The lane that goes past Hellcorner Farm
At the end of the lane I went straight on along a bridleway, gradually going downhill and initially with a line of fine beech trees on my right. I stayed on the bridleway as it turned left and then right, before going left again and running through a wood in the valley bottom. On finally reaching a path junction, I turned right to reach Holloway Lane where a drive to the Wormsley Estate begins.
The bridleway continuing from the end of the lane
The bridleway continuing from the end of the lane
The bridleway continuing from the end of the lane
Approaching Holloway Lane
I crossed the lane and followed a fence line on my right steadily uphill towards Idlecombe Wood. I was delighted to see some Common Toadflax and Dark Mullein growing in the field on my left - the latter was quite late, as my Wildflower book says it flowers June-September, and it was over many weeks ago at Whipsnade Heath where it grows in some abundance. The path then continued steeply uphill into Idlecombe Wood, parts of the path being 'steps'. On reaching a path T-junction I turned left, onto one of my favourite paths in the Chilterns. This path runs through Idlecombe Wood and into Churchfield Wood, staying at roughly the same level as it follows the hillside on this side of the valley. There are occasional views out left over or along the valley, and with many of the trees now being in their Autumn colours this was a particularly good time of year to walk this path. After several hundred yards I came to a path junction where I turned right, now in Churchfield Wood I think. There was another Fallow buck bellowing close by here, just a short distance into the trees on my right, although I couldn't see it.
The path from Holloway Lane to Idlecombe Wood
Near the start of the path contouring through Idlecombe Wood
The path through Idlecombe Wood
The path through Idlecombe Wood
The path through Idlecombe Wood
The path through Churchfield Wood, after I went right at a path junction
After a quarter of a mile or so the path curved left (a private track goes right here). I ignored a bridleway going left, then turned left onto a footpath just before reaching the edge of the wood. Still in Churchfield Wood, the new path dropped very slightly downhill in an area of Beech trees and Holly, before a white arrow indicated where it went further right initially, through more Holly. Further on, the path ran through an area of smaller trees, and I kept left at a couple of apparent forks in the path. The Path was now dropping steadily downhill. When it left Churchfield Wood, it continued along the right edge of a very large field, with a hedge of mature trees on my right. Away to my left on the other side of the field I could see about 20 Fallow deer, and I could still hear the Buck bellowing in the trees just above them.
The path through Churchfield Wood, after I had turned left
The path through Churchfield Wood
The path continuing from Churchfield Wood back to Holloway Lane - you can see the steep path up to Cobstone Mill that I would soon be taking