Pete's Walks- Cadmore End, Crowell Hill, Radnage (page 6 of 6)
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.
The bridleway through Bottom Wood
The bridleway through Bottom Wood
The bridleway through Bottom Wood
When the bridleway eventually left the wood, it continued along a roughly surfaced farm track - there was a brief spell of sunshine and it was warm enough for me to finally take off my rain-jacket. The track led on to pass Ham Farm and reach the A40 near Piddington. I crossed over and went down the road opposite for a few yards, before turning right onto another bridleway, again running along a farm track. After passing Fillingdon Farm the bridleway continued beside a hedgerow (I kept left of the hedge, but possibly I should have been on the other side).
The bridleway continuing from Bottom Wood
Approaching Ham Farm, Piddington
The bridleway to Fillingdon Farm
The bridleway continuing from Fillingdon Farm
When I reached the end of a tree belt on my left, I took a path that ran through the tree belt and then continued through Barn Wood. Beyond this wood it continued through another tree belt to reach Leygrove Wood, where the path joined a surfaced forestry track. This ran through the wood for about half a mile, then there was a short gap before it entered Pound Wood. After a couple of hundred yards or so I looked out for where the path turned left into the wood, cutting out a bend in the track which it soon rejoined. The track then went under a bridge under the M40 and ended on the road by Cadmore End school. I then just had to go a few yards right and cross the road and the green here to return to my parked car.
The path to Barn Wood (sorry that this is a bit blurry).
Barn Wood
The path between Barn Wood and Leygrove's Wood
The path between Barn Wood and Leygrove's Wood
The path continuing along a forestry track through Leygrove's Wood
The path continuing along a forestry track through Leygrove's Wood
The forestry track in Pound Wood
The path in Pound Wood, cutting off a corner of the forestry track
Back on the track, approaching the road at Cadmore End
I started the walk in a foul mood, fuming at the weather forecaster getting it wrong (I don't expect then to be accurate three or four days ahead, but I do expect them to be reasonably accurate for the next 12 hours). But by the end of it, a long walk had worked its usual magic and all was well with the world again. I had really enjoyed it despite the couple of brief bits of rain, which had hardly inconvenienced me at all. I thought it was a nice route, with a good mixture of woods and field paths, with some nice views along the way - even with the grey skies, I quite liked some of the photos I got. I was surprised to find that it was almost five years ago when I first walked this route, I doubt I'll leave it that long before I do it again. Seeing so much Nettle-leaved Bellflower and Dark Mullein was a pleasant surprise, and I'm sure I'll remember the walk for this reason alone.