Pete's Walks- Hambleden, Stonor, Fawley (page 5 of 7)
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.
Beyond the meadow, the path, now flat, ran between fences for a few yards to a stile, then continued across a large empty paddock. Over another stile it continued between the wooden fences of paddocks either side to reach a lane, near Crockmore Farm. I continued down a track on the other side of the lane, heading towards the deer park at Henley Park, but after a few hundred yards (at the end of the first field on my left) I turned left onto a footpath. I was now exploring what was new territory for me, and wouldn't be back on familiar ground until I reached Roundhouse Farm on the northern edge of Fawley. The path ran through an overgrown meadow, close to a hedge on my left. It then followed Roothouse Wood on my right for a short distance until it came to a track. Across this track, the footpath stayed close to the wood, going down and up a slight dip - I think I was here in the park land of a large house over to my left.
The path from Middle Assendon
The path from Middle Assendon
The path after I crossed a lane, heading towards Henley Deer Park
The start of the path where I turned left, entering what was new territory for me
The path approaching Roothouse Wood
The path continuing beside Roothouse Wood
The path approaching Roothouse Wood, after I crossed a track
The path approaching Roothouse Wood
When I reached a lane, I crossed over and continued down a short path between wire fences. At its end I turned right along a track. This was most peculiar - over the fence on my right was a very short piece of railway track with two wagons on it. Further on, the enclosures on either side of me had various exotic animals, including Llamas and Nilgai (a large Asian antelope, which I recognised from having seen them at Whipsnade Zoo). This was obviously some sort of private zoo, so after the walk I got onto the internet and found that it belonged to Sir William McAlpine, Bt., who amongst other things is involved in the conservation of endangered species. When the track came close to ending at a metal gate, a fingerpost indicated where the path went left, again between the tall fences of animal enclosures but now in a wood - a signing warned that the Wolves didn't like strangers!
The path continuing the other side of a lane
The path after I turned right - there is an extremely short railway track on the right, and the enclosures either side had some exotic animals in them, including Llamas
Further along the path, after it turned left off the track - there was a warning sign here saying that the Wolves don't like strangers!
When the path left the wood it also left the animal enclosures too. It now headed downhill enclosed by fences, with further fences a few feet further away on either side (see the photo below) - I think this curious arrangement may at least partially be to prevent people from feeding the horses in the paddocks either side, as there were signs up asking people not to do this. The path was descending into the Thames Valley, although I couldn't actually see the river as it was blocked from my view by trees. The path ended at a gate leading onto a road, but I didn't go through the gate, instead I turned very sharply left, almost doubling back on myself, and continued along another path very similar to the one I'd been on, with the same curious arrangement of four fences. The path led gently uphill to reach Rowe Wood, where it re-entered the private zoo around Fawley Hill, continuing through the wood with tall wire fences on either side - I spotted some small antelopes or something here (they looked like deer but instead of running they seemed to hop or spring on all four legs) and also a wallaby.
The path continuing down into the Thames Valley
The next path after I almost double-backed near a road, heading to Rowe
The path continuing through Rowe Wood
The path continuing through Rowe Wood
The path continuing through Rowe Wood