Pete's Walks- Cowleaze Wood, Christmas Common, Studdridge Farm (page 2 of 4)
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 turned right and followed the road until I reached a waymark post on the left. Here I followed part of the Chiltern Way as it crossed an 'Open Access' area of trees and bushes and then entered Blackmoor Wood. The path descended steadily through the wood for about half a mile, until it came to a junction with another path where I turned right. I then soon reached one of the drives through the Wormsley estate, where I went a few yards right and then took a path on the other side.
The road through Northend
The start of the path from Northend to the Wormsley valley
The path from Northend to the Wormsley valley
The path from Northend to the Wormsley valley
The path from Northend to the Wormsley valley
The path from Northend to the Wormsley valley
The path from Northend to the Wormsley valley
The path after I turned right
This path went slightly uphill through a meadow or pasture. I then crossed another of the Wormsley estate drives, and continued across a larger field (mainly grass but with a strip of maize along the left side). Beyond this, I went over a bridleway and continued beside a fence on my left, heading uphill to Commonhill Wood.
The path after the short section on a drive
The path continuing across the Wormsley valley
The path continuing up to Commonhill Wood
Looking back from the edge of Commonhill Wood - the area near the two woods (on the left), and the solitary tree, was used as a location in an episode of Midsomer Murders that I saw recently, where archaeologists were excavating a stone circle.
On entering Commonhill Wood there was a steep but short section, until I reached a bridleway. Here I turned right and followed the bridleway more gently uphill. At the top of the slope the Chiltern Way turned left but I left it here and sat on a convenient seat on the edge of the wood to eat a late lunch (it was now 2pm). I then followed a path across Ibstone Common (passing the prominent Millennium Stone on my right) to reach the corner of the village cricket pitch, where I turned left to reach the road through the village.
The bridleway through Commonhill Wood to Ibstone
The bridleway through Commonhill Wood to Ibstone
The bridleway through Commonhill Wood to Ibstone
Crossing Ibstone Common, by the Millennium Stone