Pete's Walks- Maidensgrove Common and Henley (page 5 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.
On reaching a gate on the far side of the park, the footpath continued straight on along a drive, soon passing Henley Park itself on my right. The drive then became less well surfaced as it continued north for another half mile or so to reach a lane. Across this a path went half-left between paddock fences, then crossed a large empty paddock or pasture. After continuing between fences for a short distance, it followed a fence along the left edge of a meadow as it started to drop downhill - another fine view, over the Stonor valley, was completely hidden in the fog here. The path continued downhill between old hedges to reach a lane on the edge of Middle Assendon, where I turned left and then almost immediately turned right along the minor road through the village.
The drive at Henley Park
The track going north from Henley Park
The track going north from Henley Park
The footpath to Middle Assendon
The footpath to Middle Assendon
The footpath to Middle Assendon - there is normally a good view from here!
The footpath to Middle Assendon
I followed the road through the village, and then continued along it a short distance before taking a footpath that went half-right through a ploughed field, going uphill to reach Paradise Wood. The path continued gently uphill through the long thin wood for several hundred yards, before turning right, going over a stile on the wood's edge and following a hedge more steeply uphill. The path soon turned left with the hedge and more or less levelled out as it joined a farm track that ran along the top of a hillside sloping down to the Stonor Valley on my left. This is one of my favourite paths in the Chilterns - I've walked it five times this year now, but the other four times were in the opposite direction which is better as it's slightly downhill. But today of course it lacked the nice views along and over the Stonor Valley, even though the visibility was a bit better than it had been earlier in the day.
The road through Middle Assendon
The start of the path to Coxlease Farm
Paradise Wood
Paradise Wood (not quite so heavenly in these conditions!)
The path continuing from Paradise Wood
The path to Coxlease Wood
The path to Coxlease Wood
The path to Coxlease Wood