Pete's Walks- Variation on 'Four Hills' walk from Whiteleaf Hill (page 5 of 5)
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 a minor road in the valley bottom, and continued along a path beside a hedgerow on my left. After crossing a second minor road, the path went half-left and uphill through two large grassy fields to reach a bend in a road and the start of the drive to Hampden House, going right (there is a button to press to open the gate across the drive). I followed the drive to reach Great Hampden church on my left and then pass Hampden House on my right. I then continued straight on along a bridleway.
The path to the start of the drive to Hampden house
Looking back across Hampden Bottom
The drive to Hampden House (I was in my full winter walking gear, except for my fingerless gloves, the walker ahead of me was in a T-shirt! I did now take my thermal hat off, but I wasn't sure that was wise as I immediately felt a chill wind)
The drive to Hampden House passing Great Hampden church
The bridleway continuing from Hamden House (which is just to the right here)
Looking back at Hampden House
Beyond a gate the bridleway joined a track and continued beside a very large arable field on my left. After I while I could see a bank in the trees on my right, part of the ancient earthwork called Grim's Ditch. After following the edge of the field for almost half a mile the track entered part of Knighton's Hill Wood. I went straight on where a footpath crossed, and a little further on I was a little confused at a junction where some tracks met until I saw 'BW' in white paint on a tree. It had clouded over and the sky had darkened now, and I felt a few spots of rain. The bridleway continued through the wood, dropping downhill at one point (which I didn't really remember at all - I think I may only have walked here once before, when I did this walk in 2010)
The bridleway continuing from Hampden House
The bridleway continuing from Hampden House
I think this bank to the right of the bridleway is part of Grim's Ditch
The bridleway continuing through Knighton's Hill Wood
The bridleway continuing through Knighton's Hill Wood
The bridleway continuing through Knighton's Hill Wood
Eventually the bridleway left the woods, but now had Sergeant's Wood on the right with another arable field over a fence on my left. On reaching a bridleway crossroads I turned right, this bridleway running just inside another edge of Sergeant's Wood, with another field just to the left. After two or three hundred yards I turned left onto another bridleway, which again ran just inside a wood with the same field still to my left. After almost half a mile the bridleway reached the Ridgeway (by the World War I practice trenches I'd seen earlier), where I turned left and retraced my steps back to the car park (I had to turn left again after a few yards).
The bridleway continuing past Sergeant's Wood
The bridleway just inside Sergeant's Wood after I turned right
The bridleway to Whiteleaf Hill
The bridleway to Whiteleaf Hill
The bridleway to Whiteleaf Hill
The bridleway to Whiteleaf Hill, shortly before reaching the Ridgeway
This was a very enjoyable variation on one of my favourite routes, and I'm glad I made the decision to start at Whiteleaf Hill. I may well walk this route in the opposite direction sometime, although that would mean the three steepest hills would all be near the end of the walk. I was rather surprised to find that it had taken me five hours and twenty minutes to walk a shade under twelve miles, but I think this was at least partly because some of the steep paths (both up and down) were very muddy and slippery today, making progress slower than usual.