Pete's Walks - Maidensgrove Common and Moor Common (page 4 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.
Where a footpath crossed the drive (just before it reached some cottages), I turned right and followed the path through the woods for a quarter of a mile or so. Shortly after crossing a tiny stream the path turned right and entered the more open and grassy part of Moorend Common (where I saw hundreds of orchids this summer). The path crossed this area and joined a drive from some cottages, following it to a minor road.
The path through the woods of Moorend Common
The path through the woods of Moorend Common
The path through the woods of Moorend Common
The open area of Moor Common (there were hundreds of orchids here in June)
The drive leaving Moorend Common
Across the road, a path entered a wood, immediately to the left of a track or drive. It soon met the drive, which I then followed a short way to the left. I ignored the first path going right (through a metal gate), but just a few yards further on took a second path on the right. This ran for a short distance just inside the wood with part of a very large meadow to my right. On reaching a corner of the wood, the path continued ahead, crossing part of the large meadow to reach a hedge corner. I then went straight on, following the hedge on my right (when a path went right, I diverted from my route by going a hundred yards down it to a seat where I eat my packed lunch). The path beside the meadow led to the edge of a farmyard, where I turned left, following another hedge on my right. On reaching a corner, I went through a metal kissing-gate and turned right to cross a lane.
The path on the other side of the road, heading towards the large meadow
The path across the large meadow
The path continuing along the edge of the large meadow
Across the lane, a path followed a headland between fields (with a nice view ahead) to reach Hill's Wood (I've only walked this path two or three times, and I'm not sure If I've walked it in this direction before). The path then entered Hill's Wood and continued through it for almost half a mile. On the far side of the wood the path met a bridleway, where I turned right. This dropped downhill, now in Hatchet Wood. On leaving the wood (close to a junction where another path came in on the right), the path continued downhill for almost another half-mile between tall hedgerows either side (this is a good site for seeing Nettle-leaved Bellflower but I was again a bit surprised to see some here this late in the year).
The path to Hill's Wood
The path through Hill's Wood
The path through Hill's Wood
The path through Hill's Wood
The bridleway through Hatchet Wood
The bridleway through Hatchet Wood
The bridleway through Hatchet Wood
View left towards Arizona Farm in the Hambleden valley
The bridleway through Hatchet Wood