Pete's Walks - Pitstone Hill, Dagnall, Ashridge (page 4 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.
Where the drive turned slightly left to head into more of the woods, I went straight on along a track that also entered the woods. Again the colours of the leaves were really attractive, and I made frequent stops to take photographs. After a few hundred yards I went left where a path crossed the track, continuing through the woods. After a while I had a huge cattle enclosure (surrounded on all sides by the woods of Ashridge) on my right (actually the public footpath goes through the end of the pasture, but there is a clear path just running through the woods next to the fence).
The track into the woods
Beech trees
A fallen beech tree (or is it the remains of a dragon, with its mouth open on the right?)
The path after I turned left from the track
The path after I turned left from the track, running beside the large cattle pasture surrounded by woods
On reaching a corner of the cattle pasture, just before some cottages, I turned right. I followed a short and muddy path, still with the fence around the pasture on my right. This path soon merged with a bridleway, continuing along a line of fine beech trees, with the pasture on my right and the woods extending to my left. After several hundred yards I reached the far end of the pasture on my right, where the bridleway continued ahead along a fine avenue of beech trees to reach the road from Ringshall to Northchurch.
The bridleway after I turned right, running beside the large cattle pasture surrounded by woods
The bridleway continuing beside the large cattle pasture
The bridleway continuing beside the large cattle pasture
The bridleway continuing beside the large cattle pasture
The avenue of beeches
The avenue of beeches
Approaching the Ringshall to Northchurch road
Across the road I continued along another bridleway, still enjoying the gorgeous Autumn colours. After a few hundred yards I went straight on at a bridleway crossing, and eventually passed a cottage in the woods (on my right). Immediately after the tall hedges of this cottage I came to another junction, where I took a bridleway going right.
The bridleway continuing after crossing the Ringshall to Northchurch road
The bridleway continuing after crossing the Ringshall to Northchurch road
Beech trees
View from where I turned right onto another bridleway