Pete's Walks - Christmas Common, Cookley Green, Ibstone (page 6 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.
The path now went a few yards right along another of the Wormsley estate drives, before continuing on the other side where it entered Blackmoor Wood. After a hundred yards or so I went straight on at a junction where another path went left. My path ran fairly level for a quarter of a mile or so through the wood, before starting to rise very gently uphill. The path now continued for another mile, still slowly uphill but never very steeply. Eventually I reached a path T-junction in what was now Shotridge Wood. I have always gone right here bofore, but today I turned left just to walk some paths into Christmas Common that I'd never walked before.
The start of the path after crossing the second Wormsley estate drive, heading into Blackmoor Wood
Blackmoor Wood
Blackmoor Wood
Blackmoor Wood
Blackmoor Wood
Blackmoor Wood
Shotridge Wood
The path now approaching the T-junction in Shotridge Wood
The path continued just inside Shotridge Wood, with fields close by on my right. After a few hundred yards the path left the wood and ran between a hedge on my right and a tall fence on my left beyond which was a long and narrow grassy field - there was a herd of Fallow Deer here, but they were obviously captive rather than wild deer. The path then turned right, following the edge of Copper's Wood on my left until it reached a minor road.
The path after I turned left in Shotridge Wood
The path after I turned left in Shotridge Wood
The path continuing from Shotridge Wood (passing the deer field)
The path after it turns right along the edge of Cooper's Wood
Across the road a path went half-right across a muddy corner of a huge paddock. It then continued straight on through another large paddock, dropping slightly downhill to reach a gate into a wood called Prior's Grove. The path continued through the wood, running between wooden fences either side. When I reached the far side of Prior's Grove the fences continued as I crossed between two small fields to reach Hollandridge Lane in Christmas Common. I turned right and followed the lane to its end, where my car was parked just a few yards to the left.
The path going half-right from the road
The path going half-right from the road, heading towards Prior's Grove
Prior's Grove
Prior's Grove
Approaching Hollandridge Lane in Christmas Common
Hollandridge Lane in Christmas Common
I enjoyed the walk very much, even though most of it was on paths or bridleways I'd walked many times before. The new path I took out of Christmas Common was very good, and I'm sure I'll use it again. The new paths I took back into Christmas Common at the end of the walk were fine, but I'm less likely to use them again unless, as in this case, I want to extend a walk slightly by taking a longer than necessary way back into Christmas Common.