Pete's Walks - Hambleden, Marlow Common, Moorend Common (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.
On eventually leaving Moor Wood the path went slightly right through long grass in the corner of a field to where wooden railings and steps took me to the other side of a hedge. The path continued alongside the hedge, then passed a spot where the OS map indicates there is a ruined chapel though there's nothing really to see. Across a track, the path continued across a large meadow that had recently been mown to reach the wooded section of Moorend Common. The path continued beside a wall, then I turned left and followed path through the woods in that direction for about half a mile (crossing a drive at one point). Just after going over a plank bridge over a tiny stream, the path turned right and reached the open part of Moorend Common.
The path continuing from Moor Wood to Moorend Common
The path continuing from Moor Wood to Moorend Common
The path approaching Moorend Common
The path continuing just inside Moorend Common
The path through the wooded part of Moorend Common, after I turned left
The path through the wooded part of Moorend Common
I now spent about 50 minutes looking at the orchids on this part of the common - I chatted to couple of gentlemen who were also admiring them. There are Common Spotted, Heath Spotted and Southern Marsh Orchids here, but the majority of orchids are probably various hybrids of these. I then continued on my way, following a drive past a few cottages to reach a lane. On the other side I took a path that started immediately left of a track. It ran a few yards through Moorend Wood and ended when it reached the same track (that had turned left). I went left and soon came to a path going through a kissing-gate on the right, but instead of going through the gate I took a path also going right from more or less the same spot but just inside the edge of the wood. This soon came to another kissing-gate in a corner of the wood, where I went straight on across a mown meadow. On reaching a hedge corner I carried on beside a hedge on my right, still in the same large meadow.
The open part of Moorend Common
Orchids on Moorend Common
The drive leading off Moorend Common
The path in Moorend Wood
The path from the track in Moorend Wood
The path continuing from Moorend Wood
The path continuing from Moorend Wood