Pete's Walks - Christmas Common, Ibstone, Cookley Green (page 7 of 7)
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 followed Howe Road for about a quarter of a mile, then took a footpath on the right that went along a drive or track. I usually go left after a few yards, up to the car park on Watlington Hill, but today carried straight on. I continued straight on where a second path went left along another drive or track (a less attractive way to the Watlington Hill car park that I've used once or twice), now being on another part of the route that I'd not walked in this direction before. I now had a wood on my left and fields over the hedge on my right. The track brought me to a gate, beyond which I started a very long and steep climb uphill through a large cattle pasture (there was juat a group of 6-8 cows close to the path about two-thirds the way up,that stared at me curiously as I went past). This was the sting in the tail of the walk, coming so close to the end of the walk, and I suspect it's one reason I'd not done the wlak in this direction before. But it wasn't too bad, and I was rewarded for my efforts with some fine views.
The path from Hale Road
The path from Hale Road
The path continuing up the steep hill towards Watlington Park
The path continuing up the steep hill towards Watlington Park
View right from the path up the steep hill towards Watlington Park
Looking back from the path continuing up the steep hill towards Watlington Park
Looking back from near the top of the hill, just before the path turns left
Near the top of the hill I left the field at a gate, the path almost immediately went left, soon running through an area of grass where I could glimpse Watlington Park up to my right (there were quite a few Common Spotted Orchids growing here). The path then continued through Lower Deans Wood for almost half a mile, before joining a drive from Watlington Place about a hundred yards from where it met the road through Christmas Common. Here I turned left and followed the road through the village for about a quarter of a mile to a road junction, where I went right and returned to my car.
The path after it turns left (Watlington Park is to the right here)
The path continuing through Lower Deans Wood
View left from the edge ofLower Deans Wood
The path continuing through Lower Deans Wood
The path continuing through Lower Deans Wood
The path continuing through Lower Deans Wood
The path continuing through Lower Deans Wood
The drive from Watlington Park approaching the road through Christmas Common
The road through Christmas Common
This was pretty much a perfect day for a walk, nice and sunny with the temperature being pleasantly warm without ever being too hot. The route was much better than I'd imagined (obviously it was at it's best on such a fine day), with very many fine views and lots of ups and downs to add variety to the route. The long steep uphill very near the end wasn't really too bad, but I do suspect next time I walk this route I'll do it the other way round.