Pete's Walks- Bradenham and Studley Green (page 4 of 4)
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.
From Slough Lane a path continued between another set of hedges either side, and then turned half-left to continue up a steep scrub-covered hillside to reached Hearnton Wood (this was the sixth and last uphill of the walk). There were nice views here, looking along the valley to my left and looking back the way I'd come. The path continued uphill for a while through Hearnton Wood, then levelled out. I went straight on over a crossing track, and again when a bridleway crossed the path - an area to the left here had been felled since I was last here.
The path from Chorley, after crossing Slough Lane
The path up to Hearnton Wood
Looking back from the path up to Hearnton Wood (the route I'd just come runs more or less top to bottom through the middle of this shot)
The path up to Hearnton Wood
View left from the path up to Hearnton Wood
The path just after it enters Hearnton Wood
Hearnton Wood
Hearnton Wood
The path continuing from the path crossroads - the area on the left has been felled since I was last here in December 2018. Note that the waymarks on the post at this path crossroads have been totally messed up - there are two straight on arrows on each of the two sides visible in this shot, and only one waymark that isn't pointing straight on! Obviously each side should have waymarks pointing left and right (or one waymark pointing both ways) and one waymark pointing straight on.
The path continued on through the wood, and soon began to descend. After a while I had a field of long grass over a fence on my left, with a nice view along the valley that Bradenham lies in. The path kept on downhill, and soon I reached Averingdown Farm where I continued along the concrete farm drive. This passed under a railway bridge and then reached the A4010 main road. I crossed over and turned left (there was a pavement on this side). I crossed over a drive or entranceway and soon after forked right down an old lane that had been blocked off at this end (there were bollards across it). At first the 'lane' was covered in mud, twigs and leaves, but after passing the entrance to a property on the right it became a proper lane. It soon brought me to a corner of the green in Bradenham, where I turned left and followed a deeply rutted track back to the car park where I'd started (mine had been the only car there when I left, but now the car park was very busy - a party of walkers were about to set off promptly at 2pm).
Hearnton Wood
The path now descending from Hearnton Wood
View left
The path now approaching Averingdown Farm
The drive from Averingdown Farm, just after the railway bridge
The short section along the A4010
The start of the old lane into Bradenham
The lane or drive leading into Bradenham
The green at Bradenham (the car park is where this drive reaches the far end of the green)
Bradenham church
I enjoyed this walk when I did it clockwise in 2015 (even though, like today, it was in very grey and autumnal conditions), and I was glad to have the chance to try it in the opposite direction. It didn't disappoint, it was just as good this time - I think it was slightly easier this way round as I went down the two steepest slopes. Going up and down six hills in eight miles meant there were few flat sections, and so most of the time I had good views, looking across a valley in front of me (or behind me on the uphills) and along the valley on both sides. There were a few short sections through woods for variety too. It's certainly a route I'd like to walk again sometime, in either direction - it certainly deserves a sunnier day than the two greys days I've walked it so far.