Pete's Walks- Redland End and Coombe Hill (page 5 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.
When I reached the small car park by Pulpit Hill I turned left to reach its entrance, then took a bridleway across the road. It went south, initially with paddocks either side, then ran just inside the edge of Ninn Wood which extended to the right. On reaching a path crossroads I turned left, soon reaching a field where I followed the hedgerow on my right. I then turned right onto another path, following the edge of a wood, Cross Coppice, on my left. On reaching a field corner the path continued on into Sergeant's Wood.
Near the start of the bridleway to Ninn Wood
The path after I turned left from the bridleway, going east from Ninn Wood
The path after I turned right, passing Cross Coppice and heading to Sergeant's Wood
Looking back towards Pulpit Hill, just before the path enters Sergeant's Wood
I soon reached a staggered path crossroads, where I went a few yards right then turned left to go straight on (if that makes sense!). The path (very muddy yet again) soon widened into a grass strip running by some overhead wires for some distance. I went straight on when a footpath went right it was around here that I spotted a Roe Deer, then a few yards further on I turned onto a path going half-right through the trees. I then turned left along a bridleway on that edge of the wood. I soon emerged from a corner of the wood and reached a track. Again I went a few yards right then turned left (through a gate) to continue in the same direction as before. This bridleway ran through a field, close to a hedge on my left at first, to a gate on the far side that brought me to a minor road on the edge of Green Hailey.
The path in Sergeant's Wood, after the staggered junction
The path in Sergeant's Wood, after the staggered junction
A Roe Deer in Sergeant's Wood
The path in Sergeant's Wood after the staggered junction, after it goes half-right from the line of overhead wires
The staggered junction on the edge of Sergeant's Wood - I continued just right of the hedge in the centre of this shot
I turned left and followed the road through the hamlet, and continued on until a bridleway went right (I was now on the route I frequently take from Whiteleaf Hill to Parslow's Hillock). The bridleway ran with a wood on my left and a field on the right. It then turned left through the wood, and I followed it for about another half mile, with part of Chiltern escarpment sloping down on my right. When a public footpath crossed the bridleway (I'd ignored an earlier permissive path on the left), I turned left. I followed the path through Hillock Wood for about half a mile - it took me straight back to the lane in Redland End where I'd started.
The road through Green Hailey
The bridleway going right from the road
The bridleway after it turns left, heading towards Parslow's Hillock
The bridleway heading towards Parslow's Hillock
The bridleway heading towards Parslow's Hillock
The start of the path back to Redland End, through Hillock Wood
The path back to Redland End, through Hillock Wood
After a grey start to the day, it brightened up about midday, and I was quite pleased with some of the photos I got in the afternoon sunshine. The route was a bit hillier than I'd remembered (no steep or long uphills, but a fair number of short uphill or downhill sections) which was good. Unfortunately it was very muddy throughout - having walked it twice now in January, I'll have to try to walk it on a nice Spring or Summer day next time! It's certainly a very pleasant route and I'm sure I will walk it again sometime.