Pete's Walks- Cowleaze Wood, Studdridge Farm, Christmas Common (page 5 of 5)
The bridleway descended steadily down the hillside - there are usually nice views ahead out to the Oxfordshire Plain but they were lost in the greyness. There are also often Fallow deer to be seen on the side of Pyrton Hill over to the right, but not today. At the bottom of the slope I continued straight on along a surfaced drive past the entrance to Pyrton Hill House and past a timber merchants. Two or three hundred yards down the drive I turned right onto a footpath running along the foot of Pyrton Hill.
View right from the bridleway that descends near Pyrton Hill
The bridleway that descends near Pyrton Hill
The drive past Pyrton Hill House
The path along the foot of Pyrton Hill
Beyond the foot of Pyrton Hill the footpath went through a gate and very soon forked slightly left from a track. It then continued along the edge of Shirburn Wood, sloping up to my right, with fields on my left. The path turned left and then right, staying just inside the edge of the wood, all the while drawing nearer to Shirburn Hill.
The path along the foot of Pyrton Hill
The path continuing along the edge of Shirburn Wood
The path continuing along the edge of Shirburn Wood
The path continuing along the edge of Shirburn Wood
The path continuing along the edge of Shirburn Wood, heading towards Shirburn Hill
The path continuing along the edge of Shirburn Wood, heading towards Shirburn Hill
Eventually the path went through a gate and then started a long but not too steep climb up the southern side of Shirburn Hill. There were lots of mole-hills near the start of this uphill section (as there had been when I did this walk in 2015). The best views on this route are here, looking back out over the Oxfordshire Plain, but today they were severely restricted by the misty conditions. It was a bit of a slog going up here, but not too bad. Towards the top of the slope, the path passed through a narrow section of Shirburn Wood. It then crossed a flat and empty pasture, heading to the corner ahead and to the left. I then just had to cross a road and go a few yards left to pick up a short path that led through trees back into the Cowleaze Wood car park where I'd started.
Looking ahead to the path up Shirburn Hill
The path up Shirburn Hill
The path up Shirburn Hill
Looking back from the path up Shirburn Hill
The path up Shirburn Hill, passing through a narrow section of Shirburn Wood
The path continuing across an empty pasture, heading back to Cowleaze Wood
This is a really good route and I should probably have saved it for a nice sunny day. It was a shame that I didn't get to see the views, but I still enjoyed the walk very much - I quite liked the slightly misty conditions, though I wouldn't want to walk on days like this too often, It seemed like it had been a while since I'd visited this part of the Chilterns - though this is one of the parts of the Chilterns I visit most often, I'm far from bored with walking these paths and bridleways. And I'm pleased to report that after a fairly dry week the paths were far less muddy than they have been on the last few walks!