Pete's Walks - Coombe Hill and Great Kimble (page 1 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.
Google map of the walkDownload GPX file of the walk
I did this 11.8 mile circular walk on Saturday, 11th September 2021. This was a repeat of a walk I did in February 2011, but in the opposite (clockwise) direction. I had walked it clockwise once before, in November 2011. The title I've given the walk is a little misleading, as the route follows a very indirect route from Coombe Hill to Great Kimble, which comes about two-thirds of the way into the walk.
I started walking from the car park on Coombe Hill about 9.30am, starting down the broad and rather muddy avenue that begins at the far end of the car park. After going straight for about a quarter of a mile, it turned half right at a path junction. It then continued for some distance, gradually narrowing and becoming a 'hollow way' or sunken lane as it slowly descended the wooded western slopes of Bacombe Hill. When the trees on my right gave way to a paddock, I went over a stile and crossed the sloping paddock diagonally to reach the hamlet of Bacombe.
Start of the bridleway from the car park on Coombe Hill
The bridleway continuing from Coombe Hill to Bacombe Hill
The bridleway descending Bacombe Hill
The bridleway descending Bacombe Hill
The bridleway descending Bacombe Hill
I went a short distance left along the lane, before taking a bridleway on the right. After some gardens it was soon running between fences with paddocks or pastures either side. On the far side of these the bridleway turned right (a path continued ahead towards Coxgrove Wood), initially with the hedges on both sides overhanging to form a green tunnel. It then continued between fences, with fields to the left and some attractive beech trees on the right. I was now gradually gaining height, as the bridleway continued on its way towards the wood called High Scrubs. There were generally fields to my left and trees on the right. Towards the top of the slope I entered a wood, and carried on for some distance to reach a path crossroads in High Scrubs.
The path down to Bacombe Lane, with the valley of The Hale in the background
Bacombe Lane
The bridleway from Bacombe
The bridleway from Bacombe
The bridleway from Bacombe
The bridleway from Bacombe
The bridleway from Bacombe, now in the woods near Upper Bacombe
The bridleway from Bacombe, now in the woods near Upper Bacombe
The bridleway from Bacombe, now in the woods near Upper Bacombe
A footpath continued straight on through the wood. When it curved left, I needed to go to the right of some holly in front of me, to pick up a path continuing leftwards. This fairly soon came to a waymark pointing right, the path now going downhill close to a garden boundary on my right On reaching a lane, I turned left for a short distance before taking a path on the other side, heading into Fugsdon Wood.
Footpath in High Scrubs
Footpath in High Scrubs, descending to a lane
Start of the path through Fugsdon Wood