Pete's Walks- Redland End and Bryant's Bottom (page 5 of 5)
I soon reached a track or drive junction, where a bridleway sign pointed along the drive (to a property named Old Rectory), on my right. Just before I reached the gate to this house, I took a footpath going left (Note: NOT the bridleway continuing round to the left of the property, initially alongside its boundary). This ran through a small bit of woodland, then ran between a fence and a hedge beside a small pasture. I then went over a stile, where I remembered that in 2015 the leaders of a large group of ramblers kindly allowed me to go first otherwise I'd have been there a long time if I'd had to wait for all of them to cross the stile. The path then continued in an almost straight line across two or three fields of stubble, crossing a lane at one point. The path then continued through a grassy area with several small trees surrounded by fences in it (the path soon runs close to an old hedge on the right, continuing on into a corner). Across a minor road, the path continued in the same straight line through a similar larger area of grass dotted with trees, clearly part of the park around Hampden House, which I could see ahead of me close to Great Hampden church. The path ended in a corner next to the churchyard. I turned left and followed the gravel drive past the church. Where the gravel ended I continued ahead along a stretch of grass, now on the route of the Chiltern Way.
The track or drive at Hampden Common
The bridleway to the Old Rectory
Near the start of the path from by the Old Rectory, heading north-northwest to Great Hampden church
The path to Great Hampden church - the blue flower here is Chicory
The path to Great Hampden church
The path to Great Hampden church
The path to Great Hampden church, shortly before it reaches the road
Approaching Great Hampden church and Hampden House
Great Hampden church
The path from Hampden House
Looking back at Hampden House
On reaching the edge of a very large field of stubble, I followed a path going slightly left across the field, heading towards a small group of trees in the middle of the field - there were other trees dotted about in this field, so I've always assumed it was once part of the park land around Hampden House. Beyond the group of trees the path continued in the same westerly direction to reach a wood on the other side of the field, Barnes's Grove. The path now went more south-westerly as it passed through the wood. After a few hundred yards, a path came in sharply from the right, and the combined paths then followed part of the ancient earthwork called Grimm's Ditch to reach a road junction at Redland End. I took the lane opposite, which soon led me back to my parked car.
Near the start of the path across the large field, heading towards Barnes's Grove
The same path after passing through the small copse in the large field
The same path after it enter Barnes's Grove
Barnes's Grove
The same path where it joins part of the ancient earthwork called Grim's Ditch
This was another good walk, despite the overcast conditions (though these did rather limit the views). As I've said previously when I've walked it, it is a slightly odd route in that the first two miles and final two miles are flat, with all the four ups and downs coming in quick succession in the middle three or four miles.