Pete's Walks- Hudnall, Ashridge, Dagnall (page 2 of 3)
Beyond the sheep pastures the path continued along the left edge of a field for a short distance to reach the drive from Hog Hall. I turned right and followed the drive steadily downhill for a considerable distance, still with views ahead to the Dunstable and Whipsnade Downs - further on I could see over to Ivinghoe Beacon on my left. At the end of the drive I turned right to enter Dagnall - there was a village sign with a bench seat all round it, which made a convenient point for me to stop and eat my sandwiches (as I'd done when I did this walk in 2013, and on several other walks).
The path from Ward's Hurst Farm to Dagnall, shortly before reaching Hog Hall
The drive from Hog Hall
View left towards Ivinghoe Beacon
The drive from Hog Hall as it reaches Dagnall
I followed the road through the village, going straight on at a roundabout by the unusual village church and then taking a footpath on the right, running along the left edge of a field next to a bungalow and then a large farm yard on the left (this path was redirected a few years ago to avoid the farmyard). The path turned left to follow a hedgerow along another side of the farm, soon joining a track coming out of the farmyard. When this turned right, I had to make my own way across an arable field where the path hadn't been re-instated (I had to aim for the left end of a row of trees to my right). The footpath ended here where it met a bridleway, which I followed straight on across a ploughed field, soon following a hedgerow on the right.
The road through Dagnall
Dagnall Church
The path around the edge of Cross Keys Farm (the footpath was re-routed to avoid the farmyard a few years ago).
The path from Cross Keys Farm - I aimed at the left end of the row of trees coming in from the right
This is the junction where the path meets a bridleway, continuing across the field and alongside the hedgerow
The bridleway next turned right along a drive (to Well Farm) for about a hundred yards, before going left and running alongside another hedge on the right. After a while, where the hedge turned right, it crossed a ploughed field and entered a very large grassy enclosure containing several horse jumps (there are often Fallow Deer here, but not today).
The bridleway turns right along this drive to Well Farm for about 100 yards, then turns left
The bridleway continuing towards Hoo Wood
The bridleway continuing towards Hoo Wood
The bridleway approaching Hoo Wood
On the far side of this field, the bridleway then entered Hoo Wood and rose uphill quite steeply - the steep bit is quite short but I always forget how long the uphill continues. I am very unfit nowadays, and had to stop to get my breath back at one point. Beyond Hoo Wood, the path ran past garden boundaries on the right, with a nice view over the valley on my left. Through a gate, the bridleway went right, along a track.
The bridleway in Hoo Wood
The bridleway in Hoo Wood
The bridleway in Hoo Wood
The bridleway continuing from Hoo Wood