Pete's Walks- Hudnall, Ashridge, Dagnall (page 3 of 3)
Just before the bridleway ended at a road (the one through Little Gaddesden again, but a long way from where I crossed it earlier), I turned very sharply left, almost doubling back on myself. I went through a couple of metal gates and continued across a pasture, with Little Gaddesden church in view ahead. The path continued across a smaller grass field to reach the car park next to the church. I went straight on here, passing the church on my left and then taking a path going straight on across a grassy field (half way across there was a nice view to the left). There was then a long section beside a tall hedge on my left, with a huge ploughed field stretching away on my right.
The start of the path to Little Gaddesden church
The path to Little Gaddesden church
The path to Little Gaddesden church
Little Gaddesden church
The path passing Little Gaddesden church
View left from the path from Little Gaddesden church to Hudnall
The path from Little Gaddesden church to Hudnall
The path from Little Gaddesden church to Hudnall
I went straight on at a path crossroads, to reach some houses in Hudnall, on the edge of Hudnall Common. I could have simply turned right here to return to where I'd parked (following a private drive, crossing a road and continuing along St Margaret's Lane), but I stuck to the route I took in 2013. So instead I took a footpath starting almost opposite where the previous one ended (a bridleway started at the same point). This led through trees, but soon came out on a large open grass area. I crossed this, heading slightly left to reach a yellow-topped post on the far side. The path continued through bushes and trees, going gently downhill, before becoming almost a track as it reached the road through the common.
The path from Little Gaddesden church to Hudnall
The path through Hudnall Common
The path through Hudnall Common
The path through Hudnall Common (there is a yellow-topped post in the centre of the photo)
A path started on the other side of the road, but I went a 100 yards or so down the road and took a bridleway on the other side - pointless, really, as it soon brought me back to where the path started opposite where I'd met the road. The bridleway continued back uphill through this wooded section of the common - again I needed to stop to get my breath back, I really am unfit. When I reached another large open area I could just about follow the route of the bridleway as a faint impression in the grass - it passed immediately left of a solitary tree and went on to reach a bridleway sign beside St Margaret's Lane. I turned right, and walked the last hundred yards back to my car.
The path downhill through Hudnall Common
The path downhill through Hudnall Common
The path downhill through Hudnall Common
The bridleway back uphill through Hudnall Common
The bridleway back uphill through Hudnall Common
The bridleway back uphill through Hudnall Common (sorry for the poor photo, this was looking straight into the sun)
Looking back over Hudnall Common
The walk took me around 3 hours and 40 minutes, which is ridiculously slow and 40 minutes longer than when I did the walk in 2013. I have obviously lost a lot of fitness since the start of the pandemic, and I have put on a lot of weight. Hopefully I'll get fitter over the coming months. I think I'm now recovered from long covid, but I'm not 100% sure.
This was a lovely day for a walk, better than forecast as it remained sunny throughout. After weeks of wet weather I was worried the paths would be dreadfully muddy, but they were nowhere near as bad as I'd feared. It was a very pleasant walk, but I was glad I'd done it in the clockwise direction - the highlight was the long downhill section from Ward's Hurst Farm with views to the Downs ahead, which I'd have had behind me if I'd done it in the opposite direction.