Pete's Walks- Kensworth, Markyate, Studham, Whipsnade (page 3 of 3)
Instead of continuing ahead along a path to Valley Road, I turned right and followed the short lane from the school to the road through Studham. At the junction I turned left through this part of the village (remembering that this road was part of the tortuous route my school bus used to take, many years ago!), soon coming to a sharp corner where Valley road went left. I went straight on along Church Lane to reach Studham church, passing through the churchyard to the left of the church. A lengthy path continued straight on, initially beside a hedge on my left, crossing two small valleys and then bringing me to the old disused lane between Holywell and Whipsnade (I joined it on the edge of Holywell, to my right).
The short lane by Studham School
The road through Studham
Church Lane
Studham church
The start of the path from Studham church to Holywell
The path from Studham church to Holywell
The path from Studham church to Holywell
The path from Studham church to Holywell
The path from Studham church approaching the old lane in Holywell
I turned left along the old lane (closed to traffic many years ago), following it for almost half a mile before taking a path on the right (just past where the Whipsnade end of the lane is blocked to traffic by bollards). This went slightly uphill to a field corner, where I turned left through a meadow to reach Whipsnade church. I went through the churchyard (again going left of the church), and turned right through part of the huge irregularly-shaped green in Whipsnade, heading downhill to meet the road opposite the Old Hunter's Lodge restaurant.
The old lane from Holywell to Whipsnade
The old lane from Holywell to Whipsnade
The old lane from Holywell to Whipsnade
The path after I turned right from the old lane
Approaching Whipsnade church
Whipsnade church
Looking towards Whipsnade Heath from Whipsnade The building is the Old Hunters Lodge pub and restaurant.
I soon turned off the road (by a gate), taking an old section of lane on the right (this was the former continuation of Buckwood Lane, before the new road from Kensworth was built about 1930 to provide access to Whipsnade Zoo). At its end, I crossed over and went left, and crossed the Whipsnade Road by a roundabout to reach Whipsnade Heath. I took the familiar path through the small car park and straight on through the wooded heath, continuing along the path through two fields to return to Common Road, Kensworth, where I turned right to return to my home.
Another old lane, this used to be the final part of Buckwood Lane
Whipsnade Heath
Whipsnade Heath
The path from Whipsnade Heath to Kensworth
The path from Whipsnade Heath to Kensworth
Common Road, Kensworth
It was a lovely sunny day for a walk! It was obviously cold, but I was nicely wrapped up and didn't feel the cold at all. I saw very little in the way of wildlife, just a couple of Red Kites and a Jay, but I wasn't really looking too hard. Once again, I was appreciative of having such nice countryside right on my doorstep.