Pete's Walks- Maidensgrove and Greys Court (page 5 of 5)
After a few hundred yards I came to a path junction (there was a post with waymarks), where I turned right onto a bridleway and so joined my usual route through these woods. After a little while the bridleway turned left for a few yards before turning right. A short distance further on it turned left again, and ended when it reached the A430 just southeast of Nettlebed.
Start of the bridleway going north through Lowercommon Wood
The bridleway going north through Lowercommon Wood
The bridleway going north through Lowercommon Wood
I crossed over and went down the lane opposite, which quickly brought me to Catslip. I continued along the lane, which in a quarter of a mile or so brought me to Crocker Green. When the lane forked, I went left and followed this lane across the village green to another lane junction. I continued along a footpath starting by this lane junction, thus joining another part of the route of the Chiltern Way, which I'd now follow for the rest of the walk. It crossed a huge open field dotted with trees (including some impressive conifers just to the right of the path), presumably part of the park around the nearby Soundess House.
The lane to Catslip
The lane continuing from Catslip to Crocker End
The lane continuing across the green at Crocker End
I then turned right along a drive, then turned left at a junction of tracks or drives, to pass Soundess Farm on my left. A wood called Stockings Plantation was on my right, and the path continued with this wood on my right as it next went along the edge of large field. A post with waymarks indicated where the path turned half-right, running between trees on the right of an empty pasture (there is now a fence between the tress and the pasture, I'm fairly sure there didn't use to be one), with the wood still a few yards to my right. Finally the path went half left across a pasture with a few sheep in it, dropping downhill to a major path junction in the valley of Upper Bix Bottom.
The path going north from Crocker End
The drive near Soundess Farm
The path going north past Soundess Farm
The path going north from near Soundess Farm
The path going north from near Soundess Farm
The path going north from near Soundess Farm
The path going north from near Soundess Farm, dropping down to the five-way path junction at Upper Bix Bottom
I ignored the three tracks meeting here, and took the other footpath from this junction, which went half-right (from between two of the tracks) and climbed steadily uphill to reach a small piece of woodland. There was a seat here with a great view, where I stopped to eat my lunch. The path continued more steeply up steps through the wood, then continued across a meadow or pasture to enter Big Ashes Plantation. The path continued close to the northern edge of this wood, then crossed another grassy field to reach a track (a public byway), coming up from the Warburg Nature Reserve down to my right. I turned left and followed the track the short distance back to Maidensgrove Common and my parked car.
The start of the path going east from the five-way path junction at Upper Bix Bottom
Looking back to the five-way path junction at Upper Bix Bottom
The path going east from the five-way path junction at Upper Bix Bottom, passing through a small bit of woodland
The path continuing towards Big Ashes Plantation
The path continuing through Big Ashes Plantation
The path continuing northeast from Big Ashes Plantation
The public byway fro the Warburg Nature Reserve, approaching Maidensgrove Common
After doing this walk in April 2015 I said "It would be hard not to enjoy a walk on such a fine Spring day as this" and my sentiments were exactly the same this time. It was a beautiful day for a walk. Sunny and very comfortable temperatures (I'd been a bit worried when I spotted some snow on the ground as I drove through Christmas Common on my way to the start of the walk!). I thought the route was very good, with the usual mixture of woods and fields, and several ups and downs (the biggest climb was at the end, from Upper Bix Bottom to Maidensgrove Common). Greys Court and the old church at Bix Bottom added some historic interest to the route.