Pete's Walks- Coombe Hill, Bacombe Hill, Little Hampden (page 2 of 4)
Eventually the path left the wood and passed a stable and some properties on my left. It turned left and immediately right at one point, then continued between a short hedge on my left and a tall hedge on my right, soon joining a gravel drive or track. On coming to a junction with a drive, I went a few yards left and then the path went half-right (at a corner between two drives). The path now went uphill a short way, soon re-entering the woodland. On coming to some steps either side of a bridleway (in a 'hollow way' with banks either side), I decided to go straight on (last February I'd turned right here. I just wanted to try a new path). After going up some steps the path immediately turned right and soon went through a gate. There was a Warning sign here about Forestry operations, and the next section had obviously been felled recently. I soon came to a path crossroads (no waymarks or signs, but quite obvious), where I turned right and followed a path down to the bottom of Coombe Hill.
The path along the foot of Bacombe Hill, where it briefly leaves the woods
The path along the foot of Bacombe Hill
The path along the foot of Bacombe Hill, where it leaves a drive and re-enters the woods
The footpath crossing a bridleway (it turns right after the steps up)
The footpath after I crossed a bridleway
The footpath after I turned right, descending the foot of Coombe Hill
On reaching a broad track I turned sharply left (actually I went through a gate in front of me, before realising my mistake). The track (a bridleway) had clearly been improved for the forestry operations since I was here last February, and there were several log piles on the left. Just through a row of trees on my right was part of Ellesborough golf course. Somewhere along here I saw a particularly fine Beech tree.
The bridleway going south along the foot of Coombe Hill
The bridleway going south along the foot of Coombe Hill
The bridleway going south along the foot of Coombe Hill
The bridleway going south along the foot of Coombe Hill
A splendid Beech tree!
After about half a mile, I went straight on where a path crossed the bridleway, coming down from Coombe Hill on my left (this was the path I'd taken from the car path, but I'd turned right at the top of the slope - the bit in between is one of the steepest paths I know in the Chilterns). After about another quarter of a mile, going slightly uphill now, the bridleway brought me to a road, where I went a few yards left to a road junction.
The bridleway continuing south along the foot of Lodge Hill
The bridleway continuing south along the foot of Lodge Hill
The bridleway continuing south along the foot of Lodge Hill (or possibly Goodmer Hill now, as wthe wood is Goodmerhill Wood)
The road junction at the foot of Lodge Hill