Pete's Walks - Hambleden, Marlow Common, Moorend Common (page 5 of 5)
If you are considering walking this route yourself, please see my disclaimer. You may also like to see these notes about the maps and GPX files.
At the end of the path, I turned right along a lane. After passing Beeches Farm, I took a path forking left from the lane. This initially went down a grey gravel drive (no footpath sign here), then ran through an area of beech trees before entering more mixed woodland, all the time gently descending. After a third of a mile or so, the path kept left at a fork (the right fork isn't a public path, but this is an open access area anyway).
The lane at Pheasants, passing Beeches Farm
The start of the long path down through the wood to Pheasant's Hill
The long path down through the wood to Pheasant's Hill
The long path down through the wood to Pheasant's Hill
The long path down through the wood to Pheasant's Hill, where it takes the left fork
The path continued to gradually descend through the wood. After another third of a mile I went straight on at a path crossroads, and continued descending through the woods for a further third of a mile.
The long path down through the wood to Pheasant's Hill
The long path down through the wood to Pheasant's Hill
The long path down through the wood to Pheasant's Hill
The long path down through the wood to Pheasant's Hill
The long path down through the wood to Pheasant's Hill
Eventually the path ended at a lane in the hamlet of Pheasant's Hill. I crossed over and went down an alley on the other side - I took my rucksack off here, it was a bit narrow. I continued on a lane or drive dropping downhill as far as a crossing footpath, where I turned left onto a path that divides some gardens into separate parts either side. Through a wooden kissing gate (by a carnivorous hedge, see photo!) I continued through an empty paddock. Through a narrow tree belt, the path continued close to the left edge of a large pasture. I looked for a pedestrian gate in the hedge on the left, through which I continued along a lane into Hambleden. I turned right in the village centre (instead of going left to the car park) and made my way back to where I'd parked.
The lane or drive at Pheasant's Hill
The path through Pheasant's Hill
The carnivorous hedge at Pheasant's Hill has devoured yet another poor passer-by!
The path from Pheasant's Hill to Hambleden
The path from Pheasant's Hill to Hambleden
The lane into to Hambleden
Sign on garden gate at Hambleden
Hambleden church
I enjoyed this walk more than I'd expected to, despite the very muddy conditions (if it's this bad in mid-November, how bad will it be by the end of March?). Of course, my enjoyment was helped by the fact that it was a beautiful sunny day, and the leaves on the trees were close to their autumn best. Nevertheless I think it's a good route anyway, the usual mixture of woods and fields, with two commons for variety (admittedly they are both mainly wooded). There were two steepish uphills, leaving Hambleden and in Pullingshill Wood, but otherwise it was fairly flat. It's certainly a route I'd be happy to walk again.