Pete's Walks - Bradenham and Lodge Hill (page 2 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.
A path continued across Haw Lane - the first section of it was new to me, as far a junction where a path came in on the left. The path followed a hedge on my right, heading in a straight line northwest (or northnorthwest) towards the wooded Lodge Hill, over a distance of about a mile. The hedgerow was at the top of a slight ridge linking Slough Hill and Lodge Hill - from either hill this ridge is not really obvious, but walking along it I could see how it sloped down to lower ground either side. There was now a cold wind, and I needed to pull my hood up over my woollen hat. A few hundred yards before reaching Lodge Hill an electrified fence ran very close to the hedgerow, so I had to go through a gateway and follow the other side of the hedge (I'd seen other people walking on that side already).
The path from Haw Lane to Lodge Hill
The path from Haw Lane to Lodge Hill
The path from Haw Lane to Lodge Hill
The path from Haw Lane to Lodge Hill
At the end of the path, instead of taking the shortest route up Lodge Hill (which would have meant retracing some of my steps along the top of the hill) I turned left along a bridleway and dropped quite steeply downhill. At the bottom of the slope I turned right along a bridleway that runs to the west of Lodge Hill for almost three quarters of a mile. I hadn't been looking forward to this section, I'd done it once or twice before and remembered it as a boring and muddy trudge. But today it was absolutely delightful because of the wonderful colours of the tree leaves. The bridleway had tall overhanging hedges either side, forming what I usually call a 'green tunnel' but today it was a 'multi-coloured tunnel'! It was also hardly muddy at all, a nice surprise after some of the other bridleways I've walked recently.
The bridleway after I turned left at the foot of Lodge Hill
The bridleway to the west of Lodge Hill, after I turned right
The bridleway to the west of Lodge Hill
The bridleway to the west of Lodge Hill
The bridleway to the west of Lodge Hill
Eventually the bridleway left the 'multi-coloured tunnel' and continued across a stubble field. Shortly before it reached the far hedgerow, I turned right onto a crossing footpath (part of the Ridgeway national trail). When it left the field at a metal kissing gate, it turned right and was soon making its way up the wooded northwest slope of Lodge Hill. This was neither too steep, nor too long, and I fairly soon reached the top.
The same bridleway continuing across a field of stubble
The footpath after I turned right in that same field
The same path as it starts to go up Lodge Hill
The path continuing up Lodge Hill
The path over the top of Lodge Hill is always delightful (it's one of my favourite places in the Chilterns) and today was no exception. There were good views in most directions, especially north to the Vale of Aylesbury and east over the Saunderton Valley towards Loosley Row (where I was headed next). The path passed through a small grove of beech trees at one point (it was briefly very muddy just after this), and then reached a more open area of scrubland.
The path continuing along the top of Lodge Hill
The path along the top of Lodge Hill
View from Lodge Hill, looking northeast across the Saunderton Valley towards Whiteleaf Hill
View from Lodge Hill, looking west
View from Lodge Hill, looking northeast across the Saunderton Valley towards Whiteleaf Hill
The path along the top of Lodge Hill
View from Lodge Hill, looking south to Slough Hill and Allnutt's Wood