Pete's Walks - Bradenham and Lodge Hill (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.
I turned left along Smalldean Lane, but only as far as Small Dean Farm were a footpath went off on the right, headed to Bradenham. The path immediately turned right to pass between some outbuildings and followed a track (very muddy in places today) to reach a huge field. Here the path turned left and followed the edge of the field. Initially there was a fence and intermittent hedge to my left until I reached Park Wood. The path turned left alongside the wood and ran in a long shallow curve. On reaching a corner of the wood, I went left and then quickly left again (a permissive path went straight on at the second turn, which would have shortened the walk slightly and avoided a bit of uphill), still following the edge of the wood. The path was now rising steadily uphill, and I was puffing and panting again. The path and wood then turned right, and I immediately reached two unusually shaped benches, where I sat and ate my lunch admiring the view in front of me, across the Saunderton valley (around Saunderton) to Bledlow Ridge.
Muddy track from Small Dean farm
The path from Small Dean Farm to Bradenham
The path from Small Dean Farm to Bradenham
The path from Small Dean Farm to Bradenham
The path from Small Dean Farm to Bradenham, where it goes uphill along the edge of Park Wood
Unusual seats (where I stopped for lunch)
View from the seats, across Saunderton in its valley to Bledlow Ridge
Lunch over, I continued along the path, now gradually descending towards Bradenham. About where Park Wood ended on my left, the permissive path I mentioned came in from the right. A little further on I went straight on over a crossing track - there was redundant stile here made of three steps, in much better condition than some stiles I've used recently. The path was now fairly level, with a large paddock over to my right (the other side of a wide field margin that a notice said had been left for wildlife). After several hundred yards I came to a gate on the right, through which the path went through a small meadow and along a short track to reach the road through Bradenham, opposite the church. I crossed over and walked along the edge of the green to return to the car park.
The path continuing towards Bradenham
The path continuing towards Bradenham
The path continuing towards Bradenham
A redundant stile
The path continuing towards Bradenham
The path continuing towards Bradenham
Approaching Bradenham
Bradenham church
Path across the green to the car park
This was a superb walk on a glorious Autumn day! I had had my doubts about it, as not much of it was in woodland and I wondered if I'd not be making the most of the Autumn colours. I needn't have worried, the wonderful views throughout the majority of the walk more than made up for that, and in any case there were sufficient times when I could enjoy the Autumn colours up close. In particular, the bridleway west of Lodge Hill was delightful at this time of year. The walk was so good that I'm already thinking of doing it again in the Spring, when the trees are resplendent in their fresh green leaves.