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, going more steeply downhill, isn't a public path, but this is an open access area anyway).
The lane at Pheasants, passing Beeches Farm
Near 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 path continued to gradually descend through the wood. A short while further on the path was blocked where several tress had come down in the winter storms, and I had to follow a well-worn diversion around them. 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.
Where the long path down through the wood to Pheasant's Hill was blocked
Looking back at the storm damage
The long path down through the wood to Pheasant's Hill, where another path crosses ait
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 unintentionally deviated from the route here - I should have gone through a pedestrian gate in the hedge on the left, continued along a lane into Hambleden and turned right in the village centre, but instead I just followed the path which eventually curved right to a footpath sign. Here I just needed to go a short way left along a village lane back to my car, but first I went a few steps right to a bridge to look at the Hamble Brook.
The lane or drive at Pheasant's Hill
The path through Pheasant's Hill
The carnivorous hedge at Pheasant's Hill!
The path from Pheasant's Hill to Hambleden
The path from Pheasant's Hill to Hambleden
The path from Pheasant's Hill to Hambleden
The Hamble Brook
The Hamble Brook
Water Crowfoot, I think
This was a nice walk, despite the disappointing state of the orchids I'd hoped to see and despite the very grey weather conditions. I think it's a good route, with the usual mixture of woods and fields, and 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.