Pete's Walks - Ashridge, Frithsden, Ward's Hurst Farm (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.
On leaving the wood the permissive path followed a lengthy hedgerow on my left. There were occasional gaps in the hedge giving views of the Golden Valley as it approached Nettleden. After several hundred yards the permissive path ended when it came to a stile. I went over the stile and continued along a clear path through the grass (actually the public footpath should turn right over the stile and then turn left in a field corner and follow that edge of the field, but there was no sign of such a path today). On reaching a field corner adjacent to some stables, I went through a gate and then turned right through a second gate immediately after the stable entrance. This path dropped downhill to reach a minor road in Frithsden.
The route continuing from Webb's Copse
The footpath continuing from Webb's Copse - strictly speaking the path should follow the edge of this field
The footpath dropping down to Frithsden
I went a short way right along the road, then took a footpath on the other side that went gently uphill through the trees of Great Frithsden Copse for almost half a mile (the path keeps right at an apparent fork, indicated by a waymark). The path then continued between garden fences (where I saw some white Herb Robert, crossed a private drive (I'm not sure whether this still in Frithsden or part of Potten End), ran between gardens again, and finally emerged onto part of Berkhamsted golf course, where I turned right onto a bridleway. This was soon running through trees with a fairway just to my left. I crossed a minor road (the last section before this was very muddy, but fortunately no more than it usually is), then the bridleway went half-right across a fairway and continued through a wide belt of trees with fairways either side. The bridleway continued through the golf course for several hundred yards. This was very muddy and I was constantly looking for the least muddy option. Beyond the golf course the bridleway continued straight on through woodland. After a while it ran for several hundred yards along a broad strip of grass with trees either side. Just after this ended, I passed close to Brickkiln Cottage (to my left).
The road through Frithsden
The footpath through Great Frithsden Copse
The footpath through Great Frithsden Copse
A white Herb Robert
The bridleway going past Berkhamsted Golf Club
The bridleway going through Berkhamsted Golf Club, after crossing a minor road
The bridleway going through Berkhamsted Golf Club
The bridleway continuing from Berkhamsted Golf Club
The bridleway continuing towards Brickkiln Cottage