Pete's Walks- Kensworth, Roe End and Bison Hill (page 1 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.

Google map of the walk

I did this circular walk on Saturday, January 25th, 2025. It was a repeat of a 12.6 mile walk I did in May 2020, with one slight enforced change (due to part of a bridleway being closed) that added 0.2 miles to the distance. The change is shown as 'Alternative 2' on my google map.

I started walking about 10.05am, starting near where Hollicks Lane leaves Kensworth and heading off along the road to Whipsnade. There was a good verge on the right to begin with, and then when it ended there was a reasonable one on the left. After about a quarter of a mile or so there was a metal farm-gate and a metal kissing-gate on the left. Through the latter, I crossed straight over a large hay meadow (it's a sheep pasture sometimes), heading just right of the remains of an old barn. The path then continued along a rough track (passing a small meadow) to reach Dovehouse Lane, where I turned right. When this ended at a junction with Buckwood Lane, I turned right and then took a footpath on the left. After a few (very muddy) yards I came to a path junction where I turned left, this path rising gently uphill between an old hedgerow and the gardens of some properties at Holywell on my right.

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The road to Whipsnade

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The path to Dovehouse Lane

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Dovehouse Lane

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The path beside some gardens on the edge of Holywell

The hedge to my left ended after a while, and the path levelled off. Shortly after a wood started on my left, I turned left onto a path that led through the wood, and then continued straight on across a very large arable field. After some distance the path continued with a wood on the left, after which it soon passed a solitary tree. On finally reaching the far side of the field, it continued down a short 'alley' to reach Byslips Road. Here I turned left for a short distance, then took a footpath on my right. This ran between Byslip Wood and a garden boundary on my right. On entering a field, I turned left to head towards Markyate.

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The path from Holywell to Byslips Road, in the small wood

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The path from Holywell to Byslips Road

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The path from Holywell to Byslips Road

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The path on the other side of Byslips Road

The path followed the edge of Byslip Wood as it gradually curved right (somewhere it changes to Fareless Wood). It was a lengthy section next to these woods, but when I finally got to the end the path continued along a farm track with a hedgerow on my right, soon passing some farm buildings at Buckwood Stubs. After a few hundred yards the track turned right, but the path went straight on. Eventually after another few hundred yards the path went straight on through a metal-kissing gate and continued between overhanging hedges to reach Buckwood Road. I turned right here to follow the road the short distance to Markyate.

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The path to Markyate running alongside Byslips Wood

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The path to Markyate running alongside Byslips Wood and Fareless Wood

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The path to Markyate running past Buckwood Scrubs

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The path to Markyate

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The path to Markyate

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The path to Markyate

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Buckwood Road, heading into Markyate