Pete's Walks- North from Hambleden (page 3 of 4)

Eventually the path curved right at its highest point, and descended through what was now Poynatts Wood. It was a nice gentle bit of descent through the trees, with odd glimpses of views over the valley to my left. I spotted a Muntjac somewhere along here. After a few hundred yards the track turned left, but the footpath continued ahead for a few yards to reach the edge of the wood. The path now went half-right across a meadow, with views ahead towards Cobstone Mill above Turville. Across the meadow, the path continued through another small section of Poynatts Wood to reach Dolesden Lane, where I turned left.

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The path descending through Poynatts Wood

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The path descending through Poynatts Wood

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Looking left from the path descending through Poynatts Wood)

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The path descending through Poynatts Wood

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The meadow between the two parts of Poynatts Wood

When the lane turned right, I took a bridleway that went along a broad track starting on the left. I was now back in the woods again, the bridleway following a valley bottom for about a mile and a quarter through Poynatts Wood, Great Wood, Kimble Wood and Gossetts Wood.

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Dolesden Lane (I went left where the lane turns right)

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Near the start of the bridleway through the woods

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Catkins

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The bridleway through the woods

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The bridleway through the woods

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The bridleway through the woods

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The bridleway through the woods

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The bridleway now reaching the end of the woods

Eventually, just as the bridleway reached a gateway at the end of Gussetts Wood, I turned left on a crossing footpath. The path rose a short distance through the wood. I'd been pleased that the paths hadn't been too muddy so far, but the last 30 yards of this path was a quagmire. As I usually do on this walk, I stopped to eat my lunch by a stile on the edge of the wood. I then crossed an empty pasture to another stile on the other side. Across this I came to a road junction, where I continued straight on down a lane. After about a third of a mile I reached Upper Woodend Farm, where I turned left and took a bridleway that started along a surfaced farm drive.

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The path through Gussetts Wood, after I turned left

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The lane heading to Upper Woodend Farm

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View right, from the lane heading to Upper Woodend Farm