Pete's Walks - Kensworth to Ivinghoe Beacon (part 2)
I struggled slowly up the hill, passing some garden fences on my left near the top - these houses were in the small village of Hudnall. At the top of the hill, I came to a junction, where five paths met. I went half-right, soon passing a solitary tree as I followed tractor tracks across an immense and flat ploughed field. It surprised me how long it took to get across this field, it must have been at least a third of a mile across. Eventually I reached a metal kissing-gate, covered in thick and spiky frost, and continued across two empty sheep pastures. I could see Little Gaddesden church over to my right - the church and all the trees around me looked most attractive in the wonderful hoar frost.
The start of the path between Hudnall and Little Gaddesden
The path continues across two sheep pastures
A little way across the fist sheep pasture
Little Gaddesden church
I crossed the drive to the church, and followed a short path through a small L-shaped meadow. The path continued past a few gardens and then between the fences of paddocks to reach the minor road running through Little Gaddesden. I crossed over and went through the car park of the Bridgewater Arms, the village pub. As I followed the path from the car park, I saw a few Long-tailed Tits. The path descended gently to a private drive, where I turned right - at this point I left the route of the Chiltern Way, which I’d been following since just beyond Studham.
Hoar frost on a tree near Little Gaddesden
The path from the Bridgewater Arms car park
I don’t normally take photos of individual houses as I think it’s an invasion of privacy, but I was sorely tempted as I followed the drive. To my left was a magnificent house, surrounded by impressive trees, a beautiful winter scene just crying out to be photographed. I consoled myself with the thought that there would be plenty more ice-laden trees in Ashridge, which I was now nearing. Beyond the large house, the drive ended and I continued on a path through a small wood, then along the right-edge of a small area of rough grass to reach a minor road in Ringshall.
The private Drive (Ringshall Drive)
The footpath nearing the road in Ringshall
I crossed over and went a short distance to the left. Beyond the last house on this side of the road, the magnificent woods of Ashridge began. I turned right, facing away from the road, but almost immediately forked half-left along a bridleway through the trees. I went over a few minor path junctions until I reached a major junction where another, broader, bridleway crossed over - I turned right along it, disappointed that I could see a couple of dog-walkers about 200 yards ahead of me, which meant my chances of seeing any wildlife here were much reduced. In fact I soon passed close to a large parking area on my right, and passed several other dog-walkers in the next few hundred yards - the cold and frosty conditions obviously weren’t a deterrent on this Saturday morning.
The start of the first bridleway in Ashridge
Somewhere along the second, longer, bridleway in Ashridge
The bridleway continued for a long distance through the trees. The surface was badly churned by horses, the mud now frozen solid, and I had to pick a path along either edge. All the trees, including beech, oak and silver birch, were magnificent in their thick white coating of ice. The bridleway gradually narrowed, as it drew closer to the road between Ringshall and Ivinghoe Beacon which ran to my right. Eventually the bridleway turned left, and I continued ahead on a footpath through the trees, now only yards from the road. I passed a junction where a path went right, to the entrance to Ward’s Hurst farm, somewhere I pass through on many of my walks (it was only later that I remembered that this walk is one of them!).
Further along the second bridleway in Ashridge
The footpath that continues from the second bridleway in Ashridge, close to the start of the drive to Ward's Hurst Farm
The path then curved round to the left, descending slightly to reach the main track between the Bridgewater Monument and Ivinghoe Beacon. I turned right along the track - again there were a couple of people just ahead of me, so I stopped to let them get ahead as I didn’t want to include them in my photos. I followed the track past the kennels at Clipper Down - the drive beyond the kennels was very icy and this was one of the numerous sections of today’s walk where I had to take care with my footing. I passed a junction where a left fork goes downhill to meet the Ridgeway at the foot of Steps Hill. I continued on the track, meeting several walkers, two cyclists and a jogger coming the other way.
The track from the Bridgewater Monument to Ivinghoe Beacon, approaching the kennels at Clipper Down
The drive from the kennels