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Eventually Park Wood turned sharply left and uphill again, but the footpath continued along a field boundary and then crossed a narrow empty pasture to reach the attractive village of Bradenham.
Footpath to Bradenham
Bradenham church
Village Green, church and manor house, Bradenham
Looking north from Bradenham towards Lodge Hill
I went a long way round the large village green (I could have just crossed the top of the green, it's all owned by the National Trust), taking a few photos. I then took a bridleway going uphill back into the woods. There was now a long and pleasant section on paths and bridleways through the woods, but the paths didn't seem to match those shown on my map, so although I always knew roughly where I was, I was never sure of my exact position. I was so concentrating on keeping my bearings, I completely forgot to take any photos on this section! Having crossed to the far side of the wood, close to the village of Naphill I turned right (south) on a bridleway. When it crossed a private drive I finally knew exactly where I was, and easily made my way to the end of a lane. I followed this a short distance westwards, with houses on my left and Oaks Wood on my right. I then took a path into Oaks Wood, soon turning left and leaving that wood, crossing a corner of a meadow and entering Flagmore Wood.
Looking back to Oaks Wood
I turned right in Flagmore Wood (owned by the National Trust), along a good track running along a small valley. I stopped part way along it to eat my lunch, sitting on a small tree stump beside the track. Shortly after restarting, I turned right and went uphill a short distance through the trees, then turned right on a pleasantly contouring path. This soon left the wood, though the wood continued on my left. The path followed the edge of the wood as it curved round to the left. I then re-entered woodland, part of the grounds of Hughenden Manor, once the home of Benjamin Disraeli and now managed by the National Trust (I visited it earlier this year with my parents and my niece Emily). I took a quick photo (hopeless photo, looking straight into the sun and the house mainly hidden by trees anyway!) and left on a bridleway, which ran between hedges with pastures either side.
Path from Flagmore Wood to Hughenden
Path approaching grounds of Hughenden Manor
Hughenden Manor (sorry for appalling quality of photo!)
Bridleway away from Hughenden Manor
The bridleway entered yet more woodland for a while. At a junction I went slightly to the right, going gently uphill and emerging from the trees at the village of Downley.
Downley
I went round part of the village green, then took a footpath that ran beside a right-hand hedge through two or three fields. Looking to my left I could see tree-covered hills stretching for many miles, with the tall communications mast at Stokenchurch in the distance. The path next went steeply downhill through another wood, and I turned left at a path crossroads, now going downhill very gently. On leaving the wood I turned left along the drive from Cookshall Farm (somewhere to my right).
View from drive to Cookshall Farm
After a short while the very long farm drive turned left, but I continued straight on along a footpath that descended into a small valley, before I turned left along a hedgerow to rejoin the farm drive. I followed this to the right, soon getting a nice view of the Mausoleum on its hill to my right. The drive went under a railway bridge and joined a main road close to a roundabout, where I went right, walking along the main road through the old houses of West Wycombe and back to my car.
The path from the drive to Cookshall Farm
The mausoleum and St Lawrence's church
West Wycombe
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