Pete's Walks - Bledlow and Radnage (page 2 of 2)
I walked through the graveyard surrounding this unusual and distinctive church (I recognised it immediately when I saw it used in the BBC's Cranford) and continued on a path across a couple of meadows or pastures. I then forked left where the path split in two directions, crossing another pasture to a corner before starting the steady climb up through trees towards the village of Bledlow Ridge. At the top of the slope, the path ran between a hedge and a fence on my right, with another misty view back down into the valley I'd just come from. I just crossed the road in Bledlow Ridge and took the path on the other side. This ran along a gravel drive past a few residences then between a fence and a hedge for a short while, with a meadow on my left. I'd been following part of the Chiltern Way since just before Radnage church, but at the end of the meadow I left it by going right over a stile and following a hedge-side path through a meadow, starting to descend into the broad Saunderton Valley (it was too misty to see the hills on the far side of the valley, let alone the Lacey Green Windmill that surmounts them). The path went through a metal kissing-gate in the hedgerow, then two Red Kites flew low over my head as the path dropped more steeply through a large sheep pasture - I aimed at the right end of a line of conifers (I got a bit lost here the only time I'd been here before, coming the other way). Beyond this pasture, I turned right to follow a fence or hedge towards Lodge Hill Farm.
Radnage Church
The path from Radnage church to Bledlow Ridge
View from the path to Bledlow Ridge
The start of the path that descends from Bledlow Ridge
The path from Bledlow Ridge descending into the Saunderton valley
Approaching Lodge Hill Farm, with Lodge Hill beyond
At the farm I turned right along its drive. Where the drive turned right, I turned left and followed a very long hedgerow on my left (I saw a flock of Linnets here), turning right in the next field corner. I now decided to depart from the route I'd originally intended and to go over Lodge Hill - it was now just after 1pm and I needed somewhere to stop for lunch, and I remembered there was a bench somewhere along the top of the hill. So at the next path junction I went straight on, instead of going left along the flat hedge-lined path to the west of Lodge Hill. The path became very pleasant as it crossed the southern foot of the hill. There were several wildflowers here including Self-Heal, Wild Mignonette and Common Toadflax. At the end of the path I turned left on to the Ridgeway national trail as it made its way up Lodge Hill, soon passing a small area of Harebells.
Approaching Lodge Hill
Path across the foot of Lodge Hill
The path up Lodge Hill (part of the Ridgeway National Trail)
Looking backwards across the Saunderton Valley, from the climb up Lodge Hill
I had lunch on a bench on the top of Lodge Hill. The view northwards over the Vale of Aylesbury was severely limited by the grey conditions, but three or four Red Kites circled around nearby to keep me entertained. I continued along the top of the hill and followed the Ridgeway path as it descended the north-western end of the hill. Near the foot of the hill the path turned left through a metal kissing-gate, then crossed a couple of ploughed fields to reach a lane (Wigan's Lane, between Bledlow and Bledlow Ridge). On the other side of the road I continued along a hedgerow on my left beside a ploughed field, where I spotted some Borage, only the second time I've seen it this year I think. The Chiltern Way joined the Ridgeway for a couple of hundred yards, as I crossed a stile to the other side of the hedgerow where some black cattle were chewing the cud. Fairly soon I forked right, following the Chiltern Way as it turned off the Ridgeway, and headed across a ploughed field towards Bledlow. The path dipped down and then up again, passing through a small strip of bushes and small trees and then crossing a small field. It then followed a hedge on my right for about a third of a mile through two large arable fields, to enter Bledlow again about a hundred yards from the church where my car was parked.
The path on top of Lodge Hill
Field path at the foot of Lodge Hill, heading towards Wigan's Lane
Large cattle pasture, just before I left the Ridgeway
The Chiltern Way heading for Bledlow, immediately after forking right from the Ridgeway - it's not obvious in the photo, but there was a clear path across the field here
The Chiltern Way, approaching Bledlow
This was a really enjoyable shorter walk, it was just a pity about the grey and misty conditions that so severely limited what would otherwise be very good views at several points on the route. It was nice to explore a new area, the bit between Bledlow and Radnage being new to me. It's three years since I last walked the Chiltern Way, so the return leg via Bledlow Ridge didn't seem too over-familiar. The diversion over Lodge Hill was very pleasant, and definitely an improvement over the route I'd originally planned.
To see this walk (with one very slight variation, which I don't think improved the route) done on a nicer day in November 2012, click here.
To see this walk (with two slight variations that I think improved the route) done on a nicer day in August 2013, click here.