Pete's Walks - West Wycombe, Fingest, Moor Common (page 2 of 4)
The path continued along the bottom of the valley through another huge and empty pasture, eventually reaching a projecting corner of hedgerows (I took a brief detour here to check out the start of another new permissive path I'd also read about in the 'Chiltern News'). The path continued through the valley, following the hedge on my left and then a fence in the next pasture, to reach the southeast corner of Hanger Wood (which I know from other walks). I now continued ahead following a bridleway on a broad track beside the southern edge of the wood (on my right).
Looking back along the path from Rackley's Farm
Looking towards Fingest Wood and the Hambleden Valley
The bridleway beside Hanger Wood
Shortly after the wood on my right ended, the track turned left and soon reached a minor road leading into Fingest. I turned right, walking on a wide verge next to the road, but didn't enter the village, instead turning left and following a path that was soon heading uphill beside Fingest Wood (actually, looking on the map, the first bit of the wood might be Goddard's Wood). I was now briefly on the same route I walked last week, though going the other way, and I could not resist looking back and taking the usual photo of Fingest with Cobstone Mill beyond. Near the top of the slope I went over Fieldfare's Stile, erected in honour of a celebrated nature writer, and continued briefly through Fingest Wood before crossing a large meadow to reach Adam's Wood.
The path from Fingest to Fingest Wood
Looking back over Fingest, with Cobstone Mill on the hill behind it
Fieldfare's Stile, erected in honour of a well-known naturalist and writer
Approaching Adam's Wood
I immediately turned right, following a section of the Chiltern Way as I descended slowly through the wood for a distance of almost half a mile. At the far edge of the wood was a small plaque by a seat, commemorating the employees of a firm that had made church furniture. There was a good view here over Skirmett and this end of the Hambleden Valley, and as usual there was a Red Kite or two in attendance. As I continued down a broad track from the wood, I met a lady coming the other way - I recognised her, as we had met briefly on the other side of Adam's Wood on my walk last week. We stopped and chatted for five minutes or so - she lives between Lane End and Frieth, and in fact had just walked pretty much the route I was about to follow for the next few miles (it was nice to meet you, Jane!).
The path through Adam's Wood
The path through Adam's Wood
Memorial by a seat on the edge of Adam's wood, overlooking Skirmett and the Hambleden valley
I soon reached a corner of a lane - the Chiltern Way goes off across fields on the edge of Skirmett here, but I continued down the lane as I now entered what was new territory for me. After a quarter of a mile or so, a bridleway started on the left - I had seen the far end of it by St Katherine's Convent at Parmoor on last week's walk, and the thought of walking it had partly inspired my choice of route today. The bridleway rose uphill between hedgerows - I thought that it was going to be quite steep, but it wasn't too bad at all and I was soon on an almost level section. There were views now and again to my right, looking towards the Hambleden Valley, and after a while I recognised Arizona Farm below me. The bridleway continued onwards and entered Hatchet Wood (I stayed on the bridleway here, ignoring a path forking left).
View of Skirmett, from where I reached the lane
The lane (it goes from Skirmett to Frieth)
Start of the bridleway to St Katherine's Convent, Parmoor
Further along the bridleway
Further along the bridleway
View of Arizona Farm in the Hambleden Valley, from the bridleway to the convent
The bridleway in Hatchet Wood