Pete's Walks - Watlington Hill, Southend, Maidensgrove (page 3 of 5)
At the end of the lane I turned left along a minor road for a couple of hundred yards, before turning right on a path that entered a wood (I'm not sure from the map whether it's Balham's or Kildridge Wood). As always this gently descending path was very pleasant, with a few rhododendrons flowering amongst the trees. After half a mile or so I entered Stonor Park (through a very tall gate in a deer fence), the deer park around Stonor House. The path then continued delightfully through the park for another half mile, with very pleasant views of the grand house and its ancient chapel, and towards the area around Pishill - this is one of my favourite paths in the Chilterns..
Near the start of the footpath from Southend to Stonor
The footpath from Southend to Stonor
The footpath from Southend to Stonor, in the Deer Park around Stonor House
View towards Pishill from Stonor Park
The path continuing through Stonor Park
Another view towards Pishill
On finally leaving the deer park, I turned right along the minor road through Stonor. I hadn't been this way before (the Chiltern Way goes left before turning right for Maidensgrove), as I followed the road past the entrance to the grounds of Stonor House. The road curved left as it left the village, and then I took a path on the left - here I joined part of the route of a walk I did a couple of months ago, Watlington Hill and Russell's Water, though I was now going in the opposite direction (westwards). The path initially ran through the middle of a hedgerow of small bushes (a couple had fallen and blocked the way), before continuing gradually uphill through Pishillbury Wood. After about half a mile I reached the end of the path where I briefly turned left on a bridleway (part of the Oxfordshire Way, coming south from Pishill) before taking a path on the right (this staggered junction appears as a crossroads on the OS map) that soon left the wood and ran along a private drive in Maidensgrove. After a short while I turned right, by a pond, to reach a corner of the huge grassy expanse of Maidensgrove Common.
The road past the entrance to Stonor House
The footpath from Stonor to Pishillbury Wood
Pishillbury Wood
Pishillbury Wood
Private drive at Maidensgrove
I followed the right-hand edge of the common for about a hundred yards, then went right along a gravel drive to a farm complex. The path went slightly left here, continuing between the wooden fences of some paddocks to reach Doyley Wood. As I followed the twisting path downhill through the wood, I passed a clump of Yew trees.
A corner of Maidensgrove Common
The path from Maidensgrove to Doyley Wood
Doyley Wood
Doyley Wood - the dark trees on the right are Yews