Pete's Walks - Watlington Hill, Maidensgrove and Southend (page 2 of 5)
The track descended slightly through the wood. When it turned left, a path continued on ahead through the trees for some distance, until it met a wide bridleway. Here I turned right, now in Shambridge Wood, following the bridleway as it soon curved right. I then took a permissive path on the left, that soon dropped down a fairly steep slope to reach a road in Pishill Bottom (the bridleway ended further along the road, so I could have followed it and then turned left to reach the same point).
The path through Greenfield Wood
The path through Greenfield Wood
The bridleway in Shambridge Wood
The permissive path through Shambridge Wood
Across the road a footpath led uphill through a wood to reach the northernmost corner of the huge grass expanse of Russell's Water Common. Here I turned left, following the edge of the wood on my left until after several hundred yards I reached a farm. Here I joined a bridleway, heading left to Pishill. I followed it for maybe a quarter of a mile, before turning right at a path crossroads and following the right edge of a meadow to reach Doyley Wood.
The path from Pishill Bottom to Russell's Water Common
The start of the path along the edge of Rusell's Water Common
The bridleway from Russell's Water Common, heading to Pishill
The bridleway from Russell's Water Common, heading to Pishill
The path to Doyley Wood
Looking east towards Stonor Park from the path to Doyley Wood
The path dropped steeply through the wood to reach a valley bottom, then climbed steadily up the opposite slope, where I passed a number of Yew trees. At the top of the hill, the path left the wood and continued between wooden fences with paddocks either side to reach some properties in the village of Maidensgrove. I then turned left along the edge of Maidensgrove Common to reach a pond in a corner, where I turned left along a drive past some other properties in Maidensgrove.
The path descending through Doyley Wood
Looking left from the path through Doyley Wood
The path starting to climb back up through Doyley Wood
The path going uphill through Doyley Wood
Approaching Maidensgrove from Doyley Wood
A corner of Maidensgrove Common