Pete's Walks - Kensworth and Ivinghoe Beacon (page 2 of 4)
Across the church drive a path continued through a small meadow, bearing left, and then ran between fences behind some houses and through some paddocks to reach the long road through Little Gaddesden. I went a few yards right, then crossed over and walked through the car park of the Bridgewater Arms, a path then continuing between fences. On reaching a private drive I turned right, and followed it for a few hundred yards. It eventually deteriorated to a path, which led me on to a road in Ringshall.
Little Gaddesden church
The path from the car park of the Bridgewater Arms, Little Gaddesden
The private drive, Little Gaddesden
The path continuing from the private drive towards Ringshall
I went a short distance left, then when the houses on the right ended I turned right to enter the extensive woods of Ashridge (a large estate owned by the National Trust). As I entered the woods I took a bridleway going half-left (here I saw a couple of Jays on the path). I passed one junction going right and shortly afterwards came to a major path crossroads where I turned right on a broad grassy track (this was also very muddy, it has been unusually wet recently, so much so that I was wearing my gaiters again). I followed the track through the attractive woodland for a good distance, probably two-thirds of a mile - it actually continues further than shown on the OS map, eventually nearing the Ivinghoe Beacon to Ringshall road by the entrance to Ward's Hurst Farm, then curving left to reach the main track from the Bridgewater monument to Ivinghoe Beacon
Entering the woods of Ashridge, near Ringshall
The bridleway through Ashridge
The bridleway through Ashridge
The bridleway through Ashridge
As I turned right along the track, there were bluebells in the woods either side, but they were a little past their best (I missed the best time to see them as it had been wet the previous two weekends). The track soon went past the kennels on Clipper Down, and maybe half a mile later I reached a cattle grid, beyond which I turned onto a path going slightly left towards Steps Hill.
Bluebells in Ashridge, near Duncombe Terrace (I was a week or two too late to see them at their best)
The main track from the Bridgewater Monument to Ivinghoe Beacon, approaching the kennels on Clipper Down
The track continuing beyond the kennels
The drive from the kennels continuing towards the Ringshall road (there is a cattle grid in the dip in the track, beyond which I took a path going half-left to Steps Hill)
From about the same point, looking left over the Vale of Aylesbury
The path to Steps Hill
Looking left over Incombe Hole to the Vale of Aylesbury