Pete's Walks- Pitstone Hill and Clipper Down (page 2 of 2)
On the far side of Walk Wood I reached a lane. On the far side a bridleway continued through a stable yard and along a track. I soon spotted more Wood Anemones in the hedge on my right. I turned left when a path crossed the track, going across a field to a small hedge gap, then going half-left across a larger ploughed field. On the far side of this field, I turned left along the drive from Duncombe Farm.
The track leaving the stable yard
The path near Duncombe Farm, looking ahead to Clipper Down
View over Duncombe Farm
The drive from Duncombe Farm
After a couple of hundred yards I took a hedge-lined path on the right. This soon took me to a gate and a stile, where the path went left and began a very gradual rise up the grassy slopes of Clipper Down. I was disappointed that there was no sign of any Cowslips here, as I remembered once seeing a massive number of them here. There were sheep and lambs grazing near the top of the slope, and a Green Woodpecker flew up out of the grass just ahead of me.
Start of the footpath to Clipper Down
The path up Clipper Down
The path up Clipper Down
The path up Clipper Down
The path near the top of Clipper Down
At the top of Clipper Down, the path terminated at the track between the Bridgewater Monument in Ashridge and Ivinghoe Beacon, by some kennels. I turned left along the track for a few hundred yards, until a broad path forked left downhill. Beyond a stile this soon emerged from the trees and continued easily downhill towards the open grass area at the foot of Steps Hill. When it eventually met the Ridgeway, coming down from Steps Hill on my right, I turrned left and followed a fence for half a mile to return to the car park where I'd started from.
View from Clipper Down over Pitstone Hill towards Aston Hill
The drive from the kennels on Clipper Down (part of the main track from Ashridge to Ivinghoe Beacon)
The path that forks left and descends to the foot of Steps Hill
The path descending to the foot of Steps Hill
The path descending to the foot of Steps Hill
Near the foot of Steps Hill
Following part of the Ridgeway, back to the car park
This was a very pleasant short walk on a beautiful Spring morning - I just felt frustrated that I wasn't able to do a much longer walk on such a fine day. But it felt good to get out and get some fresh air, and it was wonderful to feel that finally Spring really had arrived, after a very long and hard Winter. It was nice to see a few wildflowers, and to finally see some butterflies (I also saw a Brimstone and three others that I didn't see well enough to identify).