Pete's Walks- Watlington Hill and Wormsley (page 3 of 3)
I turned left and walked along the road (I don't know why, I would normally go left through the car park and continue on a short path through the trees to join the road further on). Two footpaths went right from the road, either side of the very narrow end of a wood. I took the second path, beyond the wood, which went across a large empty cattle pasture (heading for the left end of a row of conifers on the far side). The path continued through a narrow part of Shirburn Wood, where I had to take a detour round a fallen Beech tree. The next section of the path is quite delightful (at least in this direction, going downhill!) dropping down the grassy southern flank of Shirburn Hill, with extensive views ahead over the Oxfordshire Plain - the view was a bit misty today, though. There was a cold wind here, and I had to put my warm hat on for the first time today.
The path across the pasture near Shirburn Hill
The path near Shirburn Hill
The path continuing down the side of Shirburn Hill, looking out to the Oxfordshire Plain
At the foot of the slope, the path went through a gate and immediately turned right (a private track went straight on), and was soon running along the bottom edge of Shirburn Wood, with fields over the fence on my right. The path continued for some distance in this manner, turning right and then left again. After going through a gate, the path became wider and passed through an area of scrubby bushes at the foot of Pyrton Hill.
The path continuing around the western edge of Shirburn Wood
Looking back at Shirburn Hill
The path continuing around the western edge of Shirburn Wood
The path continuing along the foot of Pyrton Hill
The path ended at a private road where I turned left, soon passing a sawmill on the right. At the end of the private road a bridleway continued steadily uphill, with views to Pyrton Hill on my left. Near the top of the slope I turned onto a path that forked half-right at a kissing-gate. It stayed close to the right edge of a couple of empty sheep pastures to reach a road close to Christmas Common. I went a few yards right, then turned right at a road junction to go the quarter mile back to the Watlington Hill car park.
The drive or private road at Pyrton Hill House
The bridleway continuing from Pyrton Hill House
The bridleway continuing from Pyrton Hill House
Looking back towards the Oxfordshire Plain
The bridleway continuing from Pyrton Hill House
The path across the pastures, near Christmas Common
The path across the pastures, near Christmas Common
The road back to the car park on Watlington Hill
I thought this was a very good walk. It would obviously be better starting it at the Cowleaze Wood car park (as I originally intended), to save the unnecessary quarter mile road walk to and from Watlington Hill. In fact I've just remembered there is a small area of parking in Christmas Common, and I think if I did this walk again I'd try to start there. It took me slightly longer than I'd expected, about three hours and ten minutes - I'd say ten minutes could be accounted for by the muddy conditions everywhere, and there were several steepish uphill sections (by Chiltern standards). The two sections of the bridleway that I'd not walked before were both very pleasant, the first one from Northend being notable for some fine views (I'm sure I'll be able to incorporate that section into other walks in the future).