Pete's Walks- Cowleaze Wood, Studdridge Farm, Christmas Common (page 2 of 5)
I went right for maybe a hundred yards along the road, then took a footpath on the other side that went through Commonhill Wood. Just a short way into the wood the right of way kept left when the track it was following forked. Soon the path passed close to some paddocks over to my left After walking through the wood for about half a mile, the right of way went straight on as the track turned left and within a few yards I came to a stile on the edge of the wood. The path continued across an empty pasture, then went over a drive and carried on along a surfaced track beside a large field on my right.
The start of the path through Commonhill Wood
Near the start of the path through Commonhill Wood, where it forks left
The path through Commonhill Wood
The path through Commonhill Wood, where it forks right from the track
The path continuing from Commonhill Wood across an empty pasture
The path continuing along the edge of a large field - I turned sharply right in the field corner to go back diagonally across this field
At a path junction in the next field corner, I turned sharply right to go diagonally across the large field. This path was part of the Chiltern Way, and I think I last walked this path when I did that long-distance path in 2007. I first headed to the nearest corner of what looked like a small copse in the middle of the field, but what was actually a tree-lined pond or reservoir. I turned left along the edge of the trees, before continuing across the field to a gate in the far corner. I was now on the drive to Studdridge Farm, where I had intended to follow the route of the Chiltern Way through the yard and garden of the farm. However a sign on a gate on the other side of the drive indicated a permissive path that avoided the yard and garden and rejoined the Chiltern Way a little further on, so I decided to go that way instead (partly because I'd not done it before, partly because I'm never too keen on walking through farmyards and gardens). Through the gate I followed the left-hand hedge of an empty pasture (the one I'd just crossed after coming out of Commonhill Wood) for a few yards, then went through a gate on the left and crossed a larger pasture, with the farm over to my left. The path led to a gate in another field, where I rejoined the route of the Chiltern Way.
The path across the field, next to the tree-lined pond or reservoir
The permissive path around Studdridge Farm (sorry about the picture quality, I was looking straight into the sun for much of this section of the walk)
The permissive path around Studdridge Farm
I turned right to follow the edge of the field, with a nice view to my left over a series of wooded hills (unfortunately I was looking almost straight into the sun on this part of the walk and had difficulty getting any decent photographs). The path then went through a short bit of woodland (I went straight on when another path went left at a junction) to emerge in another field. Here I immediately spotted three Fallow bucks and managed to take a few photos before they ran off. As I walked downhill along the edge of the field, with the wood on my right, I spotted a group of about 15 female Fallow deer in the trees.
Looking southeast from where I joined the Chiltern Way near Studdridge Farm
A close-up shot of three Fallow bucks
The Chiltern Way descending towards Hartmoor Wood
In the field corner I entered the woods again and immediately came to another path junction. I had intended to go straight on, following the Chiltern Way route to Ibstone Common, but looking on the map I saw that I could also get there by turning left and following a path through Hartmoor Wood. As I'd not walked the path through the wood before I chose to go that way instead. I think this was a slightly less steep way, as the path gradually ascended the hill through the wood, which was mainly young beech and hazel. When the path reached the top edge of the wood it met another path (which I'd walked two or three times before). Here I turned right and followed the left edge of a field to reach the road through Ibstone, almost opposite the cricket pitch.
The footpath through Hartmoor Wood
The footpath through Hartmoor Wood
The footpath through Hartmoor Wood
The path into Ibstone
A Red Kite over the edge of Hartmoor Wood