Pete's Walks- Coombe Hill and Redland End (page 3 of 5)
From the wood, a path followed a hedgerow on my left with views right towards Beacon Hill and Chequers. The path detoured round the gardens of Dirtywood Farm, then continued along the farm drive to a road. Across the road I started down the drive to Solinger House (so-called on the map, the gate at the start of the drive said Solinger Farm). When the drive turned left, I stayed on it, ignoring a footpath going straight on - I could have shortened the walk by almost three miles by taking that path, which I'd join later on. When the drive turned right, I went through a gate ahead of me, then immediately turned left along a path in Knighton's Hill Wood (this was the first of today's paths that I'd not walked before). I passed through an area of conifers, then the wood became more of a typical Chiltern beech wood. The path rose fairly steeply uphill, then turned right, now close to a field on my left.
View ahead from where the path leaves Widnell Wood - you can see where the path turns right to start a detour round the garden of Dirtywood Farm
Looking right from the footpath, just before Dirtywood Farm, to Beacon Hill and Chequers (on the right)
The start of the drive to Solinger House (the sign on the gate says Solinger Farm)
The drive to Solinger House
The start of the path through Knighton's Hill Wood
The path through Knighton's Hill Wood (steeper than the photo makes it look)
The path through Knighton's Hill Wood
The path through Knighton's Hill Wood
Further on the path passed between areas of conifers on either side, then crossed a track to reach the corner of a large field extending away to my left (towards Hampden House, though I couldn't see it). I remembered this field, as the Chiltern Way crosses it. The path carried on along the right edge of the field, then entered another wood, Barne's Grove. Partway through the wood another path joined from the left, and I was now back in familiar territory as I was on the route of the Chiltern Way. I was also now on a stretch of the ancient earthwork called Grim's Ditch.
The path through Knighton's Hill Wood
The path approaching the large field near Hampden House
The path continuing beyond the large field, heading towards Redland End
The path heading towards Redland End, now on a section of the Grim's Ditch ancient earthwork
The path ended at a road junction in the hamlet of Redland End, where I crossed over and took the lane opposite. After a couple of hundred yards I left the Chiltern Way route and took a footpath on the right, which ran through Hillock Wood (I've walked this path before, but only a couple of times). I had to watch carefully for white arrows on trees as the path was a little unclear at first, but it soon became a very clear track - like several other paths today, it was still quite icy in places. I followed the path for about half a mile until it reached a bridleway, with the wooded Chiltern escarpment dropping away in front of me.
The start of the footpath going west from Redland End, through Hillock Wood
The footpath going west from Redland End, through Hillock Wood
The footpath going west from Redland End, through Hillock Wood