Pete's Walks- Cowleaze Wood, Chinnor, Ibstone (page 2 of 7)
If you are considering walking this route yourself, please see my disclaimer. You may also like to see these notes about the maps and GPX files.
Further on I crossed a minor road coming from Kingston Blount on my left (I'd driven along it earlier on my way to Cowleaze Wood). A bit later I could see Chinnor Hill ahead of me, the whole escarpment still being thickly wooded up to and including that hill. Soon I could also see the outskirts of Chinnor ahead and to my left. I'd already seen several Red Kites, and now I saw what turned out to be my only Buzzard of the walk. As I passed south east of Chinnor there were old chalk pits on either side, some flooded, that were used by the cement works that used to be here. The Ridgeway had been fairly straight all the way so far, but it now ran in an absolutely straight line as it passed through the middle of the chalk pits.
The Ridgeway, just after crossing a minor road from Kingston Blount (I'd driven along this road on my way to Cowleaze Wood)
The Ridgeway
The Ridgeway, drawing near to Chinnor
The Ridgeway
One of the flooded chalk pits at Chinnor
The Ridgeway near Chinnor, running between the old chalk pits
I then crossed another minor road, from Chinnor to Bledlow Ridge, and continued along the Ridgeway for about another quarter of a mile, soon with views over the hedge on my left towards the edge of Chinnor. I then turned right at a path crossroads (I had been correct in my estimate that I'd be on the Ridgeway for an hour) and followed a path I'd never used before which almost immediately started to climb the wooded slopes of Chinnor Hill. The path gradually got steeper and steeper. I noticed a few Yew trees as I slowly puffed and panted my way up. At the steepest point, there were some little steps provided, and after them the gradient soon eased as the path followed a fence on my right to reach the lane that runs along the top of Chinnor Hill.
Near the end of my hour-long section along the Ridgeway, just after crossing the road from Chinnor to Bledlow Ridge
Looking towards Chinnor (note Chinnor church) from where I left the Ridgeway
The start of the path back up the Chiltern escarpment at Chinnor Hill
The path up Chinnor Hill
The path up Chinnor Hill
The path up Chinnor Hill
The path up Chinnor Hill
The path up Chinnor Hill - the steepest section where steps are provided!
Near the end of the path up Chinnor Hill
The short lane on Chinnor Hill