Pete's Walks- West Wycombe and Moorend Common (page 2 of 6)
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.
After about a quarter of a mile I came to a path junction where I turned right, still in Widdenton Park Wood but now with an edge of the wood fairly close by on my left. After another quarter of a mile or so, the path turned slightly left and then left the wood, crossing a corn field to reach a minor road. Across the road, a permissive path went left, parallel to the road. After a few hundred yards this brought me to a gate, close to the road, where both a footpath and a bridleway started.
The path on Widdenton Park after I turned right (southwest)
The path continuing from Widdenton Park Wood to the road
Looking right from the same spot as the previous photo, towards Lane End
The permissive footpath, parallel to the road
I turned right onto the footpath, which I'd never used before. Initially this ran between part of Moor Wood and a hedge on my left, beyond which was a grassy field (through which the bridleway ran). When the field ended, the path turned right, now fully enclosed by Moor Wood. After a while the path ran with Moor Wood on my left and an area of rough grass, nettles and bushes on my right (a sign or waymark pointing right would have helped here). The path then continued a short way through Moor Wood again, before running between a hedge and the same wood on my right (there was a brief shower here, the only one I'd have on the walk). Finally, on reaching a corner of Moor Wood, the path crossed a couple of corn fields to reach a drive or private road in Moor Common.
The start of the path from the road to Moor Common
The path from the road to Moor Common
The path from the road to Moor Common, after it turns right in Moor Wood
The path from the road to Moor Common.
The path from the road to Moor Common
The path approaching Moor Common
The path approaching Moor Common
I followed the drive or private road to its end, where I turned sharply left onto a footpath that started along a roughly surfaced drive through a wooded section of Moorend Common. After passing some cottages I came to a path junction by the corner of a brick wall, where I went straight on - I was now back on familiar territory, in fact this was part of the route I walked last week. I followed the path through the woods of Moorend Common for almost another half a mile before, just after crossing a tiny plank bridge over an equally tiny streamlet, the path turned right and soon entered a more open area of the common. This was where I wanted to look for orchids - there were hundreds of them, though I was a little disappointed that they were still not fully in flower, in fact they weren't much different to when I was here last week. They were mainly Southern Marsh Orchids, though there were a few Heath Spotted Orchids as well.
Moor Common
The start of the path from Moor Common
The path through Moorend Common
The path through Moorend Common
The path through Moorend Common - it turns right shortly after this tiny bridge
Orchids on Moorend Common
Southern Marsh Orchids on Moorend Common
Heath Spotted Orchid on Moorend Common