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.
I was walking slightly quicker than usual, wanting to get what I thought would be a rather boring three-and-a-half mile section along the Ridgeway over with as soon as possible. In fact it wasn't boring at all, it was easy walking with frequent views over pleasant countryside - its only limitation was that it was very flat. Soon after crossing a track I reached a long chalky section that runs between old chalk pits at Chinnor (they're hidden behind tall hedges, so I didn't really notice them). This brought me to another road (from Chinnor to Bledlow Ridge, I'd walk a short section of it a bit later). The Ridgeway continued as a chalky drive, and after about another quarter of a mile I finally turned off it, going right where a footpath crossed.
The Ridgeway
The Ridgeway
The Ridgeway (the wooded hill is Crowell Hill)
The Ridgeway, where it runs between the old chalk quarries at Chinnor
The Ridgeway near Chinnor, approaching the junction where I turned right
Looking left, towards Chinnor, from the junction where I turned right
The path ran a short way between bushes then started climbing steadily up the wooded Chinnor Hill, another part of the Chiltern escarpment. I noticed quite a few Yew trees here as I slowly made my way uphill, the path going up a short flight of 'steps' at one point. The gradient eased a bit after that, and within a fairly short distance I reached the top and the lane that runs along the top of Chinnor Hill, where I turned right.
Near the start of the path after I turned right off the Ridgeway
The path after I turned right, heading up Chinnor Hill
The path after I turned right, heading up Chinnor Hill
The path after I turned right, heading up Chinnor Hill, about to go up the 'steps' (top left of photo)
The lane on top of Chinnor Hill
At the end of the lane I turned left, along the road from Chinnor to Bledlow Ridge that I'd crossed a short while ago. After a little way there was a wood on the right, and at its far end I turned right onto a bridleway going to Sprig's Alley. Initially I had fields close by on my right, but then I was fully enclosed by a beech wood. The bridleway now dropped very steeply downhill into a valley bottom, where I went straight on at a junction where another bridleway went left.
The short road section near Chinnor Hill
The start of the bridleway to Sprig's Alley
The bridleway to Sprig's Alley
The bridleway to Sprig's Alley
The bridleway to Sprig's Alley, where it descends steeply