Pete's Walks - Maidensgrove, Shepherd's Green and Nuffield (page 3 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.
After a hundred yards or so, I turned left and followed a path beside a hedge on my right uphill through a meadow to reach a wood. The path went through a gate into the wood, staying close to the right edge of the wood until after another gate it continued ahead through the middle of the wood - I think this is Sam's Wood, though the OS map isn't very clear. At the far corner of the wood the path continued between a hedge and a fence, and then along the left edge of a meadow to reach the attractive hamlet of Shepherd's Green.
Start of the path from Rocky Lane to Sam's Wood
The path to Sam's Wood
The path to Sam's Wood
The path from Sam's Wood to Shepherd's Green
The path from Sam's Wood to Shepherd's Green
I crossed a track or drive and continued beside a gravel drive along the right edge of the green (that presumably gives the hamlet its name). At the end of the gravel drive I continued on a few yards into a corner of the green, where a path continued between bushes, After a few yards I came to a path junction where I turned right, following a hedge on my right downhill through a meadow. The path then continued pleasantly through Overland's Wood before running between paddock fences to bring me to another part of Rocky Lane.
Shepherd's Green - I followed the drive and continued from the corner of the green
The path after I turned right on the edge of Shepherd's Green
Looking right, from near the start of the path
The path after I turned right on the edge of Shepherd's Green, entering Overland's Wood
Overland's Wood
The footpath continuing from Overland's Wood to Rocky Lane
I turned left, and followed the hedge-lined lane for several hundred yards until it turned left. Here I went right along a bridleway, then turned left after just a few yards onto another bridleway. I followed this bridleway through Holly Grove for about half a mile - I was pleased to see that much of the Rhododendron forest that used to be here had been cleared, leaving some open and sunny glades (in one of which I saw another Silver-washed Fritillary).
Rocky Lane
Rocky Lane
The start of the bridleway through Holly Grove
The bridleway through Holly Grove
The bridleway through Holly Grove
The bridleway through Holly Grove
The bridleway through Holly Grove
The bridleway through Holly Grove
The bridleway through Holly Grove
Silver-washed Fritillary (it's the colour on the underside of the wings that gives it its name)
The bridleway through Holly Grove