Pete's Walks - North from Little Missenden (page 1 of 4)

If you are considering walking this route yourself, please see my disclaimer. You may also like to see these notes about the maps.

Google map of the walkDownload GPX file of the walk

I did this walk of about 8 miles on Saturday, 30th September 2017.

When I left home, I intended driving to Amersham Old Town and doing my next walk along the Chiltern Heritage Trail, walking from there to Little Missenden and back. It was only as I was actually driving past Little Missenden that the obvious thought dawned on me, that if I did it the other way round (from Little Missenden to Amersham Old Town and back) it would not only save on driving time, more importantly it would save on a parking fee (I normally only start walks from Amersham on a Sunday, when the car park is free!). So I parked opposite Little Missenden church, followed the road through the village and set off down Toby's Lane (actually a bridleway, one of several that I followed on my Lanes of Little Missenden walk I did this July). Unfortunately, after I'd gone about two-thirds of a mile I came across a 'Bridleway closed' sign. I now remembered that in July I'd seen warning signs about the bridleways being closed because of work on overhead cables (there is a line of giant pylons here). I could see a cable hanging down from a pylon just ahead, and could hear some workmen talking, so work was obviously in progress despite it being the weekend. I decided to go back to Little Missenden and start the next leg of the Chiltern Heritage Trail instead, from there to a village called The Lee. I couldn't remember if going that way I'd have to pass under the electricity lines or not - I soon found out that I did, and again the paths and bridleways were closed. So I returned to Little Missenden and, having quickly looked at my OS map, set out for a third time, this time heading north to explore a small part of the Chilterns that I'd not walked before. I was thankful that I had changed my plans and started from Little Missenden - if I'd started from Amersham Old Town and got within a mile of Little Missenden before having to turn back, it would really have complicated my plans for doing the rest of the Chiltern Heritage Trail - as it is, I just have to postpone the walks for a few weeks.

I set off (it was now 10.30am) by taking a path immediately west of Little Missenden church (grid reference SU 921989). This headed north along the right edge of a cattle pasture - I had to take a slight detour round a group of bullocks, who made a lot of noise but didn't move or follow me. Partway along the hedge I went over a concrete bridge over the tiny river Misbourne, which was not much more than a string of large puddles here. I then crossed over the A413 road, and continued north across a field to reach Mantle's Wood. Inside the wood the path went a few yards right, then went left over a railway bridge - a train passed by just as I was about to climb the steps. The path then continued its northerly direction through the wood. After a few hundred yards I reached a path fork, where I took the left fork and descended very slightly and soon reached the edge of the wood. The path was now heading more northwesterly, as it crossed a ploughed field to reach another part of Mantle's wood. It continued between the ploughed field on my left and the wood for a few hundred yards, hen when the edge of the wood turned right, the path went left across the field to another wood (the only name on the OS map is Hedgemoor)

Picture omitted

Little Missenden church

Picture omitted

The start of the path from next to Little Missenden church

Picture omitted

The river Misbourne, from the concrete bridge

Picture omitted

The start of the path going north, after I crossed the A413, heading to Mantle's Wood

Picture omitted

The railway bridge in Mantle's Wood

Picture omitted

The path continuing north through Mantle's Wood

Picture omitted

Where I forked left in Mantle's Wood

Picture omitted

The path between two parts of Mantle's Wood

Picture omitted

The path continuing along the western edge of Mantle's Wood

Picture omitted

The path from Mantle's Wood to Hedgemoor

The path followed the edge of the wood on my left for a little way, then cut through a small corner of the wood. Over a stile, it continued northwards through a large grassy field (where I was pleasantly surprised to see a couple of Small Copper butterflies). In the next field I met two groups of young people coming the other way (presumably doing their Duke of Edinburgh award or something, they had heavy rucksacks), and told them about the closed paths and bridleways on the other side of Little Missenden - they said they'd phone their teachers. The path went left round a corner in this field, over a stile and on through another grassy field, staying close to the tall hedge on the left - looking on my OS map now, it seems to have been re-routed slightly eastwards from the route the map shows. Beyond this field, I turned right along the road through the hamlet of Hyde End. Just after a junction where another road went right, I took a path on the left. This started down a drive, then after a hundred yards or so went slightly right (at a waymark post) through a corner of a small wood, then crossed a drive and went straight on through some sort of yard (another waymark pointed the way). Where the roadway through the yard turned left, I kept straight on to reach a stile in a fence. I then crossed a huge paddock, inhabited by just three horses, where I aimed for the far left corner. The path then continued along the left edge of the next field.

Picture omitted

The path continuing through a corner of Hedgemoor

 

Picture omitted

The path continuing north from Hedgemoor

Picture omitted

The path continuing from Hedgemoor, after turning half-right (northwest)

Picture omitted

The start of the path from Hyde End

Picture omitted

The path from Hyde End, where it cuts through a tiny corner of woodland to reach a yard

Picture omitted

The path from Hyde End, crossing  a very large paddock

Picture omitted

The path from Hyde End, in the field after the large paddock