Pete's Walks - Maidensgrove, Ibstone, Middle Assendon (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 turned right at a path junction by the edge of the wood, immediately leaving the wood at a new green metal gate (this used to be a stile, where I'd stopped more than once to eat my lunch) and crossing a meadow to reach a track called Hollandsridge Lane. The path continued on the other side, initially close to a tall hedge on the right, then bearing slightly left across a field and soon dropping downhill to reach Fire Wood. As I continued through the wood I remembered seeing Wood Anemones here before and soon spotted them again. After crossing a bridleway the path I was on became a bridleway, and I soon spotted my first Wood Sorrel of 2019, along with more Wood Anemones. On leaving the wood the bridleway continued along a valley with arable fields either side, passing a solitary tree.
For years now, when I've come this way I've turned right where a hedge comes in on that side, but today I was pleased to see the correct route of that footpath had been reinstated, so I forked right a short way before reaching the hedge. On reaching the hedge the path went through a gate, ran between fences a short while and then passed along a green alley between gardens either side. At its end, I crossed a narrow piece of common to reach the road through Northend (so named because of its position within the parish of Turville, I'd be passing though Southend later).
The path from College Wood to Hollandridge Lane
The path continuing across Hollandridge Lane
The path descending to Fire Wood
Fire Wood
Fire Wood
The bridleway continuing from Fire Wood
The path to Northend, after I turned right from the bridleway (I've not seen evidence of this bit of the path for years, so I've usually had to turn right alongside the hedge instead)
The path to Northend, after I turned right from the bridleway
I turned right and followed the lane for about a quarter of a mile until it turned right, where I went straight on for a few yards along Holloway Lane and then turned left along a bridleway, which soon passed Northend Farm and then turned right, entering the Wormsley Estate. Where the bridleway then turned left there is usually a fine view on the right towards Turville in its valley, but today it was very hazy. The bridleway continued along a track between hedgerows either side, where I remembered to look out for the Primroses I've seen here a couple of times before. At a gateway on the left there was a nice view over part of the Wormsley Valley, the bridleway then dropping downhill. Where the track then turned left, the bridleway continued straight on down an an old 'hollow way' with trees and hedges on the banks either side.
The road through Northend
The start of the bridleway down into the Wormsley Valley, near Northend Farm
Hazy view towards Turville, looking right from the bridleway down into the Wormsley Valley
The bridleway down into the Wormsley Valley
The bridleway down into the Wormsley Valley
View along part of the Wormsley Valley, looking left from the bridleway down into the Wormsley Valley
The bridleway down into the Wormsley Valley
The bridleway down into the Wormsley Valley