Pete's Walks - Bledlow Ridge and Aston Rowant (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.
On reaching a track I took a footpath on the other side, which went left between fences and hedges. It then went through a hedge gap and initially followed a hedge on my left, before turning half-right and descending steeply through a field of Chicory. At one point here I saw a Painted Lady fly up from the path just in front of me, and a few yards later I spotted another one on the path that I managed to photograph. A third flew off as I reached the end of the path. I also noticed that some of the chicory was pink, something I'd never seen before (apparently it can also occasionally be white). On reaching Grange Farm Road (opposite Pophley's Farm, according to the Chiltern Way guidebook) I went a short way left and then over a stile (I think) in the hedge on my right. A path then led across a corner of a sheep pasture to another stile and a track named Collier's Lane (part of on old route by which coal was taken from Wales to London).
The path from Andridge Farm
The path from Andridge Farm, passing through a field of Chicory
Pink chicory
The path on the far side of Grange Farm Road
The path to Stokenchurch
I went a short way right along the track, then took a footpath forking left (that would take me towards Stokenchurch). This went fairly gently uphill across part of a large empty pasture, then went across a track and continued fairly level between a fence and a hedge on my left. I could now hear the noise of traffic on the M40 not to far away, and unfortunately this would become a feature of this walk. After several hundred yards the path switched to the left of the hedge. A short way further on I took a footpath forking left across an empty pasture (with an electric fence to my left). This then continued through a rough pasture with a few trees dotted about, to reach a lane or drive where I turned left to enter Stokenchurch. On coming to a T-junction, with a pub on my right, I turned right and followed a street which soon curved left and brought me to the main road through Stokenchurch, part of the A40. I crossed over and turned right (finally leaving the route of the Chiltern Way). The half-mile or so road walk I now had wasn't too interesting, but at least it was new to me. Just after the road bent left the A40 went off to the right, but I continued on (this road goes to Ibstone, I drive along it quite frequently to get to the start of walks). The pavement veered away from the road behind some trees for a bit - with hindsight I should have crossed to the other side of the road, because where the pavement emerged from the trees to cross a slip road down to the M40 I felt it was a bit dangerous as I couldn't really see the traffic coming from the right.
The path to Stokenchurch
The path to Stokenchurch
The path to Stokenchurch
The path to Stokenchurch
The path to Stokenchurch
The path to Stokenchurch
Entering Stokenchurch
The A40, heading out of Stokenchurch