Pete's Walks - Coombe Hill, Cobblershill, Dunsmore (page 2 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 and GPX files.
I followed the lane through Little Hampden for about half a mile, until I reached the village church on the right (it dates back to the 12th century and apparently has 13th and 14th century wall paintings, though I've not been inside it). I took a bridleway opposite the church (I didn't spot any sign or waymark but I remembered I hadn't the only other time I had taken this bridleway, many years ago). This was soon following a hedgerow on my left, crossing a valley to reach Hampdenleaf Wood. The bridleway continued quite steeply up through the wood, crossing a footpath at one point. On leaving the wood, the bridleway continued between wire fences separating two pastures, and then along a grass strip between tall hedges to reach the centre of the hamlet of Cobblershill.
The lane through Little Hampden
The lane through Little Hampden
Little Hampden church
The start of the bridleway opposite Little Hampden church
The bridleway crossing a valley and heading towards Hampdenleaf Wood
The bridleway rising up through Hampdenleaf Wood
The bridleway rising up through Hampdenleaf Wood
The bridleway continuing from Hampdenleaf Wood to Cobblershill
The bridleway arriving in Cobblershill
Cobblershill (I turned left at the end of this drive, then right immediately after the sign in the hedge)
I turned left along the lane through the hamlet, but soon turned right onto a bridleway (with a garden hedge to my right) which soon entered Cockshoots Wood. I had intended to take a path going left a short way into the wood but failed to see it, so carried on until the bridleway emerged from the wood and joined a track. Here I turned left onto a bridleway that headed northwards through the wood. After a few yards I was a little concerned as other paths seemed to go left and half left and there was no indication which was the bridleway, but I went straight on (reassured by spotting some hoof prints) and soon saw a white arrow on a tree ahead of me. After that, it was straight forward following the white arrows through the wood, going straight on at a couple of path junctions. Eventually the bridleway brought me to a former car park and picnic area, which I continued through to reach Cobblershill Lane.
The bridleway entering Cockshoots Wood
The start of the bridleway through Cockshoots Wood, after I turned left
The bridleway through Cockshoots Wood
The bridleway through Cockshoots Wood
The bridleway through Cockshoots Wood
The bridleway through Cockshoots Wood
The bridleway through Cockshoots Wood