Pete's Walks - Ashridge, Frithsden, Ward's Hurst Farm (page 3 of 5)

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.

Google map of the walk

I crossed a minor road (the last section before this was very muddy, but fortunately not much more than it usually is), then the bridleway went half-right across a fairway and continued through a wide belt of trees with fairways either side. The bridleway continued through the golf course for several hundred yards. This was very muddy and I was constantly looking for the least muddy option. Beyond the golf course the bridleway continued straight on through woodland. After a while it ran for several hundred yards along a broad strip of grass with trees either side. Just after this ended, I passed close to Brickkiln Cottage (to my left) and almost immediately after this there was a huge meadow close by on my right (it is completely surrounded by trees and has a copse its in it middle). This whole section had been very muddy, making it less enjoyable than usual.

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The bridleway going through Berkhamsted Golf Club, after crossing a minor road

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The bridleway going past Berkhamsted Golf Club

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The bridleway continuing towards Brickkiln Cottage

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The bridleway continuing towards Brickkiln Cottage

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The bridleway continuing between Brickkiln Cottage and Coldharbour Farm

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The bridleway continuing between Brickkiln Cottage and Coldharbour Farm

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The bridleway continuing between Brickkiln Cottage and Coldharbour Farm

Eventually the bridleway reached a bend in a drive, with Coldharbour Farm on my left. The Ashridge Estate Boundary Trail goes left here, but I continued straight on along the drive (which gave me a brief respite from the mud) for maybe a hundred yards then took a path forking right into the trees. I followed this path for several hundred yards (again it was very muddy) until it reached a small car park on the Northchurch-Ringshall road (I was parked about a mile and a quarter to the right along this road).

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The drive continuing ahead from Coldharbour Farm (I forked right from the drive where it curves left, by a waymark post)

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The path forking right from the drive

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The path forking right from the drive

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Further along the path

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Further along the path

Across the road I continued along a bridleway through more of the Ashridge woods for a quarter of a mile or so, then turned right along a wide path that crossed the bridleway. Fairly soon I passed a pasture on my right which had white cattle in it, along with some Fallow Deer. I followed this path north for just over half a mile until it brought me to a small parking area next to the drive to the Bridgewater Monument. I turned left along the drive (it was unusually quiet today with only one or two car parked along the drive), keeping to the right as I approached the monument.

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Near the start of the bridleway on the other side of the road

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The footpath after I turned right, heading to the drive to the Bridgewater Monument

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Fallow Deer - one obviously didn't get the memo about wearing winter coats!

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Further along the path to the drive to the Bridgewater Monument

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Further along the path to the drive to the Bridgewater Monument

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The drive to the Bridgewater Monument