Pete's Walks - Studham Common and Trowley Bottom (page 3 of 3)
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 along a street (Pickford Road, which I'd earlier crossed at Cheverell's Green), then turned right through a metal pedestrian gate in a half-circle of brick wall. Across another street I continued down an alleyway between houses (and then a large chapel on the right), to reach Buckwood Lane, where I turned left. I continued along the road when it left Markyate, then after three or four hundred yards I took a footpath on the left (starting by the drive to three properties). The path ran between hedges either side as it passed the properties, then entered a large field where it followed a long hedgerow on my left, curving a bit to the right and going very slightly uphill. It then continued along the edge of another field, before joining a track and continuing straight on, once again following a hedge on my left. Just after passing some farm buildings (at Buckwood Stubs) on my right, the path continued for almost three-quarters of a mile, with the adjoining Fareless Wood, Dedmansey Wood and finally Byslip Wood on my right. Finally the path went straight on through a small triangular bit of woodland to reach the part of Roe End Lane that is a byway.
Buckwood Road, after it leaves Markyate
The start of the path after I turned left from Buckwood Road
The path from Buckwood Road
The path from Buckwood Road
The path from Buckwood Road
The path from Buckwood Road
The path from Buckwood Road, near Buckwood Stubs
The path from Buckwood Road, passing Fareless Wood
The path from Buckwood Road, passing Byslip Wood
The path continuing through the small triangle of woodland
I turned right and followed the hedge-lined byway to its end, where I turned right along a drive coming from a sewage works for a few yards, before continuing in the same direction along the bottom of the eastern section of Studham Common. On nearing a road, I turned left and walked uphill through the grassy common to return to the car park where I'd started.
Roe End Lane (here a byway), heading to Studham Common
Roe End Lane, heading to Studham Common
The path along the bottom of the eastern section of Studham Common
The path after I turned left, heading up the common back to the car park
View back as I reached the car park on Studham Common
This was a very pleasant walk, on a beautiful, almost Spring-like, day. The forecast said the temperatures would be 5-7C, but it felt warmer than that to me. The only downside with the conditions were that the paths were often very muddy, causing me to slip and slide (the start on Studham Common was possibly the worst). I took extra care anywhere the path sloped to one side. There were no big or steep hills to go up or down (the steepest part was the beginning of Trowley Hill Road - I guess there was a clue in the name!) but there were enough undulations to prevent it becoming boring. The route was almost entirely on field paths with very little of it in woods, but again I didn't find this to be boring. There were few fine views to be had, but most of the route was through very pleasant countryside anyway so that wasn't a problem either. So it's certainly a route I'd be happy to walk again.