Studham Common to Markyate

February 28th, 2009

Another short walk this morning – I’m still suffering with a bad chest, and have felt really tired after the short walks I’ve done the last couple of days. This morning I started at Studham Common and walked to Markyate, returning via Roe End.

I saw and heard a Skylark as I crossed Studham Common. I took the track that starts in the corner of the common by the waterworks – I’d always assumed this track was a Public Bridleway but the sign indicated it was a ‘Public Highway’.  The other end of the track is at the start of Roe End Lane, so it was obviously a lane in times gone by.

Where the ‘highway’ turnd left towards Roe End, I went straight on along a footpath that soon curved right, alongside Dedmansey Wood. Beyond the wood, I saw a Buzzard very high in the sky, and three other birds making a strange noise that I’d not heard before. They were quite big, possibly raptors, but I’ve no idea what they were.

The path took me to Markyate, which I immediately left by taking a long curving path towards Roe End. I followed Roe End Lane to its end (where the track I’d been on earlier continued ahead of me) and turned left down the farm track to Beechwood Home Farm. I saw the Guinea fowl that are usually around the farm environs, and continued my walk through Great Bradwin’s Wood (where I heard another Buzzard). On the far side of the wood it was then a short stroll back to my car.

Short local walk

February 27th, 2009

I’m still not feeling 100%, with a lot of congestion on my chest, so I just did a fairly short local walk this morning.

I took my usual route to Holywell, via the Whipsnade road and Dovehouse Lane. For a change, I walked through Holywell itself and then took the footpath to Studhamchurch. Just outside holywell there were two Hares in the centre of a large stubble field. As I got near Studham church, I saw two Lapwings, a distant mixed flock of Rooks and Jackdaws, and a small flock of Yellowhammers.

I walked through the woods near the church and across fields to Whipsnade Golf Course. I crossed about five fairways and took the path along the edge of Whipsnade Zoo – there was a large flock of Lapwings in one of the zoo paddocks, and I heard a Skylark (as I did in two or three other places today).

I followed the old lane from Holywell to Whipsnade, and took the path to Whipsnade church.  On the way back to Kensworth I explored parts of Whipsnade Heath that I’d not visited since I was a child.

Stroll round Ashridge

February 26th, 2009

I haven’t been for a walk for ages – unfortunately I’ve had a cold/sore throat/chest infection for a couple of weeks or so. My chest is still very congested, but I managed to stroll round Ashridge for a couple of hours this morning.

I saw a Treecreeper, a Great Spotted Woodpecker, a large flock of Redwings and a pair of Buzzards. I saw about 30 Fallow deer in the large pasture beside the Ringshall-Berkhamsted road, and another group of about a dozen just the other side of that road. I followed a few paths I’d not taken before – I didn’t have a set route when I set off, just a rough idea of the area I wanted to walk through, and I diverted down inteersting-looking paths whenever the fancy took me. This was a stroll to enjoy nature, rather than a proper walk, and very pleasant and relaxing it was too!

Redbourn walk in the snow

February 12th, 2009

Yesterday (Wednesday, 11th February 2009) I did a variation of my circular walk from Kensworth to Redbourn and back. I did it in the anti-clockwise direction, which I’d only done once before. It was a cold day, with several inches of snow on the ground still. Some paths were very icy indeed, whereas others were very muddy – I realised that it depended on whether the path was on the southern side of the hedgerow (muddy) or the northern side (icy). The snow, ice and mud made for slow and tiring walking – the walk took about five and three quarter hours, around an hour or so longer than usual (though I had varied the route slightly).

I set off just before 10am. I took the very familiar route to Holywell, via the Whipsnade Road and Dovehouse Lane – the larger of the two fields between these roads was covered in several inches of snow that crunched pleasingly under my boots. From Holywell I took the path to Byslips road, crossing another large field of crunchy snow. I continued on and took the green lane that is the extension of Roe End Lane – in places there was a ‘stream’ of water running on a gravel bed in the centre of the path, with some interesting ice formations above it.

From Roe End I took the field path to Cheverell’s Green on the edge of Markyate, and briefly went down Friendless Lane. I took the usual path that runs parallel to the lane, but after a few fields I turned right on to a permissive path, which I’d not used before. This followed a hedgerow downhill to reach a lane running along a valley bottom, where I turned left. After about a third of a mile I reached a bend where the lane turned left and went uphill, but I continued ahead along a bridleway, still following the valley bottom and now back on my normal route.

The bridleway took me to Trowley Bottom. Here I again deviated from my usual route by forking left onto a bridleway – I was now following a route to Redbourn that I’d walked in the opposite direction when I did a walk from Studham Common to Briden’s Camp and Redbourn, a couple of weeks ago. The bridleway crossed the valley where I once met a boy fishing for alligators, and then I followed a footpath that ran for over a mile beside a left hand-hedge and then just inside the edge of a wood. This route is pleasanter but slightly longer than my usual route, which follows a farm track through huge fields to Flamsteadbury.

The path eventually turned left and crossed the M1 near a farm. I turned right and followed a path behind gardens to reach the huge green in the village of Redbourn. I stopped for lunch on a bench overlooking the cricket pitch. A Buzzard flew overhead just after I sat down. A friendly gentleman from Ireland stopped and chatted to me – he was visiting his niece and said how much he enjoyed walking the footpaths and bridleways in the summer months.

I was a bit worried as I set off after lunch – it had taken me over three hours to reach Redbourn, and I was only about halfway through the walk.  I usually prefer to get well over half the walk done before lunch. The skies had been a mixture of blue sky and clouds during the morning, but now grey clouds were becoming dominant. My path led past a couple of schools and on back into the countryside. I crossed another bridge back over the M1, and headed on back across the alligator valley (where I saw another Buzzard)  to reach Flamstead.

I took Friendless Lane for a few yards, then took a path on the right. I spotted a male Bullfinch her, flying along a hedgerow. It was then tough going over a ploughed field where the snow hid the line of the path, then there was a huge stubble field where the snow was again crunchy underfoot. When I reached a hedgerow, the path was solid ice and I had to take care as I followed it past some allotments to reach Markyate.

The path from Markyate followed a hedgerow on my right, through a couple of sports fields then a large field of stubble. This path was very wet and muddy, being on the southern side of the hedge. The only other time I did the walk in this direction, I went to the Lynch and on to Church End and Hollicks Lane, avoiding the long drag of three quarters of a mile along the main road through Kensworth. But the mud and snow had tired my legs, it was getting a bit late, and the grey clouds ahead reminded me that rain had been forecast for the late afternoon, so I continued on my usual route. The paddocks just before I reached the road in Kensworth were again very muddy. It was a weary trudge along the road through the village, but it seemed to go quite quickly, and I got home just before 4pm.

This was an interesting variation on a familiar walk, and I’m sure I’ll repeat it again sometime. I always like walking through snowy conditions, though it can be tiring on the legs. It was very tiring walking today – either the snow or mud was making it hard work, or else I was having to concentrate really hard on icy sections (which included all the lanes I walked). I really needed the exercise, having not had a long walk for a week.

Kensworth and everywhere (in the snow!)

February 3rd, 2009

We have just had the heaviest snowfall here for almost 20 years. Today I made the most of the conditions by doing my ‘Kensworth and everywhere’ walk – see http://www.petes-walks.co.uk/Chiltern%20Hills/Kensworth%20everywhere/everywhere1.htm.  The advantage of this walk is that I can cut it short at numerous points as it is never more than a few miles from my home. I didn’t expect to do the whole walk, as I thought 15 miles through snow would be tiring, but in the end I did do the full walk.

It was very sunny as I set off just before 10am, and remained so until about midday. I took lots of snowy photos as I followed Hollicks Lane to  Church End, then followed the Quarry path round to Dunstable Downs. I got talking to three different people as I walked round the quarry, the conditions making everyone unusually friendly and willing to talk to strangers. There were lots of people sledging on the Downs, the local schools obviously being closed. As I followed the path along the bottom of the Downs, the skies gradually clouded over. I saw a pair of Buzzards just before I reached Bison Hill (I’ve twice before seen one in this vicinity in recent weeks).

I followed the bridleway from Bison Hill to Whipsnade, and went down the old lane towards Hollywell. I varied  slightly from the route shown on my web site, turning along the path behind the zoo fence, but rejoined that route by Studham Church. I saw a Hare and another Buzzard between the zoo and Studham Church. The skies were now grey and overcast. I got a photo of a Kestrel near Studham school, while there was a brief snow shower. I ate my lunch on Studham Common, and carried on, soon experiencing another brief snow shower.

At Roe End, I had my last chance to shorten the walk, but chose to carry on to Markyate – I saw another Buzzard, carrying some prey and being harrassed by several rooks. As always I enjoyed the long path from Markyate that passes Dedmansey Wood, and continued on the usual route across to Holywell and back home via Dovehouse Lane and the Whipsnade Road.

It was just after 4pm when I got home, after almost six hours walking. This was quite slow, but due to the 200 photos I took and the fact that I was ploughing my way through snow for much of the walk.

I might add some of the photos to my web site at some point.

Pitstone Hill, Wigginton and Hastoe

January 31st, 2009

Today I did a circular walk from the car park at Pitstone Hill, Bucks. The walk was basically Walk 4 of my Chiltern Chain Walk but in the opposite (clockwise) direction and with an extension westwards from Wigginton to Hastoe (using a bit of Walk 5 of the Chiltern Chain Walk).

It was very cold in a bitter wind as I set off, but I soon warmed up as I climbed uphill to the track between the Monument and Ivinghoe Beacon. I soon descended again, and near Duncombe Farm I saw a small flock of Meadow Pipits. Rising back up into Ashridge once more, I saw some Fallow Deer near the Monument. I descended again, down to Aldbury, where I had to wait for a string of racehorses to pass before I could cross the road. Climbing back up into the trees, I passed some more Fallow Deer near the hamlet of Tom’s Hill.

On the way to Cow Roast I passed two fields with Alpacas in them.  When I reached Wigginton, I continued on the path following a section of Grim’s Ditch, which I use on Walk 5 of the Chiltern Chain Walk. When I reached the track called Browns Lane, I turned right to reach Hastoe, where I turned right again, following another bit of Walk 5  back towards Wigginton. As I followed the path through Tring Park, I stopped for lunch on a seat I’ve used several times before, overlooking Tring Park and a rather misty Vale of Aylesbury.

From Wigginton, the walk back to Pitstone Hill via Tring Station seemed to go very quickly. Again it was bitterly cold in the wind as I walked over the exposed chalk downland of Pitstone Hill, where I saw a Kesterl hunting. I was back at my car by about 2.45, having walked for only 4.5 hours – with hindsight, I wished I’d extended the walk further, beyond Hastoe. Nevertheless it was a very enjoyable walk, on a day that was bright and fairly sunny, and fairly pleasant when you were out of the wind.

Studham Common to Redbourn via Briden’s Camp

January 30th, 2009

Yesterday (Thursday, 29th January 2009) I did a new walk, starting from the car park on Studham Common, 2-3 miles from my home in Kensworth. By starting there, I was able to reach an area just north of Hemel Hempstead that I’d not explored before. The start and finish of the walk was on familiar paths, but the middle half of the walk was entirely new to me.

I am not going to give a detailed description, but I have created a map showing the route:

http://maps.google.co.uk/maps/ms?ie=UTF8&hl=en&msa=0&ll=51.811799,-0.460396&spn=0.09403,0.2211&z=12&msid=112467863617014694733.000461b316bfe1da962e0

The start of the walk followed part of my Kensworth-Little Gaddesden walk (and Walk 2 of the Chiltern Chain Walk), from Studham Common to the scout hut and on towards Gaddesden Row. But just before reaching the lane into Gaddesden Row, I turned left, and followed some field paths, crossing the lane at a different point and then continuing on further paths parallel to the minor road through Gaddesden Row. Near the Golden Parsonage I briefly followed a bit of the Chiltern Way, but soon diverged from it to follow paths to the intriguingly named hamlet of Briden’s Camp.

From Briden’s Camp, I followed a long series of bridleways that were entirely new to me, following a sequence of hedgerows and not passing any buildings at all. The countryside was gently undulating hills, typical of this part of the Chilterns, the brown fields interspersed by occasional woods.  I spotted two Buzzards at one point.

I crossed over a lane, and continued on a similar bridleway, before turning left and reaching the lane from Gaddesden Row to Redbourn. I turned right for a few yards, then turned left down an even narrower lane. After half a mile or so I took a path on the right, which after about a mile took me to Flamsteadbury. I dithered about cutting my planned route short here, but eventually carried on as planned. I followed the lane across the M1 to the edge of Redbourn, then turned left along the very edge of the village and re-crossed the motorway.

A delightful path then led through the edge of a wood, and then alongside hedgerows. I briefly followed a bit of the Hertfordshire Way towards Flamstead (passing the spot where I met a boy fishing for Alligators), then following a bridleway into Trowley Bottom.

The rest of my route followed the return section of my Kensworth-Redbourn walk, from Trowley Bottom to Friendless Lane, along the path parallel to the lane, and then from the edge of Markyate to Roe End. I followed the bridleway that is the continuation of Roe End Lane, following it to its conclusion at Studham Common (rather than turning off near Byslips Wood and heading back to Kensworth!).

This was a very enjoyable walk, it had been a while since I’d walked anywhere new. I enjoyed the new parts of the walk very much – the paths and bridleways were all very clear and well sign-posted, and the countryside was pleasant though unspectacular. The walk was 17 miles long (according to Google maps) and took me 5 and 3/4 hours to walk, which was good considering how muddy all the paths were (although I took hardly any photos). I chose not to record the walk for my web site, as the morning started out quite grey, but I’m sure I’ll do this walk, or a variation on it, again sometime when the weather and season is more conducive for photography.

Long Ashridge walk

January 24th, 2009

Today I did a long walk around Ashridge, a slight variation on my Alternative Ashridge Walk, turning it into a ‘figure-of-eight’. I started off from the Monument and followed my usual route towards Ivinghoe Beacon, continuing on over Steps Hill to Pitstone Hill and Aldbury Nowers, then taking the path across the golf course to Aldbury. Instead of continuing towards Tom’s Hill, I took the bridleway back steeply uphill to the Monument, where I stopped and had my lunch.

This circular walk is one that I’ve done many times over the last 20 years or so, and I really wanted to record it for my web site. Unfortunately the weather remained grey and rather dull all morning (it brightened up as I approached Aldbury), so I’m not sure whether I’ll be able to use the photos I took today.

After lunch I took a bridleway leading away from the drive to the Monument (the one I use at the start and end of the Shorter Ashridge Walk I’ve put on my web site). I basically kept straight on, crossing the road to Tom’s Hill and Aldbury, until I rejoined the route of the Alternative Ashridge Walk near Norcott Hill. I then followed the route of that walk, past Northchurch and on to Berkhamsted Golf Club, coming back via Frithsden Beeches. I went a different way for the last few hundred yards, just going round the other two sides of a rectangular block of woodland, which made a pleasant change.

It was sunny in the afternoon – if I’d known how the weather was going to turn out, I’d have done the two halves of the walk in the opposite order, so that I’d be able to photograph the walk I wanted to document in sunny conditions. Never mind! It had been quite frosty when I started out, but where the frost melted the paths became very muddy. There was still some ice in puddles in the late afternoon, though.

I saw three or four groups of Fallow Deer. Birds included a Buzzard, a Jay, a Kestrel and a Green Woodpecker. The walk took a little over six hours – maybe because of the mud, but more likely because I’m not fit!

Totternhoe walk in reverse

January 20th, 2009

Today I did my circular walk to Totternhoe once more, only doing it in the reverse direction (clockwise). This was the first time that I’d done it that way round. It was a beautiful day for a walk, with blue skies and just a few thin, white clouds high up. It was quite frosty in the morning, the temperature lifting to maybe 5-7C about lunchtime.

I saw a Treecreeper along the bridleway betwen Whipsnade and Bison Hill. I then saw a small flock of Fieldfares on Bison Hill. As I followed the foot of Dunstable Downs, just as I was about to turn left past the Gliding club, I managed to photograph a Kestrel sitting on a nearby bush.

In the bright sunlight there were some quite extensive views from the top of the castle site at Totternhoe Knolls. The footpaths were very muddy today, worse than I’d expected – I’d forgotten just how much rain we’ve had recently, mainly because its largely been overnight. The paths were particularly bad betwen Totternhoe and Sewell, which didn’t surprise me as I remembered them being bad on previous occasions.

I had lunch quite late, about 1.40pm, when I got back to the top of the Downs. It was nice to sit there on a bench, eating my sarnies and admiring the view over the Vale of Aylesbury. I then managed to get a photo of a Rook, which was sitting on a sign by the old car park. Unusually it was its own, Rooks normally flock together.

The path round the far side of the quarry was also pretty muddy, and I was disappointed not to see many birds at all there. Today I seemed to be quite keen to photograph birds rather than just go for a walk, and a few of the shots I took today may end up on my web site as they are better than those already there.

I got home about 3pm, having been walking for around five hours.

Walks added to web site

January 12th, 2009

I have just updated my web site (www.petes-walks.co.uk). I have added details of four recent local walks to the Chiltern Hills section, plus one or two more photographs.