CHILTERN SOCIETY WALKS
Prestwood walk Walks in
Walk 7
Walk 7
The Chilterns
Berkhamsted
Ashley Green and Hockeridge Wood
to Tring A41
An attractive, mainly level walk which takes you along paths and quiet lanes through fields and woods: Hockeridge Wood and Pancake Wood have been planted with a wide variety of ornamental and forest trees including traditional native species such as beech, oak, and cherry. Information plates at the base of some of the trees tell you more about them.
With Helen Lodge
Peterley Manor Farm
Hampden Road
Start: Parking in the village. Golden Eagle pub car park (with landlord’s permission).
A wonderful opportunity to combine a stroll round Access Information: Fairly level walk. Prestwood Nature Reserve with a lovely walk in the surrounding Refreshments:area. Golden Eagle pub.
4
Northchurch Lane
Prestwood Local Nature Reserve
Ashley Green and Hockeridge Wood Start/ Finish
3
Pancake Wood
Peterley Corner
6
Hog Lane
Turn left and follow this quiet lane for about
NinnywoodHog Farm
footpaths on your right, until you reach the kissing gate and cross a field with a hedge Hatches TERRAIN: A moderate walk, with the main Wood junction withclimb John's Lane near the on your right to meet another gate and a the start. Can be muddy in places. underpass. Turn right into John's Lane and path which turnsat right alongside a hedge then go through the gate on your left to and gently downhill to astiles gate at the Four Lower W take the path back through Hockeridge entrance to Hockeridge Wood. 2 Wood that you used MAPS: OS and Explorer 172 and Chiltern Society 12 earlier. Go through the Go through this gate follow the broad wood ignoring side paths and over a broad path up through the wood, ignoring any 2 REFRESHMENTS: The Polecat crossHead path. pubs side paths, and going straight over a and Kings at the right map. angles Otherwise, to it, until you picnic 1 atforestry pointtrack 8 on Hatches 2 to follow the path ahead of you Continue 3 Turn right, ignoring reach John's Lane. Lane in the Nature Reserve until you reach a gate on the edge of the the other road joining it from your left, and Hughenden wood; go through this and continue Valley uphill Valley just beforeTRANSPORT: the underpass turn left 48 along a PUBLIC Bus (Great Missenden-High along the hedgerow and then turn left bridleway. 4 Wycombe-Lane End). There are stops near point 3 through a gate, crossing the next field to on the the map and on either side track of the crossroads justof the Golden Eagle North reach the car park Follow bridleway along a concrete 0 0.5 pub. parallelof to point the A41,8.which then swings left south towards Marlin Chapel Farm. After passing 0 to the right of the farm, follow the bridleway round as it curves to the left, until you come to the end of a lane next to a house. 5 Turn left along the lane until it meets up with the lane at Clumber Cottage. 6
Lane Farm Heath End
Cherry Tree Farm
John’s Lane
Heath End Road
Copes Farm
2
Great Kingshill
Walks in the Chilterns
5
A416 Hoppers Farm
Start: Parking in the village. Golden Eagle pub car park (with landlord’s permission).
Route
1. Exit the car park onto the road, turn left and then left again into Perks Lane. Walk up Perks Lane for c600m, going past a footpath on the 16 left on a sharp right-hand bend. 2. As the lane nears the top of the hill, turn right into Longfield1Wood. Follow the white arrows on the trees through the Wood, staying on the main path for c1,500m until it meets a tall wood and wire stock fence on the left. Continue along this fence line until it meets a driveway and the brick gateposts of a large house. Follow the driveway until it reaches Hatches Lane. 3. At the lane turn right and after c50m take the footpath on the left. Follow it uphill, to the left side of the copse. At the brow of the hill, continue in the same direction and look 3 for the field gate in the hedge line ahead. Continue through this gate into the next field, heading for the far right corner. Go through the kissing gate and turn right towards the lane. Once on the lane turn left. 4. At the end of Pipers Lane head directly across the road junction and through the footpath gate behind the Cockpit Road sign. Follow the path across the field and through the hedge line. In the next field, with the hedge on the right, continue to the footpath marker post in the corner. Here, cut straight across the corner of the field towards the gap in 5 the hedge line. Do not go through the gap, instead turn left and follow the edge of the field with the hedge on the right.
Follow the bridleway along a concrete track parallel to the A41, which then swings left towards Marlin Chapel Farm. After passing to the right of the farm, follow the bridleway round as it curves to the left, until you come to the end of a lane next to a house. Turn left along the lane until it meets up with the lane at Clumber Cottage.
to Holmer 1 Green
4
Ashley Green 1km
½ mile
North 0
0 5. After c250m two footpaths join from the right. Take the second of these paths heading through the kissing gate. Ignore the path joining from the left and continue down, then up the hill to a kissing gate. Go through it and at the path junction continue straight ahead between two fences to a road. 6. Cross the road and follow the lane to Copes Farm. At the end of the drive go between the brick pillars and take the path to the righthand side of the gate. Follow this path over 2 a stile and through a kissing gate, continuing with the fence line on the left over a further two stiles. Once in the woods, head straight up the hill with the fence on the left, ignoring other paths, to the next road. 7. Cross the road and then turn left on the pavement. Continue past Hare Lane on the right and after 200m turn right into Shepherds Gate. The footpath starts from the 4 left-hand side of the driveway straight ahead. Go through the kissing gate and follow the path into a field. At the path fork take the left path diagonally crossing the field. At the track turn right on the bridleway. Continue to a kissing gate on the left, go through it and follow the perimeter of the field and wood for c400m. Then take the gate on the left into the woods. At the first path junction turn right to meet a road. 8. Cross the road into the woods. Follow the bridleway6waymarks and keep to the lefthand edge of the woods for 250m. Just
From the far end of the car park at the Golden Eagle pub, go through a metal kissing gate and cross a field with a hedge on your right to meet another gate and a path which turns right alongside a hedge and gently downhill to a gate at the entrance to Hockeridge Wood. Go through this gate and follow the broad path up through the wood, ignoring any side paths, and going straight over a forestry track at right angles to it, until you reach John’s Lane. Turn right, ignoring the other road joining it from your left, and just before the underpass turn left along a bridleway.
PH
3
Access Information: Fairly level walk.
Route
Hockeridge Wood
Birchmore Wood
Distance: 4 miles (allow 1 / hours)
Refreshments: Golden Eagle pub.
6 to Hemel Hempstead Orchard Farm
DISTANCE: 5.8 with c110m of three ascent quarters ofhave a mile, ignoring 1 miles, Golden Eagle pub, go through Hockeridge Wood anda metal Pancake Wood been two planted
with a wide variety of ornamental and forest trees including traditional native species such as beech, oak, and cherry. Information plates at the base of some of the trees tell you more about them.
Bramley Farm
1
An attractive, mainly levelReserve walk car which START: Prestwood Nature park,takes you along Route: Grid reflanes SU 866through 991 paths and quiet fields and woods: From the far end of the car park at the
Little Kingshill
Marlin Chapel
Peterley Peterley Wood W Farm FarmManor
5
Distance: 4 miles (allow 2 ½ hours)
1km
to Chesham
before the dell, take the first footpath on the left and follow it all the way to a road. 9. Cross the road and turn right, passing in front 17 of the Polecat Inn. Take the footpath on the left at the end of the Polecat car park. Head across the gravel to the paddock beyond and through the kissing gate in the far right-hand corner. Then follow the telegraph poles down the hill, heading to the far left corner of the field. Go through the kissing gate onto Perks Lane. Turn right and head down the hill back to the nature reserve car park. ½ mile
Turn left and follow this quiet lane for about three quarters of a mile, ignoring two footpaths on your right, until you reach the junction with John’s Lane near the underpass. Turn right into John’s Lane and then go through the gate on your left to take the path back through Hockeridge Wood that you used earlier. Go through the wood ignoring side ofpath. Interest paths and over aPoints broad cross Prestwood: The name has Anglo-Saxon origins and means priest-wood. It was formed as an
Ecclesiastical District in 1849 from parts of Continue to follow the path ahead of you until you Great Missenden, Hughenden and Hampden. reach a gate on the of were thebased wood; go through Majoredge industries on agriculture and parthedgerow of the Chilternsand was this and continuefurniture uphillmaking. alongThisthe famous for its cherry orchards and in the 19th then turn left through a gate, took crossing century Londoners day trips the to seenext the field to reach thespring car blossom. park of the Golden Eagle pub. Peterley Manor Farm: Farm shop, nursery and pick your own.
Helen Lodge saw the advert asking for volunteers to design walks for the Chiltern Society via Hughenden Valley Residents’ Association. While researching potential routes, it was a pleasant surprise to find footpaths she had not previously walked. She hopes that this route has managed to capture some of the stunning views in the area round Prestwood Nature Reserve. Map: Glyn Kuhn
The Chiltern Society is a local charity with 6,800 members. It is one of the largest environmental groups in England directly associated with the conservation of some of the country's finest protected landscapes. The objective of the charity is to care for the Chilterns, to encourage people to explore this beautiful landscape and to conserve it for future generations. It has over 400 active volunteers who protect the Chilterns' heritage landscapes, buildings and rivers, maintain Chiltern footpaths and bridleways, publish footpath maps, lead walks, cycle rides and photographic trips, and do conservation work on ponds , commons and woodland. For details of the charity’s work and its programme of walks, cycle rides and conservation groups open to all www.chilternsociety.org 01494 771250
6
Please mention Apsley Local when responding to adverts