Two Dogs and an Awning

Tag: Turville

  • Hanger Wood Dew Pond

    Hanger Wood Dew Pond

    After almost four weeks at home I am away again in the caravan, this time it is for my annual fortnight trip to Cholsey Grange Farm CL.  Lynnie is staying at home for the first week so Crosby and I will be on our own.  The injury to my ankle is gradually improving and in the last week at home I managed a sixteen and fourteen mile walk in my walking boots so I am hoping I will be fully fit for our upcoming trip to the Yorkshire Dales.

    The beauty of returning to the Chilterns is there are some good hills to test my ankle and build up some stamina in my legs.  I intend walking the Yorkshire Three Peaks towards the end of September so I definitely need to build up the muscles following on from over two months of recuperation. 

    After pitching up yesterday I went for a short walk in the woods below the site but today I plan to get out for a couple of hours.  There are many potential routes from the site but the one I choose will take me into Hanger Wood, this is a walk I have done a couple of times previously but I am particularly interested to see if the Dew Pond in the woods has any water in it after such a prolonged dry spell.

    I leave the caravan site by going through the gate at the far end and turning left onto the footpath to head downhill into the woods.  

    At a junction of paths I turn right to follow the clear waymarked route through Twigside Bottom.

    I keep with the path through the bottom of the valley ignoring footpaths that head to the left and right.  It is a cracking afternoon, sunny but not too hot.  I am not looking forward to next week when the temperatures look set to soar again.

    I stay on the path until I reach Chequers Lane, a minor road at Gravesend, here I turn right and then within a short distance take a footpath on the left which heads uphill towards Hanger Wood.

    This ascent is a good test for my legs and I maintain a good pace as I head up the hill. As I near the woods there are  fine views down the valley over Fingest.

    After going through a gate the path continues to ascend into the woods.  Soon on my right is the Dew Pond that would have been dug into this woodland to provide water for livestock.  A dew pond has no water running into it, so only gathers rainfall.  After such a lengthy dry spell I fully expected to see it dry, however, remarkably there is water in it and evidence that it is being used by animals as a source of refreshment.

    On reaching a junction of paths I turn left and then at the next junction almost double back on myself following a path to the right.  This footpath follows the edge of the woodland.

    Staying on the path I am soon above Hanger Farm, here the path sweeps to the right and descends steadily towards Fingest.  I ignore a footpath on my left leading down a track and go through a gate to enter the edge of pastureland.

    This leads to a fenced and then hedged path that emerges back onto Chequers Lane near to Fingest church.  I turn left towards The Chequers Inn, in the church wall is a post box dating from the reign of King George V.

    At the junction I meet two women who are walking along each carrying a pint of beer. I comment on how it is a novel way of keeping hydrated when out walking and they explain they are on a walking pub crawl.  They started at the Stag and Huntsman in Hambledon, then visited the Frog at Skirmett and now in Fingest they are going to pop into the Chequers for another pint.  Just to ensure they keep topped up they are leaving each pub with a pint to drink along the trail.  They are American and are very enthusiastic about the countryside and the quaint pubs.  Apparently they are going to end their walk at the Bull & Butcher in Turville and then get a cab back to Henley-on-Thames for a night out!  

    I enjoy a pint and like a walk, but I never mix the two.  I am not sure what state these two are going to be in come 10.00 tonight.

    I now turn right and head past St Bartholomew’s church.  This Norman church has an unusual tower with a double gable, apparently it is the only one of its kind in the Country.

    As the road sweeps to the left I take a footpath on the right leading besides a property to reach a junction of paths.  Here I turn left and soon cross a minor road.

    Now the path continues under Turville Hill.  After going through a kissing gate I keep straight ahead across the Downs. On the hill to my right is Cobstone Mill which has featured in a number of films including Chitty-Chitty-Bang-Bang.  The two Americans I met earlier were very excited at the prospect of seeing this windmill.

    At a junction of paths I turn left into Turville and then turn right to walk by the church and then stay on this minor road as it heads out of the village.  Shortly before reaching Turville Valley Farm I join a bridleway on the right that runs through woodland parallel to the road. 

    After crossing a minor road I continue through Turville Wood and when the path forks go right to head steadily uphill on a track.

    This is another steady ascent and a good test of legs and lungs on a warm afternoon.   The path bends to the right and continues through a fine avenue of beech trees.

    Eventually as it starts to level out the path reaches a tarmac lane and I follow this back to Ibstone Common where the preparations are underway for the village fete tomorrow.

    At a junction I cross the road and return to the caravan down the driveway of Cholsey Grange.  It has been a cracking afternoon to be out, my walk has covered just over seven miles and my leg is showing no ill effects.  So tomorrow I will venture a bit further.

    You can view this 7 mile walk on OS Maps and download the GPX File Here

    To follow my walk you will need Ordnance Survey Explorer Map 171 – Chiltern Hills West

    5th August 2022

    © Two Dogs and an Awning (2022)

    All information on this site is provided free of charge and in good faith and no liability is accepted in respect of damage, loss or injury which might result from it.  To the best of my knowledge the routes are entirely on public rights of way or within areas that are open for public access.
    Walking can be hazardous and is done entirely at your own risk.  It is your responsibility to check your route and navigate using a map and compass.

  • Skirmett’s Roman Bricks

    Skirmett’s Roman Bricks

    On our travels I am always keen to find something interesting in an area which might not be a major tourist attraction but provides an insight into local history.  Around Ibstone many local villages have featured in films and TV programmes and I am sure keen followers flock to identify where scenes were shot.  Not being into TV or modern films I have little interest in these, but I do enjoy passing Cobstone Mill which features in Chitty Chitty Bang Bang.

    My interest lies in the slightly more obscure, and often the place or building I am interested in is identified by chatting to a local or looking at websites developed by local people.  The other evening I was looking at the Hambledon Parish Council website and discovered that a few buildings in Skirmett contain Roman bricks. I have previously walked through Skirmett but haven’t noticed the bricks, so today we are off to explore.

    We leave Cholsey Grange by heading along the farm driveway to reach Ibstone Common, we cross the road and continue along the lane (Gray’s Lane) until we reach a footpath on the left just before a white cottage.  This path leads steeply downhill into Parsonage Wood.  It is a cracking afternoon and this is a stunning bit of Beech woodland to be walking through.

    We stay with the path until we reach the edge of the churchyard of St Nicholas’ Church.  According to the church’s website there has been a church here for over a thousand years, the current building dates from about 1125. Unfortunately the church is locked so we can’t look inside.

    The church feels separated from the village, but apparently, until the time of the Black Death, the village of Ibstone was mainly located at the top of the lane.  Following the plague the main centre of the village moved a mile or so up the road towards the Common.

    From the church car park we turn left and then almost immediately right to head steeply downhill on a lane.  Within a few hundred metres we take a footpath on the left leading along the edge of Park Wood.  Sections of this woodland have been cleared recently opening up views into the valley.

    At a fork in the path we keep right and the path now follows the edge of the woods with a fence to our right.

    After passing through a kissing gate we head downhill on a clear footpath through trees and bushes.  This brings us to a gate onto access land where we go right to reach a gate into an arable field and cross this heading towards Turville.

    Following the footpath we reach a road in the village and turn left to pass the church and then take a right at the green to join School Lane.   

    Turville is one of those villages popular with film crews, amongst the programmes filmed here was the Vicar of Dibley.  Not something I watched but its popularity still draws people to this attractive village.  

    After passing the old school, which is now a nursery, we reach the end of School Lane and join a footpath.  After going through a gate we go straight on ignoring a path on the left and then soon pass another footpath on the right.  We then cross the field to our left on a path that leads diagonally across towards a minor road and woodland.

    After going through a gate we cross the road and enter Poynatts Wood.  We soon reach a field where we ignore a path to the right but keep straight on to re-enter the trees.  The footpath goes to the left and follows the contour line through another cracking bit of woodland.

    On leaving the woods the path descends towards Poynatts Farm.  To our left there are extensive views up the valley.

    On reaching a minor road in Skirmett we turn right and walk through the village passing the Frog pub and a number of attractive cottages.  We pass Stud Farm House and the road bends sharp to the right, but we turn left into Shogmoor Lane.  The barn to our left is one pf the properties in the village where roman bricks were re-used.

    Apparently the Romans had a number of villas along this valley as it was an important link between the River Thames and the Icknield Way and Ridgeway long distance routes.  When these villas fell into disrepair the bricks were incorporated into new buildings.  They can be identified by their thin irregular shapes.

    We now follow this lane for 250 metres to reach a bridleway on the right which we take to head uphill towards Hatchet Wood.  As we enter the woods there is a fork in the path and we keep to the right to head towards St Katherine’s Parmoor.

    This estate was once owned by the Knights Templar. In the 16th century it was the home of the Saunders family and in 1603 Mary Saunders and her husband Timothy Doyle extended the property. In 1860 Henry William Cripps QC purchased the property, this later passed to his son Charles Alfred Cripps QC who in 1914 became Lord Parmoor of Frieth.  His youngest son was Stafford Cripps the post war Chancellor of the Exchequer.

    When Lord Parmoor died in 1941 the house was let to King Zog of Albania, he had been forced into exile when Mussolini invaded his Country. In 1946 King Zog left for Egypt and the house lay empty for a while before the second Lord Parmoor sold it to the Community of St Katharine of Alexandria who had been bombed out of their home in Fulham.  In 1995 the last remaining member of the Community, Mother Christine, gave the house to Lady Ryder of The Sue Ryder Foundation, it has remained a separate charity providing a spiritual retreat.

    After passing the edge of the retreat we reach a minor road which we cross and turn left to join a path on the other side of the trees which runs besides the edge of a field.

    We stay with the path to go through gates and pass farm buildings and then at a junction of paths keep heading in a northerly direction towards Frieth.  In the village we turn left along a road and then very quickly take a right to follow a lane (Innings Road) towards Little Frieth.  At a junction with Spurgrove Lane we continue straight on along Innings Lane which soon becomes a track.  

    We ignore a path on the left leading to Adam’s Wood and continue along the track to reach Mousells Wood.  Here we stay with the track, not entering the woods, to reach a gateway into a field, joining the Chiltern Way to head across the field.

    On the far side of the field we enter Fingest Wood.

    The clear path leads us through the trees to a stile beside a gate.  From here there are fine views down the valley and in the distance we can see the caravans at Cholsey Grange.

    We now follow the Chiltern Way as it heads downhill into Fingest.

    At a minor road we turn left and walk through the village to pass the Chequers pub and church and then take a footpath on the right.  This goes through a gate and continues besides a wall to reach a junction of paths where go right to walk through Mill Hanging Wood.

    On reaching a junction of paths at Gravesend we turn left and follow the path through the bottom of the valley towards Twigside Bottom.

    After a mile and a half on this path we reach a junction of paths at a clearing and turn left to head uphill towards Cholsey Grange.

    It has been a cracking ten mile walk through some stunning woodland and we achieved our aim of finding some of the Roman bricks in Skirmett. 

    You can view this 10 mile walk on OS Maps and download the GPX File Here

    To follow my walk you will need Ordnance Survey Explorer Map 171 – Chiltern Hills West

    15th August 2021

    © Two Dogs and an Awning (2021)

    All information on this site is provided free of charge and in good faith and no liability is accepted in respect of damage, loss or injury which might result from it.  To the best of my knowledge the routes are entirely on public rights of way or within areas that are open for public access.
    Walking can be hazardous and is done entirely at your own risk.  It is your responsibility to check your route and navigate using a map and compass.

  • Another Stay At Cholsey Grange

    Another Stay At Cholsey Grange

    When we sit down to plan our caravan travel for a year we like to ensure we visit some new sites and explore different areas.  However, there are two sites that always feature in our travel plans: Brigholme Farm in Giggleswick and Cholsey Grange.  It is August so that means it is time for our annual trip to Cholsey Grange CL.

    As usual we are here for a couple of weeks, but I am on my own for the first week and then Lynnie is joining me for the second, so on arrival I set up solo and then wander out for a few miles.

    Today I am heading off with no set route planned.  I like walking in this way, when I reach a junction of paths I make a choice .  I often just choose a path because I have never walked it.  But over the years I have walked most of the paths around this part of the Chilterns.

    I leave through the gate at the far end of the caravan site.  Joining the footpath I turn left and walk downhill into the bottom of the valley and then turn right to walk through Twigside Bottom.  

    I follow the footpath through the bottom of the valley which is clearly marked with white arrows on trees.

    Then just before reaching a road at Gravesend I turn right on a footpath to head uphill.  Within fifty yards at a fork in the path I go left to follow the path through the bottom of Mill Hanging Wood.  At a junction of paths I continue straight on to reach a minor road.

    After crossing the road I follow a footpath which leads to a kissing gate onto the downland of Turville Hill. 

    Soon to my right I can see Cobstone Mill, built around 1816 the mill was used for grinding cereal until 1873.  It then fell into disrepair before being cosmetically restored in 1967 for the filming of Chitty Chitty Bang Bang.  Apparently in 1971 the actress Hayley Mills and her husband Ray Boulting purchased it and restored it.  The mill is a popular venue for filming and has featured in a number of films and TV programmes.

    The path across the downs leads to a kissing gate which I go through and then immediately turn left through a metal gate and walk into Turville where I turn right and follow the road out of the village.    I soon reach a belt of beech trees on the right and follow a well-used footpath to pass Turville Valley Farm and then cross a minor road.  When I reach a fork in the path I go left.

    The footpath now ascends besides Holloway Lane and then as it starts to level out the route continues along a minor road to reach Northend where I turn right on a track close to the village pond.

    This track leads to a gate into Wormsely Park.  This estate was acquired by Paul Getty in 1985 and has remained in his family ever since.   

    From this track there are fine views over parts of the estate,  in 1992 Paul Getty constructed a cricket ground on the estate which has attracted celebrity matches and has been used by overseas touring teams.  In 2013 it hosted a women’s test match between England and Australia.

    The track soon leads downhill to an estate road which I cross and continue along a track.

    At a crossing of tracks I ignore the option of turning right to return to Ibstone on the Chiltern Way, instead I keep with the track to reach a junction of paths near a clearing and turn right heading uphill.

    This is a long steady ascent through woodland but eventually the path levels out and reaches a gate which I go through and turn right to reach Ibstone Common.  I now cross the common, passing the large standing stone which was erected to mark the Millennium year in 2000.

    I continue across the common and then the village cricket pitch to reach the entrance driveway to Cholsey Grange.

    You can view this 8 mile walk on OS Maps and download the GPX File Here

    To follow my walk you will need Ordnance Survey Explorer Map 171 – Chiltern Hills West

    6th August 2021

    © Two Dogs and an Awning (2021)

    All information on this site is provided free of charge and in good faith and no liability is accepted in respect of damage, loss or injury which might result from it.  To the best of my knowledge the routes are entirely on public rights of way or within areas that are open for public access.
    Walking can be hazardous and is done entirely at your own risk.  It is your responsibility to check your route and navigate using a map and compass.

  • Mausoleums, a Deep Well and a Trig Point in the Chilterns

    Mausoleums, a Deep Well and a Trig Point in the Chilterns

    After a couple of days of short walks, today I am heading out for a fifteen-mile walk.  Increasingly I find that at least once a week I need to lace up the boots and head out for a good chunk of the day.  Yesterday evening I spotted a trig point in the area that I have yet to bag, it is about seven miles from Ibstone so perfect for combining with a decent walk.
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  • A Five Mile Stroll from Cholsey Grange CL

    A Five Mile Stroll from Cholsey Grange CL

    After a few weeks at home I am away again, this time back on familiar ground at Cholsey Grange CL.  I am here for a couple of weeks keeping an eye on things whilst the owners Ted and Jackie head off sailing.  Lynnie has stayed at home, we are still having work done on our house so she is “supervising” activities.
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  • A Five Mile Jaunt From Cholsey Grange CL

    A Five Mile Jaunt From Cholsey Grange CL

    I am back at Cholsey Grange CL for a few days whilst Lynnie stays locally with our daughter to make preparations for her wedding in June.  Since our last visit to this cracking CL there have been major changes with the installation of fully serviced hard standing pitches.  These have only recently been completed and we are one of the first visitors to try out the facilities.
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  • A Six-Mile Circuit to North End from Cholsey Grange

    A Six-Mile Circuit to North End from Cholsey Grange

    Today I am walking on my own and have decided to explore a few paths close to Cholsey Grange I haven’t previously walked, this is a hard task because over the years I have covered most paths in the area.
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  • Sixty Up!

    Sixty Up!

    After twelve days at home we are on the road again.  The weather has been really hot and the prolonged dry spell is starting to show its effects on the countryside. The positive is that the grass in the garden is not growing, but the negative has been the moorland fires.  We were particularly saddened to see the pictures of the fires around Saddleworth Moor.  It was just over month ago that we were walking there, it was dry then, to see the devastation and impact on the wildlife is heart breaking.
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  • Kites and Windmills

    Kites and Windmills

    We have now settled into our routine at Cholsey Grange CL.  With the site owners Ted and Jackie away for a couple of weeks we are looking after things for them.  This is a familiar role we have undertaken for a couple of years and it is a great place to be.  “Looking after” mainly involves meeting and greeting, keeping an eye on the garden and riding on Ted’s mower.  Also within my bailiwick is feeding the chickens and Perkin the cat.
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  • Cricket Memories and The White Hart

    Cricket Memories and The White Hart

    Once again we are packed up and back on the road, I am beginning to believe that like Ben Rumson, Lee Marvin’s character in Paint Your Wagon (another favourite film of mine), I was born under a wandering star.  These days I just can’t wait to get on the road.  It’s not that I don’t enjoy being back at home.  We have had a great time catching up with friends in recent weeks, but travelling and not knowing what’s round the next corner is always exhilarating.
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