Time for another walk description. This is a lovely walk that I have completed many times over the years and usually plenty to see and find.
Distance: 5 miles maximum. No inclines and certainly no mud at present. I have pointed out alternative directions for those with scooters.
Parking at Tesco car park and take the path on to the roundabout at the start of Dukes Ride. After passing the letter box, turn right into Knight's Close and then bear left where there is a footpath between houses. Turn right on to a footpath covered in wood chip that comes to the bypass. Directly opposite is the footpath you need.
Walking along here, Great Plantings Wood on your right and open fields on you left there will be chances to see great and blue tits, yellowhammers in the hedgerow and the chance of a Great spotted woodpecker or Green woodpecker calling in the wood. Lots of good flowers along this path, especially Greater stitchwort with its 8 white petals fused into four groups. Also, red and white campion and at the moment, Briar and Dog rose in bloom, too. Beautiful flowers of pinks and whites.
This path drops down through a hedge. On you right, a farm track leading back to the A120 but you need to turn left into an open ride with a high hedge on the left and, after a few yards, East Wood on your right. This grassy ride is great for butterflies: Red admiral, Meadow brown, Peacock, Small tortoiseshell as well as Large and Small white. Also, lookout for Common blue that will be on the wing shortly. Walking through the long grass means you will inadvertently flush small micro moths and Dark bush crickets.
At the end of the wood (not the ride) is a track on your right that moves you to the other side of the hedge. From here, with the pylons on your right, follow straight on for half a mile before you come to a concrete bridge. Turn right just before this and head into Stocking Wood. A fantastic habitat and one of the best sites in the area for the more unusual butterflies such as Silver Washed Fritillary, Purple hairstreak and White letter hairstreak. These will be flying late June through to early August. Check the stream on your left as you wander through the wood.
Upon exiting the wood, turn left, over the steam and then immediately right towards a few houses. This path, adjacent to the stream, has a high row of trees in the edge and finally ends with some towering willow trees. You will arrive at a crossroads of paths. Turn right up a track and past Lower Farm where the lane becomes tarmacked. Here there is a pond, past a house called Tomways and on to the Green. Here, on your left a huge horse chestnut tree and nearby, a bench for a break and a snack.
When completed your refreshments, walk straight in front of you along the green, passing a pond and telephone box, left and right, respectively. Soon after a thatched cottage on your right the road forks. Take the left hand lane and almost immediately there will be a footpath with a wooden bridge over a ditch. (For those with mobility scooters I recommend just carrying on along the lane, called Millfield Lane bearing sharp right after the wood on your left. Here there will be a banner saying Silver Leys polo club
Back on the footpath you will pass through a couple of gates in horse fields before coming to a wider track. Either: a.) carry on up the track until you come to a concrete track, or b. Enter Millennium Wood through an old wooden kissing gate on your right just after you have passed a garden (also on the right). This is the 3.75 acre wood that I manage. Take the straight path up into the wood, passing a picnic bench and pond before emerging, by the entrance sign and turn right back on to Millfield Lane where you turn left.
If you chose to go straight on, turn right on to the concrete track, walk over a cattle grid and then another some 200 yards further along and join Millfield Lane on a corner where there will be a Silver Leys Polo club banner.
Carry on along the tarmac lane, past Millfield Cottage on your left. This is the only house along this part of the lane. Almost directly opposite, on your right is a footpath. Take this and follow it all along until you come out opposite Attwell Farm in Green Street. Here, take a right to a junction by the village noticeboard and cross over to take the footpath that will bring you back to East Wood and the ride where the butterflies should be. Retrace your steps back to Tesco. Note: if on a mobility scooter ignore the footpath opposite the cottage and just carry on along Millfield Lane until you come to a lane on your right after 800 yards or so. Take this and it will rejoin the route at Attwell Farmhouse in Green Street.
This sounds a lot more complicated than it actually is. All footpaths are well marked and in good condition so you can't go too far wrong at any point (unless you take the wrong turning!) I, as always, advise an Ordnance Survey map Sheet 194 Explorer series. Sheet 167 Landranger series.
As always, comments, improvements, corrections and photos most welcome.
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| White letter hairstreak |
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| Silver washed fritillary |
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