Bluebell Walks - Cowlease Woods, Aston Rowant and Ibstone in England.

Once Spring arrives in The Chilterns in England then out come the Bluebells in their millions and an excellent place to enjoy them is at Cowlease Woods and also by walking around Aston Rowant Nature Reserve.

In Southern England the bluebells usually appear around the end of April and into the first few weeks of May - this does of course depend on the weather - if it's a really cold April their appearance will be delayed.

Cowlease Woods - The bluebell display at Cowlease Woods is really amazing - over the years we have seen them take hold and gradually spread with the result that now there really are millions of them - and particularly after a rain shower their scent is very noticeable too. Apart from the bluebells the woods and surrounding area have marvellous trees, and once out into the open grassy areas you can find great displays of other wildflowers - especially carpets of cowslips and at the right time of year there are orchids on the grassy slopes. The wildlife is also excellent - this area of the Chilterns is now renowned for the huge number of red kites showing off their flying skills. There are also buzzards, woodpeckers, thrushes, finches, hawks and many other types of English birds to be seen.

This 8km walk described below starts off from the quite large car-park at Cowlease Woods - this is quite an unusual car-park because as of writing (May 2008) it is still free to park. On a nice Sunday afternoon the parking can be a little difficult as many people turn up to enjoy the area - any other time there is normally plenty of room though. Cowlease Woods can be reached by taking the A40 (marked to Chinnor and Thame) heading north-west from Stokenchurch - around a 3/4s of a mile along the A40 take the left hand turn marked to Watlington and Christmas Common - follow this as it goes over the m40 and then a little further along turn left into Cowlease Woods car-park.

The Walk. There a lots of paths within Cowlease Woods and no actual map available of these - many people do arrive at the woods and just make mini-circuits wandering all over the place and over the years paths have been created. Our walk assumes you have turned into the car park and then turned left and parked around 200 yards along. From here a path heads straight off into the woods - follow this generally keeping straight ahead - cross over a wide often muddy grassy track and continue ahead. Eventually you will arrive at a field edge and a very broad path - if the bluebells are out would have by then passed about 20 trillion of them. Turn right and follow this wide path with fields on the left until it reaches a stile and gate.

The fields ahead slope quite steeply down - you can see a collection of farm buildings down in the dip a little on the left and on the other side of the valley a wooded ridge. If you do not see at least half a dozen red kites showing off around here then you are truly unlucky. Go through the wooden gate and keep ahead walking down the field to reach a stile quite hidden in the hedgerow. This takes you onto a narrow lane - turn left and then around 50 yards along turn right through hedgerow and via a gate to then walk past the farm buildings which are now on your left. Follow the path to shortly reach a gate - go on through and walk half left up to a stile at the wood edge (this field was covered in cowslips the last time we walked it in May 2008 and there were many red kites too. Once over the stile the path enters woodland and wanders up to reach a green cross-track. The motorway noise is very evident now and will stay whilst you walk for a time unfortunately.

Turn left on along the green track and walk along the top of the ridge to reach a tarmac road and an m40 road-bridge. Turn right gong across the roadbridge and around half a mile along look out for wooden steps on the left. Climb the steps and follow the path to reach a very small lane - turn left along the lane to reach the Aston Rowant Nature Reserve car park which is on the right. Walk through the car park and then leave it by a path which goes off from the left hand corner. The motorway is now very close to you on the left although you cannot see it unless you climb a few yards up a bank. Ignore any side paths coming in from the right - just follow the path as it heads down - with steep chalk grassy areas on the right - to finally reach The Ridgeway National Trail.
Turn left on The Ridgeway - soon going under the M40 via an extremely ugly concrete mess of a bridge - to then arrive at a small tarmac lane - The Ridgeway itself continues straight ahead. However turn left along this lane to where the surfaced area ends a little way along. Here you have two choices for the return to Cowlease Woods. If you take the stile on the left you can walk back mostly by climbing up and across grassy slopes but always staying in the same basic direction to eventually reach a wide track - turn right and follow this back to Cowlease Woods. Alternatively if you fancy a walk up a nice steep rough track then keep ahead and stay on this track to reach Cowlease Woods that way.

Ibstone Circular - This circular walk of around 10kms also offers the opportunity to view serial bluebells - however the walk is much harder with two very steep climbs plus a couple of short but even steeper knee-benders.

To get to the start take the A40 (marked to Chinnor and Thame) heading north-west from Stokenchurch - around a 3/4s of a mile along the A40 take the left hand turn marked to Watlington and Christmas Common. Stay on this road as it crosses the m40 and continue on past the Cowlease Woods car-park. At Watlington road junction stay ahead and then shortly you reach Christmas Common road junction. Go left and you will see a parking area on the right alongside the hedgerow - there is parking for around 8 cars here.

The Walk. Take the narrow lane (Holland Ridge Lane) which is signposted to Stonor - this initially passes some houses and then becomes a sunken track. The track is really nice to walk along - moss sided banks, lots of bluebells and other wild flowers plus plenty of birds flying around. Follow the lane until just before Holland Ridge Farm - take a signed path on the left (The Oxfordshire Way) - go along and then half left down the field to enter Fire Wood. This area has millions of bluebells on show. At the path junction go right now on a track - this track goes through the woods then swings round to eventually pass Turville Park Farm. Stay on what is now a green track with fields on the right and the trees and hedgerow on the left - look for a gap in the hedgerow and continue on the path - now with the hedging on the right of course. When you reach a cross track by a barn go left steeply up hill - you reach some trees but the path continues climbing now with a thin line of trees either side. When you reach a metal kissing gate on the left go through here into a field - cross the fields plus two more fields to reach the lawns of a fairly large house on the left.

The path continues to the left edge of the lawn and then goes through a metal gate and ends up shortly on a narrow road opposite a bus shelter (Turville Heath). Go right on the road and almost immediately go left at the junction (signposted Turville) and follow this for a short distance - look for a signed footpath on the left - follow this along to reach Turville Heath. Bear left across the common and find a path leaving between houses - this very stoney and sunken path goes quite steeply down through woods - then flattens a little to eventually reach Hollow Way Lane. Cross this sunken lane, go up the bank and turn right - follow this unmarked path through the woods. Cross a private road and then bearing slightly left keep to the main path - ignore a path on the left and then at the next junction take the left hand path (no.14). This crosses a concrete road and then arrives at a stile at a field edge - cross the stile and walk up very steeply to another stile.

Continue on up heading along the side of the valley - this is always a really good spot for seeing red kites - they fly in very low and there are lots of them. The path ends at a stile on the right - cross this into woods - now another short but really steep climb takes further into the woods - the path bears left but ahead of you is Ibstone Church - this pretty church is surrounded by lots of trees and there are always plenty of wild flowers around in the Spring. There is a seat by the church and we have many a time picked this beautiful spot for our lunch break.

From the church return to the path - turn right and follow this path (still no.14) as it undulates through woodland - this is another good area for bluebells when in bloom. The path eventually drops down and at the bottom you will find a steep path leaving on the left - once up the top (and with usually aching legs due to it's steepness) you arrive at a driveway and with a narrow road just in front of you. Turn right along the narrow road and then shortly go left on a stoney track passing several houses and then crossing over onto Ibstone Common. Keep on the path staying on the left side of the Common - at the far end of the Common the path goes back into woods - here go left and follow the track - which soon turns into a sunken path. Heading steeply down hill look out for a path on the left - take this path which goes very steeply on down through the woods to reach a field edge. Continue around the field on the path to eventually reach a narrow track. Cross the track into a field, cross this to reach a private road - go ahead into the next field and at the far side reach another small road. Turn right and very shortly turn left along a grassy track. At the next track junction stay right and pass a decorative urn - continue on this wide grassy path (SH4) which eventually enters woodland and becomes more of a wide path. Follow this steadily climbing path (still SH4) until you get to the top of the woods. Ignore the first path leaving on the left - continue round to the right to reach another path going left (SH4 continues on). Take this left hand path - this location is an absolute mass of bluebells. The path arrives at a stoney track - turn left and continue on passing a house on the left - turn right at a junction and follow the grassy path pack to a road. Turn left and you are back at your start point.

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