Godden Green 07 Oct 2001

The detailed route follows this narrative.

If you fancy a nice meal and a good pint, followed by a decent stroll afterwards, this walk might be for you. It’s a good one after Christmas dinner, which you can also get at the pub.

The Bucks Head is very busy on Sundays if you want a meal, best to book ahead. As a result, they don't usually do bar meals on Sunday, but did oblige us with baked potatoes, as we were there dead on 12pm, (opening time).

They do an excellent pint of Adnams Red Flag autumn ale. The pub is well run and the landlord M. Kingsmill is a friendly chap, and no, I am not related to him nor have I shares in the pub. Credit where credit is due.

This walk takes you alongside a golf course initially, but soon takes you through ancient woodland and some pasture.

In the autumn, the woods have an abundance of fungi, particularly the fly agaric with its vivid red canopy covered in whitish spots.

Be warned that in winter, the bridle paths can get very wet and heavy going, so wear waterproof boots or wellingtons.

The Route:

Map: Ordnance Survey Explorer 147.

Start: The Bucks Head, Godden Green.

Grid reference: TQ553551

Distance: 4km (2.48 miles)

Duration: approx 1 hour 20 minutes

Facing the Bucks head pub from the road, turn right and follow the road for a few metres.

As soon as you draw level with the post box on the left, turn right and go across the green. At the other side enter a narrow alleyway, which takes you into woodland.

Just before you enter a golf course, the path divides. Take the left path and follow the footpath sign across the course. This will take you to the right of a line of birch trees.

Look for the entrance to the wood on your right and follow this path to the left. (If you miss the entrance, you can continue to the end of the green and rejoin the path there, golfers permitting).

Continue ahead into a copse after the last green to a path between two yellow marker posts.

The path emerges from the copse into the golf course again where you join a gravel path.

Just past a raised green on your right with wooden steps up to it, turn right into an enclosed footpath. It may be flooded, if so, go past it and turn right following a line of white marker posts.

Either route will take you to a gate, immediately leading to a road (Hall Hill).

Turn left onto the road and proceed along it until you reach Oak Bank Lodge. Turn right just after the Lodge into a bridleway going uphill. It gets quite steep near the top.

At the top of the bridleway, turn right on a metalled lane, then a few metres on, head to the left of the gate and house before you on another bridleway.

Keep on this bridleway for some 600 metres until you reach another metalled lane. Descend to the lane and turn right to follow it downhill.

Some 30 metres further on, turn right into a footpath continuing downhill. This path becomes a track and eventually emerges into a road.

Turn right here, until you reach a sharp right hand bend in the road. At this point, turn left towards Hall Place, and almost immediately cross the stile on your right.

Once in the field, turn left to follow the boundary downhill. At the bottom of the field, keep ahead into the wood on a track.

Follow this track without deviation, until you emerge once again at the green in Godden Green.