The Rising Sun - Route 1

(S/E) From the pub, walk to the path which runs just adjacent to the car park and follow this path as far as the Stoke Row road. Cross the road with great care to a footpath almost directly opposite and follow this path up an incline, through a kissing gate, across a meadow, (from which there are good views), to another kissing gate. Pass through this and proceed until the path splits.

(1) Take the path on the right, passing through another kissing gate, and cross another meadow where there is usually a profusion of wild flowers in the summer to a further kissing gate. Pass through this and walk diagonally right across the Highmoor cricket ground, staying well clear of the actual cricket pitch, until a kissing gate is reached in the right hand corner adjacent to the Nettlebed Road (B481).

(2) Cross this busy road with care to the footpath opposite and proceed through woodland, ignoring a path to the left until a path to the right is reached. Take this path and continue to the edge of the woodland and take the left-hand path which runs diagonally left across the arable field and continue until a lane is reached (Rocky Lane).

(3) Cross this lane to a bridleway immediately opposite and follow this bridleway as it curves through Padnell’s Wood until a four way junction of paths is reached. Turn left here and walk to the edge of the wood, across a meadow, through a small wood, across another couple of meadows continuing straight ahead all the time via several kissing gates until the hamlet of Shepherd’s Green is reached. Walk straight ahead along the northern edge of the green until a footpath with a metal kissing gate is met on the right hand side of the track. Continue along this path, through and alongside paddocks via kissing gates, until a wood is reached and there is a split of paths.

(4) Take the path on the left and follow this straight ahead ignoring a path which cuts across it. Continue along this path which curves to the left in a descent, ignoring the permissive path to the right, the descent steepens and fairly soon after this, go through a wooden kissing gate into a meadow and follow the path across this to another wooden kissing gate which leads onto Rocky Lane again.

(5) Turn right and, after a short distance, take a path on the left into the National Trust woods and turn left to follow this permissive path for about 300 metres until the path splits. Take the left hand path and follow this through the woods until a cross section of bridleways is reached. Continue straight ahead in the same direction on the lower bridleway heading in a northerly direction until another a four way junction of paths is reached. Take the path on the left and walk though Tartary woods until at the end a stile is reached.

(6) Go over the stile and turn sharp left and walk up a short incline to reach a metalled road (bridleway) which goes through the Nettlebed Estate. Bear left on this and walk along the road through the Estate to a cattle grid with an adjacent metal gate. Go through the gate until Rocky Lane is reached.

(7) Turn right and then take a footpath almost immediately right through a bit of scrubland to an arable field. Follow the path diagonally left through this field (we are now following the outward route in the reverse direction back to the pub) walk a short distance into the woods and turn left at the path junction. Follow this path straight ahead to the B481, ignoring a path which leads off to the right.

(2) Cross the road with care, walk across the cricket ground, follow the path straight ahead through the kissing gates and down to cross the Stoke Row road, again with great care as the visibility of oncoming traffic is very poor here. Finally, walk across to the path opposite and back to The Rising Sun.(S/E)

The Nettlebed estate is owned by the Fleming family. It is rumoured that Ian Fleming came up with idea of James Bond while living on the estate.