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Bluebells in Paget Woods
Directions
To resume the the walk from Fownhope,
retrace your steps up to Nupend and turn right to pick up
the bridle path opposite the path where you turned off the
route. The path leads up through woodland. Keep to the bridleway,
ignoring cross paths and following the blue arrows. Views
of Fownhope and the Wye can be seen on the right. The path
then drops down to pass behind a house, then continues down
to cross other tracks before rising up again alongside Common
Hill Nature Reserve.
A little further up the hill, the Wye
Valley Walk branches right, leaving this bridleway, crossing
a stile into another section of the Common Hill Nature Reserve
(designated as a Site of Special Scientific Interest). Cross
the field and go up some steps to a viewpoint before heading
further along the ridge. The path sinks between banks (an
indicator of a probably ancient route). Cross a stile and
walk down to a driveway and out to a road.
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Cross the road and go over a stile; follow
the left hand edge of a field round to a gate and stile leading
into Lea Woods. This section of the walk passes through Lea
and Paget Woods, which is a haven of wild flowers (and another
designated SSI).
In the woods, at the junction of 5 paths,
turn right following the yellow arrow. At the viewpoint at
the end of the woods, cross a stile into a field. Keep to
the right hand side of the field and walk down to where the
next stile is hidden in the bottom right hand corner. Continue
along the right hand edge of the next field and cross another
stile. Continue down the right hand side of another field
to an iron gate. Turn left and follow the field edge right
round and up to a stile at the top.
At this point the route has been changed.
The next signposted stile is diagonally left across the field,
but the sign here points right, leading you to a new stile.
In either case, they lead to a farm track, where you turn
left and walk down to the B4224 road. Turn left onto the road
and shortly turn right onto another farm track at Caplor Farm.
Just before you reach the farm buildings turn left over a
stile and pass behind the farm buildings.
Go through a gateway and on up to another
gate and stile, from where the path leads steeply uphill through
woodland. At the top of the steps, the footpath sign on the
stile points right; in fact, the proper route is almost straight
ahead, but walking half-right (to the right of a building)
brings you into the middle of Caplor Camp Hill Fort. Cross
the banked enclosure to a gap on the left, marked by a stump
and a concrete emplacement. Pass through the gap and turn
right to rejoin the main route - a broad track leading downhill.
Look out for, and follow, a footpath on the left passing through
a stand of conifers. The footpath rejoins the track, where
you turn left and continue downhill to a road at a point just
above the Capler Hill Viewpoint (a short way left along the
road).
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