The Ridgeway: Princes Risborough

Saturday 1st July 2017

After a break of two months I returned to Buckinghamshire to resume my trek along the Ridgeway National Trail starting from the pretty little town of Princes Risborough. Before setting off I realised that I had forgotten to bring a hat, which was rather annoying, so annoying in fact that I tried to buy one, but I couldn’t find one anywhere in Princes Risborough. Fortunately it was mostly cloudy for a great part of the day so I didn’t suffer too much from it. Heading out of the town I started climbing up to the Ridgeway and turned left to set off along the trail once more. The climbing continued through woodland until I reached the top of Kop Hill where wildflowers covered the slopes in a profusion of colour that rivals the woodland flowers that had delighted me a couple of months before. Now, the woodland was dark and monochromatic while the meadows had come into their own providing more than enough spectacle to compensate. Following the edge of the escarpment I came to a viewpoint at the top of Whiteleaf Hill before turning right and slowly descending through the dark woodland of Giles Wood until I reached the Grangelands and Pulpit Hill Nature Reserve.

This was another fabulous area for wildflowers and I was spellbound by the great variety and display that lay before me covering the slopes of the reserve. I have a lot of affection for spotted-orchids that was gained through long acquaintance in the Scottish Highlands, so it was a joy to find them here also in plentiful numbers. I was enthralled by the spectacular kaleidoscope of colours that covered the floor of these meadows so I was disappointed that afterwards I never saw anything matching this display at any point during the rest of the walk. After going around Pulpit Hill a large house came into view. This was Chequers, the official country residence of the Prime Minister, and beyond that I could see the monument at the top of Coombe Hill that was the furthest east I come on the Ridgeway two months before. I had to go around Chequers, past the warning notices, before I could start climbing through woodland to reach Coombe Hill once again where I found loads of people milling around the monument to the South African War. Since I had been there a couple of months before I didn’t stop and was soon heading off into the woods that are to the east of the hill.

These are the woods that I had passed through on my way to Coombe Hill before, while looking for bluebells and got lost. I had no such problem now as I headed in a straight line through the woodland all the way to the hamlet of Dunsmore where I picked up the route of the Icknield Way Trail later parting company with that trail to join the Chiltern Way. My plan for doing the Ridgeway was to create circular walks along the length of the trail utilising other walks that run parallel to the Ridgeway. So far the Chiltern Way was my most popular alternative trail and I followed this through field and wood, enjoying the woodland but with no interest in the monoculture fields and unfortunately eventually it was the fields that become the norm. Briefly I enjoyed a spectacular wildflower meadow beside Saunderton railway tunnel, but by this point I had already decided to come off the Chiltern Way. When I reached the next road I came off the trail and, coincidentally, back onto the Icknield Way Trail slowly gaining height as I walked along the road towards the woods of Bledlow Cross.

On the edge of the woodland I came across the Ridgeway once more, as planned, and turned sharp left to head south-east through farmland back on the trail heading towards the point where I had joined it, just outside Princes Risborough. Apart from a brief excursion over Lodge Hill this section of the Ridgeway was not particularly interesting and ended with a long stretch of road walking before joining the track that runs above Princes Risborough. The first bit of this walk was fabulous as I passed through dark woodland and colourful wildflower meadows, but by lunchtime the woods had been left behind and wildflowers became an infrequent sight as I crossed the valley that has Princes Risborough at its foot. It is a pity that this walk seemed to deteriorate as the day progressed, but most of this section of the Ridgeway was fantastic and had me eager to return to continue my journey along the national trail.

The Ridgeway: Ivinghoe Beacon and the Ashridge Estate

Saturday 6th May 2017

I was keen to return to the Chiltern Hills after my first visit at the end of April last year and I wasted no time in having another look for the bluebells for which the Chilterns are famed. A week later I caught a train to Tring station which is actually on the Ridgeway National trail so I was immediately heading in an easterly direction and up a track into lovely woodland that is part of the Aldbury Nowers Nature Reserve. The weather was not great for this walk, but at least it wasn’t raining, though it was cold, windy and with very dull, overcast skies. These kind of conditions make for poor photography but the cooler temperatures do make for more comfortable walking as I strode along the clear lanes with distinctive, white, chalky surfaces underfoot and through lush green woodland with a spattering of bluebells. Coming out of the wood I climbed up and over Pitstone Hill where cowslips abundantly decorated the grassland as I made my way towards the striking Incombe Hole. Climbing to the top of this great bay cut into Steps Hill I continued along the trail into the Ivinghoe Hills until finally I  reached the starting point of the Ridgeway at the top of Ivinghoe Beacon.

Cowslips littered the area and were more appealing to the eye than the extensive views north which were shrouded in mist. Having reached the end of the Ridgeway I was now left to make up my own route for much of the rest of the walk until I could return to the point where I had left the Ridgeway the week before. To start I followed the easterly ridge as it slowly descends before circling back below the ridge to reach the road eventually coming off to follow a track south into the Ashridge Estate. This National Trust property is famed for its bluebells so I was rather disappointed to not see great numbers and those that I did see were in amongst other flowers such as stitchworts. I followed the track along the edge of the ridge and up to the tall monument to the Duke of Bridgewater that stands at the centre of the estate, but there were far too many people in that area so I quickly passed through and continued along the track. After a while I noticed that there were a few more bluebells to my left at the top of the ridge, so coming off the escarpment-edge track I entered an astonishing area where a vast carpet of bluebells covered the woodland floor as far as I could see.

I have never seen such an enormous array of bluebells before and the smell coming off them was almost overpowering. It was an amazing sight and I took many pictures of the mesmerising sight. Eventually I tore myself away and resumed my southward course on the edge of the escarpment keen to keep up my pace as I was beginning to worry that I’d set myself a punishing schedule. Coming down from the ridge out of the Ashridge Estate I followed the Icknield Way Trail across the valley until I reached Wigginton Bottom where I switched allegiance to the Chiltern Way passing through the thick woodland field boundaries where bluebells were growing in abundant numbers and made for a pleasant walk despite my brisk pace. I had set myself the target of reaching the Ridgeway by two o’clock and achieved it with just a minute or two to spare joining the Ridgeway at the point where the trail crosses the steep road coming up from the Hale, and now I could finally ease back on the brisk pace that I had been maintaining since leaving the Ashridge Estate.

Immediately I was greeted with banks of bluebells and stitchworts as I made my way down to the deeply cut ancient lane where I had left the Ridgeway just seven days before. Now I turned right heading back uphill along the trail and after crossing two roads entered Northill Wood where bluebells abounded in great profusion and with the great displays continuing as I made my way along the trail into Pavis Wood that looked great despite the dull weather. My disappointment in the Chiltern Hills the week before had now been more than compensated and I continued to be spellbound and thrilled by bluebells and stitchworts as I entered Tring Park. Bluebells seem to be most abundant at the top of hills so as I slowly made my way down the hills, along the avenues of Tring Park, the bluebells began to fade away. Cow parsley now lined the paths as I made my way down into the valley and back to the railway station.

Much of this walk was undertaken at a brisk pace as I hurriedly made my way between the end of the Ridgeway and the point where I had left it the week before. I don’t think it really spoilt the walk though it would have been nice to have taken it at a more leisurely pace. I often seem to do this to myself and I wonder what it would be like to be able to explore a little of the surroundings where I’m walking rather than having to keep up a rapid rate of knots covering as much ground as possible in the shortest time. Despite the dull weather I saw some tremendous displays of bluebells on this walk that covered the hillsides in awe-inspiring displays that guaranteed that I would be returning to the Chiltern Hills in subsequent years to once again see these fabulous flowers in glorious array. I also wanted to continue my trek along the Ridgeway as I was enjoying the walk. It is different to the paths that I usually walk with reassuringly dry surfaces underfoot thanks to the well-drained chalky ground, and I love a good, dry path.

The Ridgeway: Wendover Woods

Saturday 29th April 2017

All my walks seem to be either to the north or west of where I live, so bearing this in mind I have been looking south to see if there are any walks there that may be interesting. However, it has to be said that the best walking in Britain is not in the south but in the north, or west, in Wales, the Lake District or in Scotland as these are the only places in Britain that contain mountains. Eventually my eye turned towards the Ridgeway National Trail which runs through the Chiltern Hills and the North Wessex Downs not far from London, so I headed there on the May Day Bank Holiday weekend last year when the bluebells that are renowned in the Chiltern Hills should be in bloom. I drove down the M1 motorway and across to the town of Wendover where I parked and set off along a walk that I had found on the chilternsaonb.org website titled “Views of the Vale Walks”. These walks are based around the Ridgeway and it immediately took me along the trail out of the town on a lovely path that was lined with cow parsley following a stream uphill. Even though it was overcast with a lingering chill from a recent cold-snap, it was still great to be outdoors walking through the great British countryside.

The trail soon climbed towards the Wendover Woods and upon entering the woods I left the clear track to take a narrower path up through the woodland past gorgeous wild flowers and it wasn’t long before the eagerly awaited bluebells began to appear. As I climbed higher and higher the bluebells grew thicker and more numerous constantly thrilling me even though without the sun shining they were not being seen at their best. I had been afraid that the bluebells would not be out yet, but I was relieved to see many of them in bloom although many were still in bud so I hoped there was still several weeks of bluebell watching to go. However, with hindsight I now know that wasn’t the case as very hot weather soon followed this walk sending most of the bluebells to seed very quickly and shortening the season considerably. The very special sight of bluebells covering an English wood is notoriously short-lived and must be enjoyed whenever it can be seen. I was rather disappointed with the display in the Wendover Woods which was rather sparse of bluebells especially after all that I had heard about the magnificent bluebell displays in the Chiltern Hills.

Other wild flowers compensated for the reduced bluebells with wood anemones particularly enthusing me until eventually I descended into a deeply sunken green lane that looked ancient. The route of the Ridgeway is based on old trackways including the Ridgeway itself, which at five thousand years old is possibly the oldest road in Britain, if not in Europe. This old road that I was on is part of the Icknield Way, which extends from the Ridgeway all the way to the Norfolk coast, and must be almost as old. It was spooky standing on a track that has been used by people for thousands of years and seen the traffic of everybody from the ancient Celts and Romans to the Anglo-Saxons and, of course, modern long-distance walkers. At this point the Ridgeway turns right, but I turned left for forty metres before turning right to climb uphill. The directions at this point were very confusing and seemed to be leading me round in circles. In the end I struck to my own route and found my way onto the “marked horse track” that I should have been on and this took me all the way to the main car park for Wendover Woods.

There were no bluebells in this area so I quickly passed through and turned towards the south following the directions that took me along the edge of the escarpment looking out over the Vale of Aylesbury. The clear track took me around the remains of Boddington Hill Fort slowly descending past some lovely gardens, one full of cowslips, and eventually brought me back to Wendover. After passing through the town I started the second walk on the leaflet from the chilternsaonb.org website taking a path south past some lovely forget-me-nots, across a couple of fields and up a lane. I got really confused with the directions at this point and got completely lost. I’ve noticed that the directions on the almost identical leaflet from the nationaltrail.co.uk website are different and possibly better, and might not have led me astray. I kept to the path I was on for a kilometre gradually gaining height through woodland until I reached a clear track with bluebells on the other side. Turning right I followed this track past a large enclosure and into what I now know is the National Trust woodland of Coombe Hill. Bluebells were now appearing in sparse clumps, but these did little to reassure me as I was literally wandering aimlessly.

I had forgotten to take a map with me and all I had was the helpless leaflet, so I had no idea where I was or where I should be going. I knew I was heading in a north-westerly direction and I trusted that if I continued on that heading I would eventually reach the Ridgeway on the edge of the escarpment. It was an interesting feeling knowing that I didn’t have a map and blindly following a path, but I was not worried and eventually I did come out of the woodland and back into civilisation. A sign proclaimed that I was in the Coombe Hill National Trust property, which was actually a bit of a surprise as it was Coombe Hill that I was supposed to have been heading for so despite feeling completely lost I had actually not gone too far off the path. Coming out of the wood onto the edge of the escarpment I found extensive views over the valley and sitting at the top of the hill was a tall monument to the men of Buckinghamshire who had lost their lives in the Boer War. This is Coombe Hill, one of the highest points in the Chiltern Hills. I was now back on the Ridgeway so turning around I headed along the trail and back into Wendover. Wildflowers accompanied me through the chalk grasslands with the cowslips proving to be irresistible and prompted me to take some pictures.

On my first walk in the Chilterns my interested had been wetted. I had never done any walking in this area before and I was now keen to come back and I even had an idea of walking the whole length of the Ridgeway National Trail. It had stayed overcast all day but it had warmed up enough to enable me to enjoy the walk. I had come to look at bluebells but I had not been too impressed as I have seen better displays in Leicestershire. It was the escarpment on the northern edge of the Chiltern Hills that most captured my interest and promised to draw me back to this fabulous area.