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This Week's Walks - Archive

Please see the Saturday Walker's Club This Week's Walks page.

This is an archive of walks done by the Saturday Walker's Club. You should only need to use this page if the SWC website is down.

Saturday, 21 October 2023

Saturday Walk - Autumn in The Chilterns: Saunderton Circular (via West Wycombe and Wheeler End)

Stargazer is away
 
Length: 24.1 km (15.0 mi) [shorter walk possible]
Ascent/Descent: 692m
Net Walking Time: 6 ¼ hours
Toughness: 7/10 

To shorten: walk the ‘normal’ version (17.5 km/10.8 mi, 4/10) or even the ‘short’ version of this walk. 
 
Take the 09.07 Oxford train from Marylebone (09.18 Wembley Stadium, 09.30 Denham etc.), arrives Saunderton 09.58. For the shorter walks, the 10.07 is sufficient.   
Return trains are on xx.54.
 
The standard version of this walk combines a fairly easy stroll in The Chilterns through a mixture of woodland and sloping meadows, with an optional visit to Hughenden Manor and Hell-Fire (West Wycombe) Caves. The route heads south east over the Chiltern Hills to Bradenham, and continues through Naphill Common, and Flagmore Wood to Hughenden Manor. The route from Hughenden heads west across Downley Common to West Wycombe lunch/early tea. Today’s walk will then extend this by a westerly loop to Wheeler End, adding a fair bit more undulation to it, before picking up the standard walk again in Hearnton Wood.
 
Lunch/Tea: 
Hughenden Manor Tea Room (8.0 km/5.0 mi); 
Le De Spencer’s Arms in Downley Common (9.8 km/6.1 mi, food to 15.00); 
Hell-Fire Caves in West Wycombe (12.6 km/7.9 mi); 
The George and Dragon Hotel in West Wycombe (12.9 km/8.0 mi); 
The Chequers in Wheeler End (16.3 km/10.1 mi, under new management). 
The Golden Cross in Saunderton (under new management, at the end of the walk).
 
For summary, map, height profile, photos, walk directions and gpx/kml files click here. T=2.3.c