Sunday Walk 10 April - Wendover Circular via the Lee and Swan Bottom
Length Main walk: 12.4 miles (20km). There are a couple of shortcuts outlined in the walk directions.
Toughness: 5 out of 10
Trains: Take the 9.57 Aylesbury Vale Parkway train from Marylebone arriving Wendover 10.45.
Return trains from Wendover to Marylebone: xx:28
This walk combines some of the finest elements of the Chiltern Hills, while having very little overlap with other walks in the area. After leaving Wendover in a south easterly direction on the Ridgeway the walk rises into woods, which are rich in Bluebells in springtime. It then passes along fields to get to the picturesque green in The Lee, a conservation area village. From there it continues through woodland and the beautiful Lee Common to a 16th century lunch pub at Swan Bottom. After crossing some more fields, the afternoon section then leads entirely through woods right up to the outskirts of Wendover: it re-joins the Ridgeway for a while and then descends steeply off the escarpment down an ancient Holloway. Only to rise again, on forest tracks with some magnificent panoramic views , until getting to the highest point of the walk in the middle of Wendover Woods. From there the route to Wendover meanders through the woods, passing a wildlife hide and an ancient hill-fort site, before descending steeply to the plains.
Lunch: The Cock and Rabbit Inn/Graziemille Restaurant,
The Lee, Buckinghamshire, HP16 9LZ (01494 837 540). Food served 12.00-14.30 and
18.00-23.00 Sunday. Located 7.3 km (4.6 mi) from the start of the walk, this
pub cum Italian Restaurant has been under its current management since the
mid-80s.
The Old Swan,
Swan Lane, Swan Bottom, Buckinghamshire, HP16 9NU (01494 837 239). Open 12.00-19.00
Sunday. Food served 12.00-15.00 Sunday. Located 10.0 km (6.2 mi) from the start
of the walk (4.9 km if taking Shortcut I), The Old Swan is a family run 16th
century free house with exposed beams and a roaring log fire. It is
advisable to book ahead.
Tea: There’s a long list of tea options in Wendover, Details can be found in the walk directions map and GPS links if you click here.
T= swc.140
1 comment:
N=11 off the train in w=warm-sunshine-with-a-cooling-breeze - perfect conditions for this lovely walk through long stretches of woods with tall trees, large fields stretching over gentle hills, lovely old houses, many of them thatched, the picture perfect Lee with its inviting pub where two had lunch and two stopped for a drink while the other seven continued to The Swan which had only one member of staff - no chef - serving only drinks but happy to allow walkers to eat their sandwiches in the pub which we did before setting off on the afternoon stretch mainly through woods, all peaceful, with only the sound of birds to break the silence,very few humans encountered until we reached the Go Ape centre where we stopped for tea before continuing to Wendover where all eleven caught the 17.28 back to London.
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