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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 17 October 2015

Saturday First Walk - A Chiltern beechwood classic

T=2.1 Book 2 Walk 1 - Wendover Circular
Length: 13.5km (8.4 miles) or 18.5km (11.5 miles)
Toughness: 7 out of 10

9.42 train from Marylebone to Wendover, arriving 10.30

Trains back are at 10 and 40 past the hour

For walk directions bring book two, or click here.

For alternative ending over Coombe Hill, directions are here.

I have seen quite a bit of colour on beech trees recently, and while I would be surprised if the Chilterns beechwoods are yet ablaze with golds and yellows, you should hopefully see some early autumn tints on this Chilterns classic.

There are beechwoods aplenty, but also some fine views, particularly on Whiteleaf Hill just after lunch on the main walk, or on the alternative ending over Coombe Hill . At the end of the walk there is the enticing choice of chocolate cakes at Rumseys or the cosy Shoulder of Mutton pub (or indeed one followed by the other).

There is still plenty of daylight to do the full walk (the 18.5km/11.5 mile option), but those feeling less energetic can take the option a) shortcut to reduce the walk to 13.5km (8.4 miles). The text only offers a rather late lunch stop for this option, at the Russell Arms, 2.5km from the end of the walk. But for a pub stop more in the middle of the walk it is actually quite easy to divert to the Plough in Lower Cadsden: see below

Short walk via Cross Coppice pub option
(adds a total of 1.6km/1 mile to the walk length).
  • follow walk option a) Short cut via Cross Coppice, as far as line 8 in the 2nd paragraph.
  • where it says "After 60 metres turn right at a crosspaths ...", carry straight on to cross a stile.
  • Follow the path uphill, across a hilltop and then downhill into a valley. 
  • When you reach the bottom of the valley (with a Cadsden Wood information board), follow a level footpath along it to arrive at the Plough.
  • on leaving the Plough, retrace your steps to the the Cadsden Wood information board, and then take the same path uphill and down the other side to the crosspaths where you left the shortcut route. Turn LEFT at this crosspaths and follow it downhill for 450 metres to a road.
  • Resume the main walk directions at point [6]

6 comments:

Anonymous said...

Looking to attend this. Is anyone else planning on doing this walk?

Quite new to this but looks as though each week there is always a few people that meet.

Hannah

Anonymous said...

Hi Hannah,

I might do this walk, I will confirm tomorrow morning though,

Nadim

Anonymous said...

Hi Hannah,
Walkers don't normally put a note to say that they are going to do a walk. There are always others on the walk and I'd be surprised if there aren't quite a few on this one. If you look at the "recent walks" tabs you'll see some examples of numbers turning up on walks recently.

Anonymous said...

Ok thank you. That's really helpful

Bill S said...

13 set together from the station to be joined by one more at the lunchtime pub. Most of us planned to do the Coombe Hill alternative after lunch but were persuaded to by our late starter to do a variation that took us to Coombe Hill via Chequers.

Anonymous said...

n=14