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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.

Tuesday 1 August 2017

Benjamin Disraeli's Hughenden Manor, and West Wycombe Caves

Book 2, Walk 3 - Saunderton via West Wycombe Circular

Length: 16 km (9.9 miles)
Toughness: 4 out of 10

London Marylebone: 10-13 hrs   (Aylesbury service)
Arrive Saunderton: 10-53 hrs

Return: 15-53, 16-51, 17-25, 18-26 and 19-27 hrs

This makes for a very pleasant summer walk (sections can be muddy in winter) with plenty of variety (although lacking water features).  Lots of woods in the morning as you make your way to Hughenden Manor, the former country home of Benjamin Disraeli, now a National Trust property, and well worth a visit. Although there is a perfectly acceptable NT cafeteria on the premises, it is not usually open on Tuesdays, so your suggested lunch stop today is the pretentiously named Le De Spencer's Arms, which serves good pub grub, and has a nice garden for outdoor dining. Onwards after lunch to the West Wycombe Caves, then up a steep slope to the Dashwood Mausoleum. Then it's a pleasant two mile stroll along a track through a farm and back to Saunderton, for tea at the Golden Cross pub, a favourite stop for SWC walkers, and a short distance from the railway station.
Enjoy !
T=2.3
Walk directions here: L=2.3

2 comments:

Marcus said...

n=4 of us on this outing in the Chilterns. w=overcast-in-the-morning-nice-sunny-and-warm-after-lunch. The forecasted shower(s) arrived during our lunch stop, spent under cover in the pub's garden. Otherwise, we were spared rain and thunderstorms.
We happened upon a young couple, with Book 2 in hand. Hence they became lost more than once but made it to the pub where we were briefly re-united. Route finding on this varied and lovely walk, mostly through woodland, can be tricky and even the latest version of the directions needs sharpening up: quality well short of my Book 1 updates !!
Hughenden Manor was very busy, as expected during the school holidays, and well done to the National Trust for putting on a "Mad Hatters" Alice themed event for the little ones: we wanted to join in.
One in our party went direct to High Wycombe after lunch, leaving three of us to ascend the cliff to the Dashwood Mausoleum (it seems like a cliff to an oldie), then the relaxed walk along the track back to Saunderton. One on the 16-51, two of us on the 17-25, allowing time for refreshments at the walker friendly Golden Cross pub.
A nice day out, and once again, we were very lucky with the weather.

Anonymous said...

The extra one went back to Hughenden Manor to look at the house and partake of tea.Lovely day.
jfk