Book 1, Walk 52 - Princes Risborough to Wendover
Length: 16.9 km (10.5 miles) Options to reduce length to 9 miles and 8 miles
Toughness: 6 out of 10
London Marylebone: 10-05 hrs Chiltern Railway's stopping service to Aylesbury
Arrive Princes Risborough: 11-01 hrs
Return
Wendover to Marylebone: 26 and 56 mins past the hour
Rail ticket
As Princes Ris and Wendover are on different branches of the Chiltern Railways network, you should buy a return to where the lines converge : that is Aylesbury. The correct ticket, technically, is a "Day Return to Aylesbury Any Route Permitted ". This costs a fiver more than a plain "Day Return to Aylesbury" if using a travelcard from the edge of Zone 6. The best value ticket available today for all is probably a "Super Off-Peak Day Return to Aylesbury" from Marylebone.
This is a late posting and an antidote to two long walks posted in Sussex today. The Chilterns are much nicer !
You get a decent workout today - not too strenuous but some good ups and downs to keep you honest. And the walk length is manageable for most SWC walkers, particularly us "seniors" - and younger walkers alike.
Leaving Princes Ris. station you soon have a long stretch along the Upper Icknield Way before you climb up into the woods on the Ridgeway path, to enjoy fine views from Whiteleaf Cross. Downhill then to Lower Cadsden, where you have the option of an early lunch at the Plough pub - the one where former PM Mr Cameron forget he had his older daughter with him and left her behind. He just survived the wrath of Mrs C because a few months later he returned - sans daughter - in the company of China's PM, who must have liked the beer as subsequently the pub was purchased by a Chinese company. But the suggested lunch stop - requiring a pleasant detour to the hamlet of Smokey Row - is the Swan pub. They have a barbecue plus pizzas on a Saturday. I have made a provisional booking for us, to be tweaked with numbers from Princes Ris on the day.
After lunch we return to the main route through Great Kimble for another stretch along the Ridgeway path across open countryside, passing along the way Chequers, the PM's country retreat. Onwards then uphill into more woods before we walk through the quaint village of Dunsmore. Paths through the woods which follow are usually muddy, even in summer, but after a while we will find ourselves on top of Coombe Hill, beside the Boer War Monument, to enjoy some fine views from this vantage point. Then it's downhill all the way on grassy paths to the town of Wendover. Handily placed, close to the railway station, is the Shoulder of Mutton pub, but chocaholics prefer to head down the High Street to Rumsey's Chocolaterie for a chocolate fix.
T=1.52
Walk Directions are here: L=1.52
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Eight SWC walkers met at Princes Risborough station, but we lost one soon after setting out: we were going too fast, apparently. A great shame - we would have adjusted the pace to accommodate her if only she had let us know. I believe she concocted a walk of her own - I hope she managed to enjoy her day. Another SWCer was on the train an hour behind us. Two ladies alighted from our train and armed with the SWC walk directions set out on the walk - doing their own thing. Two Ramblers Groups - using the SWC directions. A dozen from the North-East London group, an hour ahead of us - we met up at the lunch pub. And half a dozen from Hampstead Ramblers. Let's report n=8 for the SWC walk.
When the sun shone through it was warm enough to be in shirtsleeves, but at other times an extra layer was needed. w=sunny-at-times-rain-just-held-off. At various times of the day large black dramatic clouds threatened to drench us but we were very lucky as they did not.
As for the walk, half our number had not tackled it before, and they seemed to enjoy the lovely Chiltern scenery, and the ups and downs. After taking in the views from Whiteleaf Cross, we descended to Lower Cadsden before we all took the detour to Smokey Row, Great Kimble for lunch at the Swan. We had reserved tables in the pub's garden where we were served home made pizzas in barbecue mode. Now I am not a fan of pizzas but hats off to the Swan's owner / chef for producing delicious, tasty, light versions of this boring fare. I had previously reported the management of this pub could be "difficult" and downright unfriendly to walkers (particularly if they hadn't booked ahead) but today the owner and staff could not have been nicer. A different luncheon experience to the norm - and highly recommended if you like a change.
The sun dipped in and out for our post lunch leg of the walk. We waved hello to Chequers - in case Boris and Carrie were in - then climbed up into the woods and on to the village of Dunsmore. Now I have been on this walk many a time but nearly always in winter, when the woods after Dunsmore are a mud-fest. So how nice today to walk along paths firm underfoot with only the odd patch of mud to remind one of what to expect in winter.
The skies were clear for the 360 degree views from the Boer War Monument on top of Coombe Hill, which we shared with a number of families, children and walkers out enjoying themselves. Our late start walker joined us here for the final descent to Wendover. Our group then split 50:50 with chocoholics visiting Rumseys and the rest of us stopping at the Shoulder of Mutton, where social distancing rules and one way systems etc were strictly enforced by the management. Despite this drinks were enjoyed before we boarded the 17-26 hrs train back to Marylebone. I suspect the chocoholics took the 17-56.
In summary - an energetic walk in excellent company - and methinks a nice introduction to the Chilterns for our first timers to the area.
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