Length: 10.5 miles (16.9 km) 6 out of 10
"This walk is easy to follow, being mainly along the Ridgeway and is very much uphill and downhill, but not strenuously so. The way is predominantly through high beech woods and chalk downlands, including the Ridgeway path across open countryside, passing Chequers, the PM's country retreat. It has views out from Coombe Hill over the Vale of Aylesbury and surrounding counties. The walk ends by descending into the pleasant old town of Wendover."
You will need the online instructions for directions to the lunch pub in Great Kimble, as the pub in the book is closed.
Trains: Get the 0952 train from London Marylebone, arriving Princess Risborough at 1057 or the 1002 changing at High Wycombe for the above train. Return trains from Wendover are xx57 via Amersham & Harrow. Buy a day return to Aylesbury, which will cover both routes.
Lunch: is The Swan (tel 01844 275288) in Smokey Row (Great Kimble), 8.2 km into the walk, 12 to 3pm. There is a park nearby for picnics. The Plough is currently closed
Tea: The Shoulder of Mutton pub is next to the station, or tea shops in Wendover High Street.
T=1.52
#2026-09-05T09:52
4 comments:
#1 took the 9:02 out of London Marylebone (LM) and did a Saunderton to Wendover walk, off the framework of the original posting. Before catching the route at Princes Risborough this walker was delighted to see the smock mill at Lacey Green. Unfortunately with the Lower Cadsen pub (The Plough) closed a short detour to Askett was taken instead to an alternative pub instead of the suggested option at Little Kimble (seems also a detour)
Post lunch ( at the Three Crowns) the route heads past the countryside residency of the UK PM and out to Coombe Hill with it's monument.
The descent to the railway station is unmemorable with the scale of the ongoing HS2 works visible. 17:57 to LM still factoring in the footpath diversions to the railway station.
Curious to hear from others what they did.
There wuz more than that. A late starter, who over-pottered at home and wasn’t going to make the train, resolved to start at Little Kimble and intercept the group at the Swan. A clever plan that would have worked perfectly IF the others had gone there. They hadn’t. Except one, who had decided to finish there.
Pub pleasant enough. Apparently- and apols if I got this wrong - another 4 started at the proper place and time. They had brought their own lunch so skipped the pub. (Understandable given the arduous climb back up past Grangelands).
The lonely late-starter continued on his way with a heavy heart and, after Chequers, maybe cheated a tiny bit by following the Ridgeway instead of going via Dunsmore. But who’s to know?
Pleasant walk but the end, predictably, ruined by HS-you-know-who, the view despoiled and a diversion necessary along Ellesborough Road. (Spectacular view of the nascent tunnels from there). No sign of the others in the Shoulder of Mutton. Went home, sobbing quietly.
Day w=sunny
Number 1 + 4 +1 equals n=6
copied across from the walk's page, on request of the commenter, Kevin:
"Sun 06-Sep 09:17
Four started the walk together (5 September, 2026) from the scheduled train, with one later catching up, so five in total (but see Karan's earlier report). A sixth, one walker's wife, was absent in person but often name-checked by her husband as part of a retraining exercise that was received good-humouredly by the other four.
Largely sunny weather. On passing the sadly dormant Plough Inn, we discussed possible name changes as part of a rebranding exercise: Cameron's Retreat? The Lost Child?
Sandwich-less, I left the group at that point and went on the unremarkable detour to the fairly quiet Swan at Little Kimble. I was initially dismayed by their pizza-only main courses (the summer menu until the end of the month), but the vegetarian option turned out to be excellent. The landlady was very friendly and interesting – her career has largely been as a high-ranking civil servant in ministerial private offices.
Perhaps ironically, she has never entertained a PM at The Swan, though Starmer often attended a local church. We discussed various options to remedy this: a discount for PMs and ex-PMs (recent incumbents do seem to be more placeholders than post-holders), extended to their security details; a shuttle bus from Chequers; a nanny service, just in case...
Mid-pizza, the official SWC Chipmagnet emerged from the garden. He politely declined my offer of a pizza slice: clearly only certain popular carbs provide the hit he craves. He said he would head for Wendover, possibly using a shortcut. Heavy with pizza, I ended the walk at Little Kimble station. I later learned that at least one of my earlier companions got the 15.57 from Wendover. Thank you to the scheduler."
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