Very frosty start again and we are back to the core three, Anna, Mirella and myself joined today by Phil who is the official lead. Nothing too complicated initially as we head away from last night’s finishing spot with the curvaceous escarpment of the Chiltern to our right.
Cold weather and quite long starting journeys means an impromptu toilet stop is needed. Thought I’d been really clever – gap in the hedge, empty field, great view – look up as I’d just finished and about eight horses with riders are galloping down the side of the field directly towards me! Needless to say I finished readjusting my clothing in the hedge !
Our first significant sights are the old cement and lime works on the outskirts of Chinnor which now has some lakes where the chalk pits once were. our path is skirting a wooded area and is mostly quite solid. We note that we have to be careful as the path splits and the Midshires Way is also a distinct path. Not only horses in fields today, we have already met two or three out with their riders. We swing round the bottom of Wain Hill and start going in an easterly direction. As we head out of the woods we have to take care not to follow the. Icknield Way by mistake.
We head off across fields for a while and then up again towards Lodge Hill. We’ve taken our coffee stop at a path junction before we leave the woods. The paths across the fields are muddy in places but also quite hard where the frost has frozen the ground- real contrasts close to each other. These paths are evidently well walked as they are very clear, we’ve avoided splitting in the wrong direction and taking the Chiltern Way, there are so many intersections.
We are about to curve round and meet the edge of Princes Risborough but first we track downhill again before we cross over a small road and then two railway lines before we have a short distance along a main road. We debate tackling this before lunch but as always we have half an eye on a good spot. We have a golf course to negotiate as well, hopefully not too many players today. So random the patches of frost.
Having negotiated the golf we next crossed the first rail line – only single track with boards between the tracks, so a flat surface! Up a hill to the next where we will walk over the top of a tunnel. The sun is shining and there is randomly a bench just before the rail tunnel , so….. off again and we start chatting to a couple as we meet the main track and down to a cross roads.
What a rooky error to make, following the couple who knew the area. I kept thinking we should be walking along a main road, why aren’t there signs. Phil stops and confers with me, no we are too far into the town. We call the other two back and plan a cut through, luckily there is a path by the main road and we find our route again. We’d probably done at least an extra kilometre! Back on track but still with six miles to go! Phil has promised a pub after the next section of woods, which do have helpful steps in places!
As we approach Cadsden I do hear a bell which seems out of context. And alas the pub is shut, Mirella is not impressed – not sure if it is coffee or a toilet she is most disappointed about. Could it have been a last orders bell – does anyone do that any more?
We are going around another hill, passing nature reserves and in and out of wooded areas. A muntjac deer is spotted and I can see distinct prints in the mud. It has become more muddy. Our track runs along the boundary of the Chequers estate and there are many warning signs about privacy and cameras and with no opportunity to walk parallel to the path, the most mud ! The path takes us across the drive and then back up into woods again. We can see the monument on the top of Combe hill but it does look a long way off !
We eventually emerge on to a more open terrain and stop to talk to two young men who are interested to hear what we have been doing- keen to walk the Ridgeway them selves. it’s busy on the top and the light is really beginning to fade- but in an exciting way.
As we approach the top, the monument to men who died in the Boer War really dominates the sky line. We still have a couple of kilometres to go and the light is fading. It’s quite a clear track luckily.
After leaving the monument and going down Phil decides to regroup us and suggests we put on our head torches. Jane has phoned to say the van is where agreed but I’ve had a phone call from a Steve to check we are okay! Quite exciting walking down as it was already turning frosty and the head torches made things twinkle as if diamonds had been sprinkled across the ground. Quite an exciting end to our day which had included some challenging mud! Nearly 15 miles in the end, should have been nearer 14 !
Marion's 50 Walk Challenge 