Day Hikes from London | Stepping Outside

The Chilterns: West Wycombe Circuit

Emma — Fri, 27 Apr 2018 07:21:57 +0000

Climbing past the Dashwood Mausoleum and Church of St.Lawrence (rumoured to be a meeting place for the Hellfire Club), the route weaves through woodlands and farming fields.

Start and End Location: Car park behind West Wycombe School on Church Lane. NB: This car park is only available on weekends. For weekday parking, use the National Trust West Wycombe Hill Top car park at the top of Church Lane.
Start Postcode: HP14 3AH
Distance: 13 km
Time: 3 hours
Facilities: Toilets in the car park behind West Wycombe School on Church Lane
GPX Download: Link below map
Grade: Medium Country Walk

Download file: West%20Wycombe%20District.gpx

From the car park, return to Church Road, turn right and follow the road uphill. Take the left-hand grassy path opposite the school gates and turn almost immediately right to follow the faint path uphill.

At the junction, bear right and climb the steps.

Turn left and take the wide grassy path to the Dashwood Mausoleum, a hexagonal structure based on Constantine's Arch in Rome.

Keeping the mausoleum on the left, follow the faint path into the graveyard.

At the entrance of the church, turn right and follow the track out of the graveyard. Continue around the car parking area and bear right to follow the road downhill for just over 100 metres. Take the left-hand footpath opposite the passing place.

Follow the path into the woods and bear right through the gap in the trees to reach a field.

Turn sharp left and continue on the faint grassy path which runs alongside the woods. At the end of the field, so straight ahead, into the woods and follow the well-defined track.

At the junction, go straight ahead on the narrower path.

At the T-junction, turn left to climb uphill.

The path reaches a wide track. Turn right and follow the track, which continues through a gate to reach Nobles Farm.

Continue straight ahead and follow the road for just under half a mile. When the four-way footpath signpost appears on the right, turn left and follow the direction of the signpost to leave the road and take the narrow path through the woods.

Climb over the stile and cross the field, diagonally downhill to meet the road.

Turn left and follow the road uphill. When the road bends to the left, take the right hand public footpath. The narrow path runs alongside the edge of a field and climbs through gates to reach a wider track and then the road.

Continue along the road and turn right at the junction. The narrow footpath runs alongside the road for half a mile.

After passing the entrance for Pankridge Farm, cross the road and take the left-hand footpath. Ignore any paths merging from the side and continue downhill to reach a road.

Turn left and follow the road for a few metres. Turn right at the footpath signpost and follow the grassy path alongside the hedge and through the fields.

The path eventually reaches a gate.

Turn left and continue along the quiet road until you reach Ashridge farm. Take the narrow footpath to the right of the farm entrance.

Continue straight ahead to go through the wooden gate and then between the farm buildings, following the direction of the white arrow.

Go through the wooden farming gate directly ahead and follow the track downhill. When the track bends to the right, leave the track and go through the wooden gate ahead. Follow the grassy path alongside the hedge to another gate.

Go through the gate and into the woods.

At the junction, turn left and join the wide, well-defined (and often very muddy) footpath.

Follow the track through Bottom Wood, continuing straight ahead and ignoring any paths merging from the side.

The track eventually bears left and merges with a farming track.

After the cattle barn, turn left into the farm courtyard and diagonally cross the yard to a stile in the far-right hand corner.

Go over the stile and follow the fence line to cross another two stiles.

Continue uphill, following the fence. Cross the stile straight ahead and continue to the next stile leading to a narrow footpath between fences. The path merges into a field and continues uphill, with great views back across the Chilterns.

When the path levels out, cross the right-hand stile and follow the track.

As the track bends to the left, continue straight ahead on the faint footpath between the trees and bear right into the woods.

At the junction, turn left. Follow the well-defined path through the woods.

Continue straight ahead at the junction. The path bears left and reaches the edge of the woods.

Join the track for a few metres. When the track bends right, continue straight ahead on the grassy footpath.

The path becomes more defined and continue straight ahead to reach the road.

Turn left and follow the road to the junction with Church Lane. Cross the road to return to the car park.

The post The Chilterns: West Wycombe Circuit first appeared on Stepping Outside.

The Chilterns: Coombe Hill Circuit

Emma — Tue, 10 Apr 2018 07:26:42 +0000

This route follows sections of the Ridgeway, thought to be Britain’s oldest road and offers panoramic views of the Chiltern Hills from Whiteleaf Hill and Coombe Hill.

Start and End Location: National Trust Coombe Hill Car Park
Start Postcode: HP17 0UR, approx. From Missenden Road, turn onto Lodge Hill and continue following the road to reach the car park.
Distance: 12.5 km
Time: 3.5 hours
Facilities: None
GPX Download: Link below map
Grade: Medium Country Walk

Download file: Chilterns%20Coombe%20Hill.gpx

Facing the road, go through the right hand wooden gate at the entrance of the car park, next to the public footpath signpost.

Bear left, following the direction of the signpost. Keep left to go through a gap in the trees and follow the fence line path.

Turn left to go through a metal kissing gate.

The path continues through the woods, marked with wooden posts, and leads directly to the road.

Cross the road and turn right. After a few metres, turn left, following the signpost for the Ridgeway Footpath.

Continue through the woods, following the signs for the Ridgeway at each junction.

The path eventually bears right downhill and reaches a road. Go straight ahead, taking the narrow footpath just to the right of the Buckmoorend Farm Shop sign.

The footpath runs to the left of the hedge and bears left at the end of the field.

Continue alongside the road. At the footpath signpost, turn right to cross the road.

After a few metres, bear right to leave the main track and take the narrow footpath which runs between the fences. Follow the well-defined path through the woods.

At the junction, go straight ahead, following the direction of the Rider’s Route.

The path passes through a narrow gap in a wooden fence to reach the road.

Turn right and follow the road for a few hundred metres. At the footpath signpost, turn left and follow the Icknield Way Rider’s Route.

Continue straight ahead, ignoring any paths merging from the side.

At the T-junction, turn right, following the direction of the public bridleway sign.

After a few metres, the path reaches another T-junction. Turn left to climb up through the woods.

At the top of the hill, turn right and follow the Rider’s Route through the woods.

The path eventually narrows and runs between wooden posts. Bear slightly right to reach a wider track.

Turn right and follow the track. Go through the wooden gate ahead and bear left for a great view across the Chilterns.

Turn sharp right and follow the direction of the Ridgeway signpost to a metal gate. Go through the gate and bear left to follow the well-defined track through the woods.

At the fork, turn right, following the Ridgeway Footpath.

Go through the metal kissing gate and turn right, following the track past The Plough pub. Cross the road and after a few metres, take the narrow right-hand footpath.

Continue through the woods to a wooden kissing gate. Go through the gate into Rifle Butts Nature Reserve and bear left to meet the wider track.

Follow the track to reach a wooden farming gate, with a smaller gate to the left. Go through the gate and then through the second gate directly ahead.

The well-defined path runs alongside the trees.

Go through the wooden gate, up the steps and turn right at the junction.

Turn left almost immediately through a metal kissing gate.

Continue straight ahead, crossing the wider track and following the faint path downhill.

At the T-junction, turn right. The path, marked with a Ridgeway signpost, runs alongside the fence.

Turn left through the wooden kissing gate and follow the path as it bears right to climb the hill. When the path begins to level out, turn sharp right and follow the faint footpath downhill to reach a gate at the corner of the field.

Go through the gate and follow the narrow fence line path, which bears left into the woods.

Go through the gate ahead and then straight ahead at the junction. Continue through the wooden kissing gate and bear slightly left to cross the field to reach a small wooden gate between the trees.

Follow the narrow path through the woodland.

Go through the gate and bear right around the edge of Beacon Hill.

Continue through the wooden kissing gate, through the trees and bear slightly right to follow the grassy path towards the church.

Carefully cross the road and take the narrow path into the church grounds.

Turn left at the fork and follow the fence line path through the graveyard.

At the bottom of the steps, go through the gate and continue straight ahead to the metal farming gate.

Turn sharp right and go through the kissing gate. Follow the road past the cottages.

When the road bears right, continue straight ahead on the footpath.

The path narrows and continues through a series of gates to reach the road. Carefully cross the road and turn left.

Take the first right-hand turn and go through the metal gate. Continue straight ahead on the farm track and through the gates.

Cross the stile and turn sharp right.

Continue across the next stile and into the golf course. The footpath runs to the right of the wooden hut and ends just to the right of the main golf club building.

Cross the road and take the left-hand fork. The narrow, sunken footpath climbs through the woods.

Ignore any paths merging from the side and continue to the four-way junction. Turn right, following the Ridgeway footpath sign. Continue on the well-defined track to the Boer War Monument, with great views across the hills.

From the monument, turn sharp left and follow the wide track.

Bear left through the trees and continue straight ahead to return to the entrance of the car park.

The post The Chilterns: Coombe Hill Circuit first appeared on Stepping Outside.