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
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.
