Bledlow Bound - A Ridgeway Round - Chilterns Circular

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A public transport accessible 12.1 mile circular hike in the Chiltern Hills from Princes Risborough railway station, with direct train services to and from London Marylebone, High Wycombe and Oxford and connections from Banbury, Leamington Spa and Birmingham.  

A summary of some of the sights: 

Bledlow is a historic village in Buckinghamshire. Mentioned in the Domesday Book, it is noted for its 12th-century Holy Trinity Church, the Lyde springs and gardens, and the nearby Bledlow Cross. 

The Lyde Garden in Bledlow is a sunken water garden created in the 1980s from former watercress beds on the Carrington Estate. Fed by natural springs at the source of the River Lyde, it features pools, waterfalls, and lush planting of primulas, gunnera, ferns, and hostas, set in a shaded ravine with a tranquil, almost Oriental character. It's regarded as a hidden gem for peaceful walks and reflection and free to visit. I will plan a short interval to allow a visit. 

Chinnor Hill is a nature reserve in the Chiltern Hills, managed by the Berks, Bucks & Oxfordshire Wildlife Trust (BBOWT). It offers sweeping views over the Vale of Aylesbury and Oxfordshire, with a mix of chalk grassland, ancient woodland, and scrub that supports rare wildflowers, butterflies, and birds and is a popular spot for walking and wildlife watching.

Radnage is a small, rural village in the Chiltern Hills. Its parish church, St Mary the Virgin, dates from the 12th century and is a Grade I listed building. It retains fine medieval wall paintings, a Norman font, and later additions, making it a notable example of a simple country church with significant historic character.

The Ridgeway is a prehistoric track along the Chilterns and Wessex Downs, known as Britain’s oldest road. 

The Icknield Way is an ancient east–west route across chalk uplands, linking Norfolk to Wiltshire.

The route here:

Starting at Princes Risborough Railway station, we will initially head via a flat route of paths and lanes to the small hamlet of Horsenden and later to Bledlow, which is an attractive village with a fine church and pub. We will stop briefly to give people the option to look at the Lyde Garden (see description above). 

From Bledlow the walk really begins in earnest as we take the long climb up towards Bledlow Cross, through the Great Wood, eventually to arrive at the nature reserve of Chinnor Hill, where we can take a break to admire the views (weather permitting!!) over Aylesbury Vale. We then continue on paths and lanes with more ups and downs and plenty of beech woodland to Sprigs Alley and after the final down section we walk for some time along a valley (Collier's Lane) which marks the border of Oxfordshire and Bucks and was used by travellers in the past to avoid road tolls until the system of taxing vehicles rather than roads was introduced. Somewhere in this area we will have  break for lunch. 

After lunch we will traverse through the hamlet of Bennett's End and onto Radnage which has a fine church (see more details above), and some may wish to visit. There is another climb out of Radnage but the reward of a pub (The Boot at Bledlow Ridge) at the top where we can stop for a drink. The final stretch of the walk continues to be undulating but as we head back towards Princes Risborough it's more down than up! 

Well-behaved dogs are welcome, there are some stiles on route and sections along lanes and roads where there may be traffic and dogs will need to be kept on a lead. Please abide by the Countryside Code (https://tinyurl.com/rlqvp3h) and remember not everyone loves dogs as much as you do so be mindful of other members.

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All photos taken by the leader and permission given to OutdoorLads for use.