Walk 40 : Gerrards Cross to Cookham



Bulstrode Park, Burnham Beeches & Spencer

Length	14.8km (9.2 miles), 4 hours 30 minutes. For the whole outing, including trains, sights and meals, allow 7 hours 30 minutes.
OS Landranger Map	Nos 176 and 175. Gerrards Cross, map reference TQ 002 887, is in Buckinghamshire , 9km north of Slough and 12km east of Cookham, which is in Berkshire.
Toughness	2 out of 10.
Features	Near the start, this walk crosses Bulstrode Park to its manor house, now a Christian centre. From there, it goes past woods and lakes to a cratered moonscape where the route crosses the M40. Then it goes through the Hedgerley Green Nature Reserve to the church at Hedgerley, and on through Egypt Wood and Burnham Beeches to a pub in Littleworth Common. 8.3km (5.2 miles) of this 14.8km walk is covered before lunch. After lunch, there are more woods and fringes of woods, with a detour to the hilltop Church of St Nicholas in Hedsor, with a fine view over the Thames Valley and across to a late eighteenth-century folly, a ruined castle. The walk ends alongside the Thames, going over Cookham bridge to Cookham Church and Stanley Spencer Gallery, with tea at a seventeenth-century hostelry, and then across the National Trust’s Cookham Moor to Cookham Station.
Shortening the walk	Catch the 74 bus, which runs approximately hourly from the Foresters Arms pub in Farnham Common to Slough or Beaconsfield until around 5.30pm, except Sunday. (See para. 21 for directions.)
History	The 400 acres of Bulstrode Park were bought by Judge Jeffreys in 1686, who built a house here. It was confiscated when he was sent to the Tower of London. The present manor was completed by the twelfth Duke of Somerset in 1870. Since 1963 it has been the headquarters for 120 missionaries and admin staff of the Worldwide Evangelization Crusade. Egypt Wood is thought to be so called because it was an oft-used encampment for gypsies prior to 1880 (the name ‘gypsy’ derives from ‘Egyptian’, although gypsies probably originate from India). Since 1880 Egypt Wood (which is a part of Burnham Beeches) has been owned and managed by the Corporation of London. The Church of St Nicholas was referred to in land records in 1218 and is unusual in that it is entirely set within the grounds of the landowner, Lady Wantner, with the only right of access being for walkers. The church is open on Sunday afternoons in June, July and August. Cookham was inhabited by ancient Britons, Romans and Saxons. In the Domesday Book it is listed as containing ‘32 villagers, 21 cottagers, 4 slaves, 2 mills, 2 fisheries and woodland at 100 pigs’. In 1140 a Norman church was built on the site of Holy Trinity Church, Cookham. The north wall of the church is built of chalk blocks, probably quarried at Cookham. The artist Sir Stanley Spencer (1891–1959) lived in Cookham and there is a memorial stone to him in the graveyard. Spencer was born in a Victorian semi-detached house in Cookham High Street, and he attended services at the Wesleyan Chapel in the High Street, which is now the Stanley Spencer Gallery (tel 01628 471 885; open April–October daily 10.30am–5.30pm, Nov–March Thurs–Sun 11am–4.30pm). There is a small admission fee, or you can get an impression of the place by buying a postcard.
Saturday Walkers’ Club	Take the train nearest to 10.45am (before or after) from Marylebone Station to Gerrards Cross. Journey time 21 minutes. Trains back from Cookham to Paddington run once an hour, changing at Maidenhead. Journey time 55 minutes.
Lunch	The suggested lunchtime stop is the Jolly Woodman pub (tel 01753 644 350) in Littleworth Road, Littleworth Common, which has a good menu and quick service, from midday to 2.30pm daily (Sunday to 4pm). Groups of more than seven people should phone to book, as it gets busy. You could get lunch 2.7km earlier in the walk at the Foresters Arms pub (tel 01753 643 340 ) in Farnham Common (see para. 21). It services food 12.30–3pm on weekdays and from 12 noon at weekends. Those wanting a much earlier lunch stop (or a morning coffee) might like the White Horse (tel 01753 643 225) at Hedgerley , opens from 11am on Saturdays and from 12 noon on Sundays.
Tea	There are various options in Cookham for tea: the seventeenth-century hostelry, the Kings Arms (tel 01628 530 667) in the High Street is open daily until at least 9pm (serves food from 12 noon) and has a garden; the Bel and the Dragon pub (tel 01628 521 263), opposite the Stanley Spencer Gallery in the High Street; a tea room Infusions , just beyond the Kings Arms; and – if you are in good time – the Station Deli (tel 01628 522 202), further on and just three minutes’ walk from the station, open Mon–Fri 7am–5pm and Sat 8.30am–3.30pm (closed on Sunday) .

Travel by Train	Out: (not a train station) Back: (not a train station)
Warning	The route out and back are by different train companies. It is possible that you will have to buy 2 singles rather than a "off peak day return" ticket.
Travel by Car	Start: Gerrards Cross Station is near : SL9 8PP [gmap] Finish: Cookham Station is near : SL6 9BP [gmap] Return to your car by train: (park at the start) at 4pm (park at the end) at 10am
Warning	It is not possible to return to the start of the walk by car, as the 2 stations are on different railway lines.
OS Explorer Map	172 : Chiltern Hills East [Amazon]
Revised	This walk was fully revised in : Jul-09. Download the PDF (link above) for the revised instructions, but for the map, you'll still need the book.
Other Chilterns Walks	Great Missenden to Amersham, Beaconsfield (round walk), Tring to Wendover, Princes Risborough to Great Missenden, Princes Risborough to Wendover, Wendover Circular, Saunderton via Bledlow Circular, Saunderton via West Wycombe Circular, Chesham to Great Missenden, Tring Circular, Little Kimble to Saunderton, Amersham Circular via Chalfont St Giles, Chorleywood to Chesham,

Walking Instructions 

[Numbers refer to the map.]

1. [1] Coming off platform 1 at Gerrards Cross Station go over the footbridge to exit the station building. Cross the pedestrian crossing outside the building and go left uphill on a tarmac path, your direction 320 degrees.
2. In 75 metres go straight on, now on the pavement of a tarmac road, walking parallel to the station carpark down below. In a further 140 metres, where this road veers sharply to the right, and there is a carpark on your left, carry straight on, along a narrow tarmac footpath, your direction 305 degrees.
3. In 210 metres turn left to go on a footbridge back over the railway lines. This brings you out onto a road (Laytes Way) where you turn right, your direction 315 degrees, passing Cedar House on your right-hand side. In 75 metres bear left with this road, which in a further 140 metres reaches a T-junction.
4. Cross this road and pick up a signposted footpath, opposite, your direction 260 degrees. In 200 metres you come out onto the A40. Cross the road and turn left for 25 metres , your direction 120 degrees, then turn right onto a path (by a green footpath signpost) , between concrete posts, down concrete steps and between wooden fences, your direction 220 de grees.
5. In 110 metres you reach a gravelled road opposite Main Court House. Turn right, heading towards the park, your direction 255 degrees.
6. In 30 metres go through a metal missing gate by a two-armed footpath sign and yellow path arrows, and follow a wide grass path straight on, across Bulstrode Park, your initial direction 255 degrees, slightly uphill and gradually veering right. Bulstrode Manor is just visible behind trees on the hillock to the left in the distance. As you reach the top of the hill continue on a rough tarmac path in the same direction, now veering slightly to the left.
7. In 730 metres you reach a wooden kissing gate. Turn right onto a gravel car road . In 20 metres you cross [2] the entrance driveway t o Bulstrode Manor and go straight on over a cattle grid on a tarmac road.
8. In 50 metres, just after a left-hand turning, fork left onto a path with a fence to your right-hand side. In 225 metres this path comes to a T-junction at the edge of a wood. Turn left, your initial direction 255 degrees.
9. In 80 metres you pass a lake on your right-hand side. Soon the path re-enters trees, with the lake still to your right-hand side. In 340 metres you come out of the trees to a rough, open scrubland area close to large pylons.
10. Continue on the path, under the pylons at right angles to them, your direction 245 degrees. In 50 metres, bear left with the path, passing a metal field gate on your right, your direction 225 degrees. In 100 metres, go down steps to a tarmac road, where you turn right , your direction 315 degrees. In 50 metres you pass Moat Farm on your right-hand side, and then the road bears left onto a bridge crossing the M40.
11. Immediately after crossing the bridge, go over a stile on your left and follow the signposted footpath, your initial direction 100 degrees. Continue down the hill and half right, your direction 145 degrees.
12. In 45 metres you reach a high fence. Turn right on a car-wide grassy way, your direction 195 degrees; soon there is another fence on your right-hand sid e. In 40 metres you join a tarmac road and pass houses. In a further 60 metres at a T-junction turn left , your direction 100 degrees.
13. In 75 metres, at the Circular Walk footpath sign, opposite Bulstrode House, turn right on an earth car-wide road, your direction 220 degrees, through a nature reserve (so marked on the OS map). In 200 metres, when your road bends left towards Sherley Close, leave it to carry straight on along a bridleway, following a blue arrow on a post, your direction 230 degrees.
14. In 500 metres ignore a stile off to the right. In a further 200 metres, you come to a church on your left-hand side, St Mary the Virgin, Hedgerley, which is likely to be locked. Veer right with the tarmac path.
15. In 85 metres you come out onto a road, Village Lane (near the White Horse pub), where you turn left, following the circular walk sign, your direction 195 degrees, past Old School Cottage on your left-hand side.
16. In 80 metres you pass a pond on the left and Hedgerley’s ‘Buckinghamshire Best Kept Village’ sign on the right. In 60 metres turn right [3] onto Kiln Lane, your direction 265 degrees.
17. In 200 metres turn left through a wooden barrier onto a footpath signposted Circular Walk, your direction 240 degrees. In 30 metres go through a large wooden gate and follow a path uphill through a wood. In a further 300 metres go through another large gate and bear left between fences, initially walking on paving stones and blocks of wood, your direction 190 degrees. Soon there is a wooden fence on the left.
18. In 145 metres, at the end of the footpath, turn left on a signposted narrow public footpath to the right of Old Nursery Court by a yellow water marker in the ground, your direction 155 degrees. In 70 metres you reach a wood . In 40 metres at a post with yellow arrows fork right , your direction 230 degrees. Keep forward, in 80 metres passing through a slightly more open area of the wood, again straight on, your direction now 250 degrees. In 25 metres go through a broken wooden barrier and onwards, ignoring a path to the right.
19. In 100 metres you reach a road junction, where you turn right. Andrew Hill Lane is on your right-hand side and Christmas Lane off to the left. Continue forward on the main road.
20. In 100 metres you pass Top Farm on the right-hand side. In a further 85 metres you pass a large gate with a sign saying ‘Pond’s Wood Private’ on your left-hand side.
21. In 130 metres [4] turn left onto a path , signposted Circular Walk, i nto a wood. Keep forward, your direction 190 degrees, with a fence on your left. In 170 metres cross a stile just before th e A355. (If you would like to detour for an early lunch, turn left onto this road and walk 500 metres to the Foresters Arms pub in Farnham Common.)
22. Otherwise, cross the road , slightly to the right , and continue on a Circular Walk signposted footpath between fences, your direction 230 degrees initially, into Egypt Wood (so marked on the OS map). In 250 metres you reach Egypt Lane [5] (marked on a Corporation of London signboard).
23. Cross the road and go straight on, slightly to the right , signposted Circular Walk, on a concrete lane, your direction 295 degrees. In 100 metres you pass houses and then concrete garages on your left-hand side.
24. Keep straight on into the wood, through a metal kissing gate to the right of a gate, along a broad and obvious earth track running roughly east–west through the wood. Ignore all ways off and keep straight ahead – your onward direction is twice confirmed by yellow arrows on posts at junctions. In 800 metres you reach a junction with two low Circular Walk signs. Keep straight on slightly to the left (ignoring the Circular Walk arrow pointing to the right), now on the edge of the wood, with open fields to your right, your direction due west.
25. Ignore paths off to the left. In 140 metres go over a stile (with a wooden fieldgate to its left) to exit the wood and cross a field, with a field hedge on your right-hand side.
26. In 160 metres go through a wooden kissing gate (a wooden fieldgate to its right), and continue straight on, along an earth road. In 100 metres go straight on , along a tarmac road, due west.
27. In 160 metres, at a junction, keep straight on (your direction signposted Burnham and Taplow), on Boveney Wood Lane.
28. In 260 metres you pass Boveney Wood Farm on your right-hand side. Ignore a fork left, and go straight on. In 15 metres ignore a bridleway to the right, but in a further 80 metres turn down another bridleway to the right, and bear left with it after 30 metres . After passing a large bungalo w you reach the Jolly Woodman pub, the suggested lunchtime stop.
29. Coming out of the pub door after lunch, go straight on, along a bridleway opposite the front door , your direction 205 degrees. In 45 metres you come to a tarmac lane and turn right, your direction 265 degrees.
30. In 40 metres you com e to the front gate of the Pa rish Church of St Anne, Dropmore, which is likely to be locked. Turn left here across the road, onto a path into the wood, between two upright wooden posts, your direction 170 degrees. In 40 metres, at a cross paths T-junction, go right, your direction 295 degrees.
31. In 55 metres you reach Dorney Wood Road, which you cross. Turn right and in 25 metres you come to a car road T-junction, signposted Beaconsfield to the right. Cross this T-junction carefully, slightly to the left, and pick up a Beeches Way signposted footpath to the left of a cottage called Brissels Wood, through a wooden kissing gate, your direction 295 degrees. The path runs between a hedge and wood on the right and a fence and field on the left.
32. In 460 metres you cross a stile, and continue across a large field on a clear path between fences, your direction 280 degrees, with a house visible across the field to the right.
33. In a further 360 metres, after crossing a farm track, go over a stile (or round the edge of it), and in 80 metres you reach a car road [6]. Turn right on this road, your direction 320 degrees. In 45 metres you pass the entrance to Hales Cottage on your right-hand side. In a further 140 metres, take the left turn onto Sheepcote Lane , your direction 245 degrees.
34. In 310 metres, where the road bends to the left, take the bridleway signposted Beeches Way to the right, on a car-wide track (without tarmac after 25 metres), your direction 330 degrees. In 150 metres you pass a cottage on your left-hand side. Continue forward on a narrow bridleway.
35. In 370 metres you come out on a tarmac road [7] where you follow Beeches Way, signposted to the left, your direction 255 degrees. In 80 metres ignore a bridleway to the right. In 210 metres you cross Wash Hill to your right and Hedsor Lane to your left to go straight on.
36. In 180 metres, where the main road bends right, fork left on Branch Lane [8], which is marked ‘Unsuitable for motors’, following the Beeches Way arrow, your direction 230 degrees.
37. In 200 metres fork left, signposted Beeches Way, past a metal fieldgate on a car-wide gravelled road, your direction 225 degrees, into Woolman’s Wood.
38. In 80 metres fork right, following the Beeches Way arrow and one saying ‘Church path’ on a post, steadily downhill between fences.
39. In 620 metres go through a metal kissing gate and straight on along a tarmac road, along Beeches Way, with Lord Boston’s eighteenth-century mock castle folly up on the hill to the right.
40. In 200 metres it is worth detouring up steps and through a kissing gate on your left-hand side, to take a path across a field steeply uphill, your direction 125 degrees, heading to the right of the Church of St Nicholas. From the top, the view over the valley makes the climb worthwhile. There is a kissing gate into the churchyard, but the church is only open on Sunday afternoons from June to August.
41. Retrace your steps and continue on the road below. In 110 metres you cross a road [9] and continue past an unusual thatched house with columns on your right-hand side. Go through a wooden pedestrian gate to the left of a vehicle one, your direction 235 degrees.
42. In 60 metres, by double gates in front of new houses, turn right, your direction 290 degrees and continue with the wall on your left and soon another on your right. There is a Beeches Way sign on the wall on your right. In 40 metres go through a pedestrian gate to the left of a double gate onto a path. Keep left between a wooden fence on the left-hand side and metal fence on the right.
43. In 120 metres go over a stream on a large wooden bridge with railings that lean outwards. At the other end of the bridge, in the corner of a large field, fork left, following the Beeches Way arrow, your direction 235 degrees. In 80 metres you pass an obelisk behind the fence on your left-hand side (it may not be visible in summer).
44. In a further 40 metres your path reaches the bank of the River Thames on your left-hand side. Continue for 130 metres, then veer away from the river, following a path slightly to the right across the field, your direction 235 degrees.
45. In 300 metres go over a stile, marked by the last of the Beeches Way signposts, and turn left on the busy A4094, due south , into Cookham. Cross this road when traffic permits and continue over the bridge. 20 metres beyond the bridge, immediately opposite steps to the Ferry Inn on your left, turn right and go down steps with wooden railings (a signposted public footpath) and then straight on, along a gravelled path (which looks like a dead end) your direction 285 degrees.
46. In 25 metres you come into the churchyard of Holy Trinity Church, Cookham, through a wooden swing gate. The church entrance is around the far side. Coming out of the church, take the path right from the front door, then left in 20 metres at a cross paths , in 25 metres passing Stanley Spencer’s memorial stone (to the right of a bench – his ashes were scattered by his wife’s grave in Cookham cemetery).
47. At the end of the churchyard bear left, passing Churchgate House on your left. In 20 metres you reach the A4094 again, where you turn right . Stay on this road as it bends to the right.
48. In 60 metres you come to the Stanley Spencer Gallery opposite, at the junction with the High Street. Coming out of the gallery, turn left along the High Street, your direction 260 degrees. The Bel and the Dragon pub is opposite the gallery. I n 70 metres you come to the suggested tea place, the Kings Arms pub on your left-hand side (the entrance is through the courtyard). Just beyond it is the tearoom Infusions. Allow 15–20 minutes to reach the station after tea. (There is another option for having tea nearer the station, but it closes at 3.30pm on Saturday and is closed on Sunday.)
49. In 90 metres you come to the War Memorial on your left-hand side and carry on across Cookham Moor, on a tarmac lane to the left-hand side of the main street, your direction 265 degrees, and in 200 metres you go over a bridge.
50. 100 metres beyond the bridge, you rejoin the main road and go straight on at a small roundabout. Continue past the White Oak pub and the Old Swan Uppers pub on your right-hand side, crossing the road to the pavement opposite when you can. At another roundabout keep forward, following the sign to the station, which you reach in 200 metres. The Station Hill Deli, on the right just before the station, is another possible place to have tea, but it closes at 3.30pm on Saturdays and is closed on Sundays.