Time Out Country Walks near London Volume 1
Walk 52 : Princes Risborough to Wendover
The Ridgeway Path through Chequers
| Length | 16km (10 miles), 4 hours 50 minutes. For the whole outing, including trains, sights and meals, allow 8 hours. |
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| OS Landranger Map | No.165. Princes Risborough, map reference SP 799 027, is in Buckinghamshire, 11km south of Aylesbury. |
| Toughness | 6 out of 10. |
| Features | This walk is easy to follow, being mainly along the Ridgeway, and is very much uphill and downhill, but not strenuously so. The way is predominantly through high beech woods and chalk downlands, including the Grangelands Nature Reserve, and has views out from Coombe Hill over the Vale of Aylesbury and surrounding counties. The walk ends by descending into the pleasant old town of Wendover. |
| Shortening the Walk | There are buses back to Princes Risborough, several times an hour, from near the Lunch pub in Great Kimble. You could also shorten the walk by staying on the Ridgeway and not detouring via Dunsmore. |
| History |
The town of Princes Risborough derives its name from the Black Prince who, in 1343, was lord of the manor. This area was first settled by farmers in neolithic times, around 4,000BC, and was defended by a line of hilltop forts linked by the broad Icknield Way which can be traced from Dorset to Norfolk, and on this walk survives as the narrow Ridgeway). Remains of such forts can be found on Pulpit Hill and Coombe Hill. Whiteleaf Cross, carved into a hillside, is thought to commemorate a victory over the Danes. Chequers, the prime minister's country retreat, was given for this purpose to the nation by Lord and Lady Lee of Fareham in 1921. Even the state, with all its power, has not been able to divert the public footpath from this land, where the PM is at the mercy of any sniper. Lady Mary Grey, sister of Lady Jane Grey, was imprisoned in Chequers in 1566, and the house was later owned by a grandson of Oliver Cromwell. Wendover's name comes from the Anglo-Saxon 'wand' (winding) 'ofer' (bank). In 1600, the town had one pub for every 50 inhabitants. Wendover became the property of the crown and was given by Henry VIII to his wife Catherine of Aragon. It had John Hampden as its MP during the five parliaments leading up to the Civil War. He was one of the MPs whose attempted seizure by Charles I led to the Civil War. |
| Lunch | The suggested lunchtime stop is the Bernard Arms pub (tel 01844 346 172) in Great Kimble, which serves food until 2.30pm daily; groups of more than ten should phone to book. This is the pub which Yeltsin and other foreign dignitaries tend to visit, when at Chequers. For those starting late or not wishing to detour off the Ridgeway to this pub, an early Lunch could be had at the Plough (tel 01844 343 302) in Lower Cadsden. It serves food midday to 2pm Monday to Saturday, midday to 2.30pm Sunday; groups of more than 15 people should book. Both of these pubs are open on Christmas and Boxing Day, although the Plough only serves food on Christmas Day to groups that pre-book. |
| Driving |
Start: Princes Risborough Station is near : HP27 9DD. [gmap] Finish: Wendover Station is near : HP22 6BT. [gmap] |
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| Train Travel |
London to Princes Risborough | Wendover to London |
| Warning | The text above was taken from an older edition of the book, and is a little out of date. Please check the updates for this walk. |
Walking Instructions
For a map and detailed walking instruction, please see Time Out Country Walks near London Volume 1
