16.8 km (10.4 miles)

Landranger 165 & 166, OS Explorer 172, with a small portion at the end on 181.

6 out of 10.

The Chess Valley is one of the most beautiful and tranquil parts of the Chiltern Hills – which makes it all the more amazing that along its whole length it is never more than a couple of kilometres from the Metropolitan Line of the London Underground. This walk explores it thoroughly, starting in Chorleywood, whose station and common already have a very rural feel, and afterwards dipping in and out of the valley, with a number of fine panoramic views.

Early in the walk there is a short section affected by noise from the M25 motorway, but this soon fades into the background as you walk northwards. For lunch the walk climbs up to the village of Chenies, which has two possible lunch pubs, and just beyond it passes through a wood that is an absolute carpet of yellow celandines in late March and early April (see paragraph 42 of the main walk directions). There are also some bluebells in late April: see paragraph 52)

Later delights include passing Latimer House and village (from where Chalfont & Latimer station gets its name), and then a pleasant walk high along the valley rim on a permissive path. Approaching Chesham there is a bravura finish over the hills that takes you right down into the heart of the town for tea.

Early in the main walk (para 27 and 31) there are a couple of sections of lane that can be flooded after heavy rain. Option #1: The Short Cut to Chenies (see below) avoids these sections.

Directions are given at the end of the main walk directions on two ways to shorten the morning of the walk:

#1) Short cut to Chenies. This saves 1.6km/1 mile off the morning of the main route, giving you a total morning walk of 5.1km (3.2 miles), and avoiding the need for the hill climb in paragraph 19 of the main walk directions. It passes along a very pretty stretch of the Chess River not otherwise visited on the walk, and then takes a direct route over the hills to the lunch pubs.

#2) Shorter start from Chorleywood. This gets you to the lunch pubs in Chenies in just 3.2km (2 miles) from Chorleywood station, passing through a pleasant beech wood on the way, though missing the fine morning views. In all it saves 3.5km/2.2miles off the walk, making a total walk of 13.3km (8.2 miles)

A glance at the map shows that it is also not hard to finish the walk at either Chalfont & Latimer or Amersham stations. Chalfont & Latimer is quite easily reached from Latimer village – see paragraph 49 in the main directions for details -and you can do this route without a map. Amersham is a more complicated. In you stay on the road in paragraph 57 of the main directions, cross the main road when you come to it, take the path straight ahead beyond, and then take the left fork steeply uphill after passing under the railway line, you have a very pleasant and scenic 1.3km (0.8 mile) walk to the edge of Amersham. But you then face a 1.6km/1 mile walk through the suburban sprawl of Amersham, which definitely does need a map and is a rather disappointing way to finish the walk.

To be written.

Lunch

The Red Lion (01923 282 722) in Chenies, 6.7km (4.2 miles) in to the walk is a pleasant – and popular - little pub that welcomes walkers and describes itself as a “pub that sells great homemade food, not a restaurant that serves beer”. It has an interesting and varied menu. Food is served from 12-2pm Monday to Saturday and until 2.30pm on Sundays. In warm weather it has a sheltered outside courtyard, and it also has a bookable dining room – the Lions Den – which can cater for groups of up to 30. Otherwise, the pub is not huge and groups might like to split themselves between this pub and the Bedford Arms – see below

The Bedford Arms (01923 283 301) in Chenies, 200 metres down the road from the Red Lion, is actually a hotel, but its Shire Bar seems to act like a traditional pub and serves food from 12-2.30pm Monday to Saturday and to 3pm on Sunday. It has slightly more tables than the Red Lion and also a pleasant garden. The hotel also has a more upmarket restaurant, and the Chess Room for private parties which can seat up to 20 (I have no idea if a party of walkers would be acceptable in either place).

A bench just past the gate in paragraph 43 of the main directions makes a fine picnic spot, with a panoramic view of the valley.

Tea

The Drawingroom, Frances Yard, Chesham (01494 791 691) is a combination art gallery, music venue and cafe just off the pedestrianised part of Chesham high street (to the left, about 50 metres before the clock tower). It serves marvellous homemade cakes, a tasty hot chocolate, and tea and coffee, but closes by 4pm on the first and third Saturday in the month, when it has music events in the evening, and is not open on Sundays except in high summer. Otherwise it is open “until about 5pm”.

Chesham has several other tea rooms, but they all seemed to be tucked up side alleys and to close at 4pm. The fallback is therefore the inevitable Caffe Nero, which has a large establishment in the main square and is open till 6.30pm Monday to Friday, 6pm Saturday and 5.30pm on Sunday, and the slightly smaller Starbucks in the high street at the bottom of Station Road, which is open till 6pm Monday to Saturday or 5pm Sunday