9 , according to the Railwayman

By my reckoning it was 10 - 8 on the appointed train, 1 in a car and 1 who came on a later train and caught up in the pub.

The weather was sunny and for February remarkably warm. But oh the mud. Prizes to the two walkers who walked in wellies and a different pair who brought sticks.

In the morning, the water was lapping at the edges of bridge by the cress farm. Ingenuity was shown by most who somehow managed to keep their feet dry in ankle deep mud. Made for some mirth and a Dunkirk spirit.

The trials of the morning were more than made up for by an excellent lunch at the Red Lion in Chenies. Thanks to the foresight of one of our number who booked ahead, 7 squashed round the table and managed to be fed by 1345. The 3 picnickers managed a drink so we set off more or less at the same time.

3 wise walkers peeled off before Latimer House to head for the tube at Chalfont & Latimer. Little did the hardy rump of the group know what lay ahead. Plenty of wading and mudskating. Thank goodness for the wonderful views, the company of red kites and a late afternoon light on the hill overlooking Chesham. A photographer with a tripod certainly agreed about the light.

The one who had speeded ahead managed to scoff a cake so all bar 2 got the 1700 tube from Chesham bidding farewell to the driver and one who went in search of tea



 15 plus an exuberant dog on a day mostly cloudy with some sun

6 who had caught earlier trains set off ahead but all sort-of met up in Chenies. The Red Lion was busy but a few had managed to book a table. Others lunched near the chapel. Although today’s walk was timed to avoid starting at the same time as a Clog group, there were plenty other groups encountered during the day. DoEs, meet-ups, random assortments, you name it. Vast skeins of walkers threading across the hills. Some were even clutching SWC directions. “Last time I come here for a quiet walk” said one bemused blackberry picker.

Eventually Chesham was reached. Mr Tiger, as you know readers, would be quite happy to finish with a cup of tea and a piece of cake. But no. He was practically frogmarched to the far end of the High Street and into the Mad Squirrel and made to choose from a wide range of interesting ales and ciders. Poor thing!

12 arrived early and set off ahead of 7 on the posted train giving a total of 19 . There was cloud and a cool breeze in the morning warming with sunshine in the afternoon. This is a proper country walk at the outer edges of the Metropolitan line and it took us through fields carpeted with buttercups and daisies and laneways lined with pink and white hawthorn blossom. We passed a sleeping horse standing motionless in front of a stable with one rear hoof slightly raised as if to take a step. After watching for several minutes we started to doubt whether he was alive but just as we moved away, he woke up and did a long stretch - forelegs fully extended in front like a yoga stretch. We later passed a large field with lots of cows and young calves grazing. The later group caught up with the earlier starters at Chenies. Three or four had lunch at the Red Lion, everyone's else picnicked. The afternoon offered lovely views of the Chess valley and birdsong in the woods. It felt like the perfect time of year for this walk. The first group to reach Chesham caught the 15.28 train, the rearguard of 6 caught the 16.26 after three had tea at the Drawing Room and three had drinks in the pub.

15 on this walk, including one late starter who caught us up at lunch. A mainly sunny day (a bit cloudy for a while in the afternoon, but it cleared again) on which it was a joy to be out walking. As always, the surprise with this walk was how rural it felt despite suburbia lurking just out of sight over the hills.

At least two other walking groups - the Hampstead Ramblers (?), a MeetUp group - were out doing the same or similar routes, but we easily disentangled ourself from them. The MeetUps came to eat at the same pub as us, the Red Lion in Chenies, but we had got there first and were well into our meals by the time they arrived. Nine of us ate there, split between Insiders and Outsiders. Nice food, efficient service.

In the afternoon it became apparent we were in danger of finishing rather too early. So at the top of one of the hill climbs a few of us did a very radical thing and laid down on the grass to have a snooze and contemplate the wispy high clouds. This also allowed three stragglers to catch up. Shocking behaviour I know. It won’t happen again.

Approaching Chesham there was some fragmentation. Which is to say, some people who I though were right behind me suddenly were not. Did they miss a turning? A few of us did manage to hook up and have tea at Costa (faute de mieux). Since the 16.30 train from Chesham was cancelled, we also met up with another walker on the 17.00. Whether because of the cancellation or the rail strike, the platform at Chesham was ten times busier than I have ever seen it. But the train was not too bad as we clattered back to reality in the late afternoon sunshine.

The 3 behind did (briefly)take at least 2 wrong turns. Soon corrected, so not ‘L-word’ wrong. And, as ever, not Mr Tigers fault. He was merely following the others, having lost his place in the directions. They were soon back on track and caught what must have been the 1600, two needing to connect with trains and one eager to avoid yet another down and up, even if it was just to the High Street.

At least 13 turned out today on a fine sunny day . Group cohesion nvg. I think two or three lunched in the Red Lion while two pressed on and the rest of us picknicked at the baptist church. Three went elderflower picking and I didn't see them again. After a leisurely lunch in the sun, the remaining group went slightly off piste in the wood after Chenies (actually we followed the way to Chalfont & Latimer by mistake) but found the way back to the route and, after a further mini-split, regrouped on the 4pm tube from Chesham. Thanks for posting a very nice walk for a summer's day.

Hi, will anyone come to this walk? As the weather is not the most pleasant.

no, incy wincy bit of snow or some high wind will probably cause havoc on both rail and met lines 🙄last time I braved rail travel in high winds got stuck for over 24 hrs!

7 gathered at the station off different trains, most wearing waterproofs for the morning section, and indeed, the last colour of autumn. The ground was fairly soft, but not excessively muddy, and there was light drizzle until lunch, but the weather gradually brightened throughout the day. grey and overcast with low_cloud We enjoyed seeing the Alpacas that are now a feature of this walk. we all ate at the Bedford Arms in Chenies, which was welcoming, with a good menu and the consensus was ‘up market’. Some of the group stopped to admire the effigies in the church there, and the C19 ceiling, they lingered long enough for the organist to attempt to convert them to Christianity. Leaf coved the paths which could be slippery, the rolling hills gave good viewpoints to the valley and manor house, and of course the chess river. There was for sure an icy wind from the north, as we hastened into Chesham, and Costa Coffee before the train home.

You can also catch the Piccadilly line to Rayners Lane and change to the metropolitan line for Harrow on the hill direction Chorleywood if living near a west london tube line.

15 of us showed up for this walk on a day which started overcast and cool but improved cum lunchtime when the sun broke through, making for a very pleasant afternoon.

The Chess Valley was green and lush with fields blanketed with buttercups. Lots of cow parsley and other Spring flowers - someone please help me identify the little blue jobbies which accompanied the buttercups in some fields - to add a lovely additional splash of colour.

Some twenty minutes after we arrived at the Red Lion in Chenies, with five of us sitting down at a comfortable table inside and looking forward to a pub lunch, the entire village suffered a power cut - and the pub's all-electric kitchen went down. The pub's manager could have suggested we left but full marks to her and her chef for improvisation - they "borrowed" the gas stove of their neighbour and our orders duly arrived without too long a delay. Some of us left a generous tip as a thank you.

Meanwhile our sandwichers, some of whom had stopped for a drink at the Red Lion or at the more up-market Bedford Arms Hotel down the road, had moved on, most I believe on the main walk to Chesham. Four in my group took the short-cut walk to Chalfont and Latimer, leaving four of us to tackle the main walk. Once again we were lucky with the weather - the rain forecasted for late afternoon never arrived save for the few drops which fell on us on reaching Broadwater Bridge.

Waitrose in Chesham was our stop for walk-end drinks - and the 16-57 hrs Met Line train took us back to London. To our amusement, our train started as a semi-fast service to Aldgate, then a fast service from Moor Park to Harrow-on-the-Hill when it changed to an all-stopping service. The indicators could barely keep up with these changes.

Possibly because of the inclines along the way which kept us honest all day the main walk seemed longer than the stated 9.9 miles but no matter, it is a delightful walk through some glorious countryside. Note to self: do not wait another nine and a half years before posting it again.

The little blue flowers were speedwell - not that they’ve ever had any effect on me.

I staggered off from the Red Lion suffering from the effects of a pint of Old Rosie. Will I never learn? Might as well have been hit over the head with a hammer. And because of the power cut I had to pay with real money. It’s a nice walk but one thing I’ve said before and no doubt will say again. That ‘bravura’ finish should come in the middle. You’re tired, you can almost smell Chesham, your poor little legs are dreaming of a comfy seat on the Metropolitan Line /- and what happens? “Go uphill 600 metres” . 600 metres?!? (insert emoji) That’s just psychologically wrong. Who are we? The SAS? And there’s still a bit more up and down. The finish is ‘bravura’ though.

Sandwich eaters can turn left at the Red Lion and in a few doors come to the village Methodist church with benches out the back which are south facing.

They also leave open a toilet with hot and cold running water.

A fine day for a walk sun cloud breeze , with 11 off the train & tube. The morning was relatively mud free, & we arrived at the pub 10mins before opening. Sandwiches enjoyed the churchyard. Most of us had a drink in the friendly pub, praised for its beef sandwiches.

The afternoon had a lot of mud, which was disappointing. We scattered in Chesham, but most went for the train.

This was a lovely walk with plenty of expansive country views. The bright sun at times lit up the clouds and made the Chess river glitter. As expected it was too early for the celandine wood - instead we had plenty of horses, geese, kites and at least three lots of llamas. Very enjoyable, thank you to PeteG for posting it.

Elsa

Hi. Will there be a Boxing Day walk? Thank you.

Yes

I could see only two of us on the specified train, but at Chorleywood nine materialised, and one turned out to have gone on ahead, so 10 in all. The weather forecast turned out to be spot on. I read they had a tornado in Chertsey, but we had sun till lunch then cloud and later rain , the rain not really persistent till near the end of the walk.

In the morning there were particularly fine views near Sarratts and for a while the sun felt quite warm. Two places in the valley that might have been flooded were not, and in general the ground on this walk was reasonably firm underfoot, though of course muddy at times.

Four lunched at the Red Lion (three having the roast turkey, one saving himself for the big day...) and one more watched us eat. The sandwich eaters went to a Baptist church, apparently, and used the loos. In the afternoon we saw lots of rather disconsolate horses.

At least five of us had tea at the Drawingroom in Chesham, whose proprietors must have been disappointed that we eschewed their chai lattes, Assam and peppermint teas, and hot chocolates with orange liqueur in to have good old English Breakfast. We then got on the Mighty Met and talked of signalling systems and other topics of urgent national import as the train slowly filled with shoppers, partygoers and sulky youth on the long run to Baker Street.

The gpx file needs amending ; a random straight line seems to have insinuated itself onto the map.

Nine walkers at the station plus a regular who turned up to wave us off. One walked with the group at the beginning then peeled off to do his own thing (Chess Valley?) - we crossed paths again later. Another caught up with us at lunch time to make 10 walkers in total. Four ate at the Red Lion, one who had the full roast meal finding that it would have served two. Others went for a picnic in the churchyard where reportedly they were force-fed free tea and cakes. This was an enjoyable walk on a warm and sunny day with some wooded sections providing welcome shade but possibly an excess of fields to cross in the afternoon. In Chesham the front group of three went to the interesting and pleasant Drawing Room for tea and cake and were later joined by a couple of stragglers (one presumably weighted-down by the roast lunch).

I was the Chess Valley peeler-offer as this would be a shadier option on a hot day and I've only done this easier route once before many moons ago. The path follows a woodland trail and attractive water meadows before connecting with the nmain route for the ridge section near Latimer House. In truth the ending is a bit dull - a path through a narrow linear park with a main road 20m to your right. there are a couple of decent looking pubs on the way though. Possibly aesthetically better to stick with the main walk route. Coffee in Chesham then a 3pm tube home. Easwy route finding and well-signed alternative to the main walk.

@PeteB thanks, gpx fixed

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As the walk poster said, this walk is normally completed in the winter, no doubt because it is not too long and its closeness to London makes for a short journey time. Done at this time of year, it has long stretches of scenery every bit of spectacular as better known alternatives, and I will definitely do this one again. I thought it was remarkable to see such countryside while still being inside the underground system.

The Drawing Room had run out of chocolate cake. Since this is the best cake on any of our walks, and the main reason for choosing this option on this day, I considered this a considerable blow. The owner spent some time with us, talking about the events that he puts on on a stage set up in the yard outside the café. He said that historically Simon & Garfunkel performed for the first time as a pair under that name on that stage .

Great walk - thanks. Natasha - are you ok? (felt unwell at lunchtime)

12 fine dry mostly with a hint of icy rain nearing Chesham

Nice walk with good Chiltern views though I can’t help feeling it should reach Chesham sooner than it does. Maybe they should move it a bit closer. Slightly unusual to walk through a field of alpacas near the end but they were docile. The Red Lion wasn’t open but the Bedford was welcoming and people seemed pleased with what they got. There were plans to visit the Drawing Room at the end. I myself didn’t.

Now I might do the Walk on Saturday. But I can't Guarantee I will. According to the Pub Restaurant. The website Address is www.redlionchenies.co.uk

The Red Lion in Chenies is temporarily closed, due to the retirement of the landlord and his wife. However the Bedford Arms has lots of room, and the local ale from the Marlow brewery is very good.

17 set off. Due to the Red Lion being closed and the Bedford Arms being unable to accommodate us (already had taken 2 group bookings), most of the group made a diversion to Sarratt, where there are two pubs. The Cricketers was a good choice. People seemed to like their food and there was a wide choice of beer. Mr Tiger liked his beer so much he had to have another half. The diversion was straightforward – easy to follow. It turned the walk into a 12 mile one. 2 had diverted to Faundon and were never seen again. The group were intending to visit the Drawing Room for tea but 'yours truly' lagged behind and cannot confirm this occurred. Going was good, even if Doris had had a go at a few trees. If anyone’s missing a glove, I found one. Nice walk. damp start getting damper some rain pm a bit blowy

If its dark blue Ian hang on to it, I came home with just the one

It is indeed that colour.

We were told by one of the group that The Drawing room has the best chocolate cake in the world. To misquote Jasper Carrot, falsely attributed to John Lennon, The Drawing Room doesn’t have the best chocolate cake in the world. It isn’t even the best chocolate cake in the Chilterns.

Though I admit that it was very nice. Five of us supped there and all five of us had a piece and I think that we all thought it was very nice.

The walk was great

As the Red Lion was closed and The Bedford arms was fully booked we had to use the Cricketeers

http://www.brunningandprice.co.uk/cricketers/menus/daily-menu/

excellent venue only about 400 metres off the route so and extra 10 minutes walking. Good food and service - very nice.

As proponent of the claim that the Drawing Room in Chesham serves the best chocolate cake on any of our walks (a step short of best chocolate cake in the world) I am delighted to learn that there is even better to be found not far away and look forward to being led purposefully and accurately to the location of this wonder at a very early date.

A good report was also received recently of the Bedford Arms for lunch

Thanks Walker; the Bedford Arms is just 200m down the road from the Red Lion

5 on t his walk with the weather sun then cloud then rain at 3pm . Also chilly breeze .

3 were pub lunchers but 2 of us pressed on to the church at Latimer for a sandwich lunch and to try to get a head start on the rain which the weather apps were predicting to start at 1pm. We got back to Chesham at 3pm and were having a a coffee when the rain began. Hope the pub lunchers managed to avoid the worst of it.

This is a lovely walk, particularly the ridge stretch through Latimer Park where there are some lovely views. A fine walk to do at any time of the year and it has inspired me to do the full Chess Valley trail from Rickmansworth next Spring.

Finally, thanks to the generosity of local sponsors all the stiles have been replaced with kissing gates so a completely stile-free waqlk.

Unfortunately, it's no longer possible to buy a zone 1-9 travelcard with the network railcard discount.

Lovely, intending to go

this sounds lovely, am going

How does one log walk reports now?

The same way you asked this question! By adding a comment against the walk. The walk transfers to the "recent walks" page shortly after it's happened so you'll probably have to look for it there. (Click the big red "Recent Walks" button). There is guidance on the page on how to add walk number and weather info. The only other think to remember is if it was a walk posted by Mr Tiger, you say nice things about it. Anybody else, say what you like.

Thank you for that jfk

7 plus 2 late runners arriving at lunchtime. W= Mild and mainly dry underfoot despite rain early am before setting off-sunny pm. Pub food excellent but very long waits for food-40-50 mins!

Wonderful scenery no problems with route directions and a very enjoyable day out in excellent company.

anyone going on this please?

yes hope to go

10 cloudy but bright

An excellent walk on a good day. Wonderful mix of autumn colours. 5 lunched at the Red Lion at Chenies and reported favourably. 4 took tea and cakes at the quirky Drawingroom in Chesham - definitely a more interesting option than the standard high street chain cafés.