Travel and Tourism – The Chilterns

Across the valley to st Lawrence and Dashwood Mausoleum

Wye Valley Views

April 8, 2022May 14, 2023 by Mary Tebje, posted in Buckinghamshire, Chiltern Hills, hertfordshire, Travel in England

It takes a visitor to show the locals where to go!

On a windy spring morning, I joined friends and colleagues on a walk from Hughenden Manor, near High Wycombe in the Chilterns. Our walk leader Delphine, was to show us the Visorando app in action.

The Right Ingredients

This is a walk peppered with fabulous sightseeing opportunities: a Chilterns Manor House, bluebells in beech woodlands, a medieval village, a coffee shop, a pub (naturally), secluded valleys where the kites shoot the breeze and skylarks sing.

An unexpected view along the wye valley route — Dominating the landscape

We came across this beautiful view unexpectedly, making me stop as we emerged from the woodland behind Hughenden Manor. A total surprise!

Three miles west of High Wycombe, tucked away in the Wye valley, is a unique 18th century Italian-inspired Chilterns landscape, built to impress and entertain. Across the valley, St Lawrence and the Dashwood mausoleum straddle the hilltop, still dominating the landscape after 250 years. Based on the design of the Constantine Arch in Rome, this unroofed structure is unlike anything else in the country. Built using excavated flints from deep inside the hill, still in the Dashwood family ownership, this show-off memorial to Sir Francis and his friends is in remarkable condition. Beside which is clustered a tiny village of the most lovely cottages creeping up the hill.

routes through west Wycombe — Chocolate-box cottages

Coffee was calling so we heading into my favourite Chilterns village, West Wycombe. This tiny village, that hugs the hillside looks just like a film set; steep lanes, wobbly windows festooned with impressive cobwebs, doorways for tiny residents and unexpected passageways. All authentic, medieval properties, re-purposed for 21st century life.

Wye Valley Cottages — National Trust cottages

When your walking companions have such a wealth of local knowledge, they add layers of richness to the journey: identifying plants and animals, film locations and stories of those who have passed this way before. All of the above best discussed over coffee and cake, before we headed back up the valley.

Uphill all the way

On the return leg, we spotted a few early bluebells, poking out above the new growth, two red kites shooting the breeze, oblivious to our chatter as we walked uphill back to Hughenden. Working in tourism, I know it is usually visitors who discover the local gems because they look harder, trying to find the essence of a place. And in this, Delphine succeeded. She had captured the beauty of the undulating, rolling Chilterns landscape, historic streetscapes, wildlife, local food and drink and stories, all woven together in what makes the Chilterns so special. So yes, it often does take a visitor to guide the locals through their own landscape stories. Thank you!

Further Information

This is not a blow-by-blow account of how to navigate your way. Go exploring yourself and walk this lovely, but hilly six mile route on Visorando, that also includes; Sunday strolls to strenuous hikes, long-distance trails and urban walks.

Did you know that West Wycombe was saved by the Wall Street crash of 1929?

The fire was from a portable BBQ, discarded with accompanying beer bottles under a tree just behind the mausoleum. I am sure Sir Francis Dashwood would have approved of the party, but not the litter. Read Hellfire on a Hill

National Trust Hughenden Manor was once the home of Victorian statesman Benjamin Disraeli. An understated place, and worth a visit.

Take your Chilterns memories home with a mug, picture or tea-towel from our Chilterns Gifts range. Available online to UK mainland only.

Bluebells in ashridge — Chilterns Bluebells

Tree Routes

April 6, 2022May 14, 2023 by Mary Tebje, posted in Bedfordshire, Buckinghamshire, Chiltern Hills, hertfordshire, Travel in England, Visit England

If a tree falls in Ashridge Forest and no one is around to hear it, does it make a sound?

Shaking myself out of the winter slumber, I headed into Ashridge during the recent unseasonably warm weather. The forest was full with noisy life shaking off a winter slumber. The ambient light is washed out with remnants of a winter hue, with just a hint of green and clumps of spring flowers.

Avenue of trees — Foresters Walk follows an estate boundary

The forest is one of my favourite places to spend time enjoying the woodland throughout the year. I have followed so many animal trails and footpaths, visiting regularly and finding something new each time. Located on the Hertfordshire and Bedfordshire borders, the Ashridge Estate is a seamless mixture of beechwoods, chalk downland, meadows, isolated buildings and small farms. It is a huge privilege to have access to this special place.

The mud was not too horrendous, so picking my way around fallen trees and storm debris not too slippery! Leo naturally heads for all the puddles.

along a route in Ashridge — A once busy barn is now quiet

Lumps and Bumps

This walk was all about the magnificent trees: big, small, young, ancient, bent, decaying, lightening-stuck or toppled. Before the foliage takes centre stage, I could image in a world turned upside down with their branches like their roots now pointing to the sky. Now it’s all about textures, lumps, bumps, moss and carvings, the various trees stand out including; cherry, beech, oak, chestnut, holly, conifers, hornbeams and ash trees. There will be others, but I don’t know their names.

The rat-a-tat of a woodpecker, squirrels making a racket as they race down tree trunks, along the floor, over the fallen trees and back up another tree. The landscape is exposed, open, with old boundaries and ditches visible. The birds busy themselves with protecting territories and preparing for the next generation to claim the forest.

The greening of the forest starts from the ground up; splashes of coltsfoot and winter aconite yellow, dog violet purple contrasts with the faded snowdrops and the emerging nettles. Bluebell shoots are widespread, the promise of colour in late spring before the leaf cover shuts out the light.

If a tree falls in Ashridge Forest and no one is around to hear it, does it make a sound?

I’m surprised I didn’t hear the crashing trees as I only live a few miles away! Many of the old, majestic trees survived storm Eunice on February 18th, whilst some lie smashed on the ground, blocking paths, or narrowly missing trees, fences, gates and other obstacles.

Tree routes in Ashridge — Missing its neighbour, this tree exploded as it hit the ground

Tidying up is underway, but a tidy forest is not a healthy forest; nutrients from decaying trees are absorbed back into the woodland ecosystem, animals will find new homes and children will create more dens and castles.

This brown woodland will soon be transformed into shades of fresh green and bluebell blue.

Further Information

I have written extensively about the beautiful Ashridge Estate, you can read more here: do trees fall uphill? Winter shadows or pause awhile in the forest.

Spring in the Chiltern hills is the season when we shake off the gloom of winter and look forward to renewal. It’s the skylarks, snowdrops and then bluebells that increases the heart rate and knowledge that spring is not far off.

Take bluebells home with you when you buy from our range of Chilterns Gifts and Souvenirs.

Breaking the Bias

March 8, 2022May 14, 2023 by Mary Tebje, posted in Bedfordshire, Buckinghamshire, Chiltern Hills, hertfordshire, Travel in England

On March 8th, we come together to celebrate wonderful women during International Women’s Day (#IWD2022 #BreakTheBias). This annual event celebrates the social, economic, cultural and political achievements of women from all over the world.

How is this global event relevant to an ancient trackway through southern England?

The Ridgeway National Trail is a walking route in a surprisingly remote part of southern central England. Linking Wiltshire with Buckinghamshire, the route travels in a northeasterly direction for 87 miles (139 Km). From its start in the World Heritage Site of Avebury and ending at a dramatic Iron Age hill fort on Ivinghoe Beacon in the Chiltern Hills. As Britain’s oldest road, the Ridgeway still follows the same high route used since prehistoric times by travellers, traders, herdsmen and soldiers.

The Trail inspires artists, writers and historians, who between them, enable us to better interpret the collective story and appreciate this wonderful national asset.

Thanks to another group of remarkable women, who are breaking the bias through a passion for art, archeology, history, education and farming. They bring an important national asset into our communities and collective conscious, to enjoy, explore, respect and care for.

This is their contribution

Jo Beal

Jo Beal is a professional artist who loves to combine walking and drawing. Based in Swindon, she loves to walk and draw along the Ridgeway National Trail. Jo takes her landscape inspiration from its flora and fauna, historic sites including Wayland’s Smithy and Avebury. Drawing from observation capturing her daily life through her art journals is forms the bases for her drawing workshops; supporting others to build confidence, learn new skills and techniques whilst encouraging a personal exploration and enjoyment of drawing.

We asked Jo what makes the Trail special to her: ‘The Ridgeway has so many incredible historic features, I feel really lucky to have it on my doorstep. Drawing in situ helps me to tune in to its many wonders. I’ve learnt so much about it through drawing – being in nature and enjoying the physical exercise is good for me, my art and wellbeing! It is also free for everyone to enjoy and there is something amazing to discover – whether you walk just one stretch or the entire route. Jo is on twitter: @jobeal4

Sarah Burns-Morwood

Sarah Burns-Morwood holds the fastest record for running The Ridgeway during the UK Ultra Distance Trail Running 2018 championship. It took her just an incredible 14 hours to run 86 miles! Imagine the effort and skill. Sarah has recovered from a fractured knee and spine and believes running is a great way to manage mental health. She hopes her efforts inspire other women, including young girls, to enjoy running. Listen to Sarah’s interview with Runner’s World about recovering from injury.

Summer Courts and Seongmee Yoon

Summer Courts and Seongmee Yoon are PhD students from the University of Reading’s Classics Department. They are researching the mystery of the female skeleton found at Lowbury Hill, who is associated with a Scheduled Monument comprising an Early Medieval barrow and Roman enclosure. Their projects are supported by a supervisory team comprised of; Professor Amy Smith (Classics at University of Reading), Dr Sophie Beckett (Cranfield University), and Dr Rhi Smith (Museum Studies at University of Reading), in partnership with Ms Angie Bolton (Oxfordshire Museums Service).

International Women’s Day 2022 — Summer Courts and Seongmee Yoon. Photo credit Hedley Thorne

We asked Summer and Seongmee what drew them to this story: “The female burial from Lowbury Hill is interesting because of the nature of her burial and the unusual ways that people have chosen to explain it: a ritual sacrifice or a Celtic priestess? Our research offers a chance to raise awareness of women’ roles in society in the past and how these historical women are perceived today.”

Tory Drewe and Georgie Carlisle

Tory Drewe and Georgie Carlisle work on their family farms along The Ridgeway. They work behind the scenes so that Trail visitors can enjoy some of the sights, sounds and smells, particularly farmland wildlife.

We asked them for their highlights: “We are very lucky to live and work in such a beautiful area. The Ridgeway and the Berkshire Downs have such an array of wildlife that make their home on the farm. As a farming family we try and give as much ‘back’ to the nature and wildlife as we can. We plant wild bird seed mix around the farm to provide habitat and over-wintering feed for vulnerable farmland birds including the Grey Partridge. On early mornings when checking stock near the Ridgeway you can glimpse the barn owl hunting. A view which never gets old!”

We salute you!

We are really pleased to acknowledge and celebrate the women who are making a contribution to the Ridgeway landscape, understanding of and making our heritage accessible and culture enjoyable. Each in their own fields of expertise, are choosing to challenge perceptions, cracking those glass ceilings and breaking the bias for those women who will follow. Thank you!

With contributions from Sarah Wright, Trail Officer Ridgeway National Trail.

Further Information

This is the second year International Women’s Day has been celebrated along the Ridgeway National Trail. Read about the women who were celebrated in 2021.

Find out more about the Ridgeway National Trail and how to plan a future trip.

The Ridgeway has been portrayed by many artists, one in particular, was of great cultural importance. John Constable visited the pretty villages of Goring and Streatley to paint timeless English landscapes.

A Snowdrop of Spring

February 22, 2022May 14, 2023 by Mary Tebje, posted in Bedfordshire, Buckinghamshire, Chiltern Hills, hertfordshire, Travel in England

Not really spring, but that testing time in-between winter and spring when we dare to hope that warm, sunshine-filled days are not far away.

February is the month when we see a smorgasbord of emerging colour; yellow aconites and daffodils, purple crocuses and best of all, clumps of white snowdrops.

They can be found across the Chilterns, in roadside clumps, National Trust parkland, in woodlands and cemeteries. And it’s the cemeteries where they are the most impactful, arranged prettily around decaying headstones and memorials.

Snowdrops in a cemetery — The hard flint and stone contrasts with the delicate flowers

These small plants are delicate, yet highly toxic, but for bees, drawn to the sparse nectar supplies, they love them!

Snowdrop detail — An outbreak of snowdrops

Across Europe, there is myth and folklore associated with this tiny ‘shy’ plant. Renewal and hope being the more obvious associations, but for the Victorian’s, it was bad luck to see snowdrops as they believed death would surely follow. Snowdrops indoors are a definite no-no!

Snowdrops and crocuses — Snowdrops with a sprinkle of crocuses

The galantamine alkaloid contained within the bulb has properties which affects cerebral function. It is in use among Alzheimer’s patients and is being studied as a potential treatment for HIV. Renewal surely?

Whatever you believe, death or renewal, the snowdrops are a welcome carpet of spring hope!

Further Inspiration

The snowdrops at St Botolph at Swyncombe are very pretty, and very popular.

Try this self-guided Swyncombe snowdrop walk with colleague Andrew Clark of the Chiltern Society.

Snowdrop and other Chilterns wildflower prints are available from our online Chilterns Gifts and souvenirs website.

Shadows

January 18, 2022May 14, 2023 by Mary Tebje, posted in Buckinghamshire, Chiltern Hills, hertfordshire, Travel in England, Visit England

January is a tough month; days are short, whilst the year yawns ahead. Slipping and sliding through the thick mud along favourite countryside trails is not very appealing. We hunker down until April, when spring should be firmly established and the ground firmer.

Photography may not be top of mind either, too much grey and cold. But there is another way!

Winter opens up the Chilterns landscape through the skeletal trees, now devoid of leaf cover that hems in the landscape, blocking views and possibilities. Those popular snowscapes don’t always deliver when it’s not cold enough for snow.

To get around that problem, I am focusing on winter themes that should make me look at my surroundings anew. Starting with January shadows; long and varied in the low, deep winter sunshine, through the trees, crunching along the footpaths, buildings and structures or playing tricks through the mist. Close up or in the landscape, there are lots of opportunities to try something different. Have fun too, this is not about professional photography.

Iron gate in Tring Park, Chilterns
Self portrait in wood
Sheep shadows
Men at work
Holy shadows
Winter light and shadows

Get involved on Instagram @ChilternHills. I have been sharing images all month and encouraging others in my community to share their experiences. Please join in by taging and #shadows and I’ll RT the most creative and fun.

Winter shadows in Tring Park

Further inspiration

The ambient sounds louder, views wider and more intense and unexpected pathways, routes and earthworks are revealed by skeletal undergrowth. It matters not where they lead, just follow! Winter in the Chilterns.

The Bedfordshire and northern Hertfordshire Chilterns landscape is the least explored. Find out what makes this mixed urban sprawl encircling the Barton and Pegsdon Hills with villages so interesting?

Chilterns Gifts

This winter, celebrate the seasons in the Chiltern Hills
with our range of beautifully designed gifts that reflect the special qualities of this lovely region. Shop online now.

Discover the Chilterns hills whatever the season — A celebration of the Chiltern Hills – a field guide

Shapeshifters

November 9, 2021May 14, 2023 by Mary Tebje, posted in Bedfordshire, Buckinghamshire, Chiltern Hills, hertfordshire, Travel in England, Visit England

I don’t usually write about birds, as they are not something I know much about. Other than to enjoy the spectacle they present and to encourage nesting in my garden, (which blackbirds and robins oblige), I simply admire them from afar.

Along with blackbirds, magpies, sparrows, robins, blue jays, song thrush and the twice daily overflight from a red kite, starlings are very much part of the community. Noisy and gregarious, they feed on the verges and lawns, the flock swooping and chattering from the aerials and rooftops every day. Far from being dull, they show-off iridescent colours that change as they move about.

Starlings who used to roost in vast numbers in London’s Leicester Square, but no more. Discouraged by birds of prey and bright lights they are typical of species that is in decline.

It’s not just the starlings putting on a good show this autumn

They are birds that get noticed

I first heard of murmurations from a wildlife programme and friend who lives near Brighton Pier where they are a fairly regular sight. I don’t know where this unusual name comes from. Is it the sound their wings make on their fly-pasts? More of a whooshing sound than a murmur. As they settle in to roost, they made a huge racket, so I’m not convinced it’s their sound. More to do with the movement? The ebb and flow?

Shapeshifters

The sight of their displays is special. Like sardines they are also iridescent, acting as shapeshifting units, but some of them are changing direction, or deciding that it’s time to enter the roost. They are like the vast families of sardines.

Then last autumn, during the year of lockdown, when I was spending time locally – as you would have been, retracing my steps along tracks I had forgotten, I saw my first display. Quite small, but I knew immediately what it was. I watched as the birds worked their magic over water near College Lake in Hertfordshire before disappearing into the trees.

What is a murmuration?

A murmuration is the collection noun for starlings and describes their aerial displays before these groups roost for the night.

I am not aware of other British species that do this, but please do set me right if this is not the case. These large gatherings happen in the autumn and gather pace as more birds migrate from central Europe to the milder winter climate here, peaking in December and January. The groups get larger and larger as smaller groups are absorbed with latecomers, but all roosting together. It seems a sensible way for the birds to nestle up and keep warm together during the long winter nights. Makes me wonder how a single robin keeps warm on a cold night?

Starlings, the sardines of the sky

You may have heard of the Sardine Run? The annual spectacle of millions of migrating sardines that swim north along the east coast of South Africa each winter, attracts all sorts of visitors, predators and chancers who jostle for the best spots to feed or to follow. This is what I am reminded of, in the sky but not that well attended.

Gathering on rooftops, chattering and hopping about before taking off and slowly making their way back and forth, back and forth in the direction of the roosting site. That was when I spotted them, some distance away, but I recognised a murmuration in the making. Leo and I legged it!

The making of a murmuration

Untidy and at height, three sizeable groups slowing growing in size as they absorbed stragglers, circling above my head. Each bird is flying quickly, like synchronised swimmers. The closer they get to the roosting site, the tighter the circles and those tell-tale murmurations emerge; long, tapered, chunky, a cloud, flat, a ball, untidy as some are wanting to go in a different direction.

They hang in the air

Their wings shimmering as they change direction, appearing to contact and expand, undulating as they fly overhead. I can hear them chattering. One group follows the other, chasing it, darting behind, their wings rushing as they fly overhead. Merging for an instant then two separate groups. Does each bird know which group it’s in?

The spectacle begins

Alive. In no hurry to rush to their roost. It is as if they are enjoying gathering and circling many times to then suddenly drop. As if sucked out of the sky, falling like rain into the reeds.

And they are done

The reeds are alive with unseen birds, their jostling and chatter whilst settling in causing waves across the vegetation. Two smaller groups join, one after the other, as do some late stragglers, who just fly straight in. Magnificent!

The sun was gone and it was getting cold. I left them still chattering and jostling, thinking about what the take off at sunrise would look like.

Further information

There’s plenty more to enjoy in the season of colour across the Chilterns. “Wrap up warm” the hardy types say; “put on wellies, a good coat and pack a thermos”. Let me unpack that for you: wellies don’t keep your feet warm, jeans turn to ice when it’s wet and cold, and yes, a thermos is a very good idea. Take a look at the autumn page for ideas.

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Explore the northern Chilterns, they offer a different experience to the busy southern and central regions.

Chilterns Gifts

Celebrate the seasons in the Chiltern Hills with a NEW range of beautifully designed Chilterns Gifts including; Christmas cards, china mugs, tea-towels, 2022 A4 wall calendar amongst other popular items.

Marlow Mash-up

September 30, 2021May 14, 2023 by Mary Tebje, posted in Buckinghamshire, Chiltern Hills, Travel in England, Visit England

The Thames borders the Chilterns to the south west and includes the magical villages of Goring & Streatley, busy market towns of Henley and Marlow and much in between.

Marlow grew around an important river crossing on the road from Reading to High Wycombe. River trade with London was important, and boats and barges carried timber, firewood, flour, corn and malt to the city. Today’s splendid suspension bridge was designed by William Tierney Clark in 1832. It was a prototype for and is famously twinned with the much larger Széchenyi Chain Bridge across the River Danube in Budapest – I wonder if they share this?

Cheerful bunting on the high street — Marlow high street full of independent shops

Marlow’s reputation as a popular resort has been well established amongst Edwardians and Victorians who left their mark on the town. The wide pedestrian-friendly high street of this well-heeled Chilterns town is usually festooned with bunting and flowers. There are plenty of independent shops and restaurants to tempt to you to stop awhile. And shop awhile. The cosy pubs are along the river and down the pretty side streets amongst the brick cottages and churches.

The towpath and Thames Path National Trail shadow the River on the north bank, busy with strolling locals and long distance hikers. Kites drift overhead and summer swallows swoop and cry, some peeling off to take a sip from the Thames. Impressive balustrades mark the boundaries of enormous Edwardian waterside villas, their ornamental gardens reaching the Marlow riverbank.

Messing about in Marlow — Thames Path views

Bisham Abbey

Marlow is a sporting town, with an impressive sports complex surrounds the extant manorial buildings at Bisham Abbey. The manor house was built around 1260 as a community house for two Knights Templar. The subsequent substantial rebuilding and alterations is evident in the rich variety of brickwork and masonry. In 1310 the building was used as a place of confinement for Queen Elizabeth of the Scots, wife of King Robert the Bruce. King Henry VIII granted the manor house to Anne of Cleves as part of her divorce settlement, and it was later bought by the Hoby family, who lived there until 1768. I was there during the 2020 Covid lockdown for a change of scenery and Messing about in Marlow.

The Hand of St James

The Hand of Saint James the Apostle is a holy relic brought to England by Empress Matilda in the 12th century. Following the dissolution of the monasteries in 1539, monks hid the hand in an iron chest in the walls of Reading Abbey. It was dug up in 1786 and given to Reading Museum. In 1840, it was sold to J. Scott Murray, who put it in his private chapel at Danesfield House. The Hand ended up the care of St Peter’s Church in 1882 and has remained there until now This summer however, the well-travelled Hand has been returned to St James’ Church in Reading Abbey Quarter to coincide with their renewed focus on ancient pilgrim routes and relics.

The Queen’s Swan Marker

The historic and quirky Swan Upping ceremony dates from the 12th century, when the Crown claimed ownership of all mute swans. Punishment for poaching Crown property was harsh, punishable by death by hanging.

Once a prized dish, today the Crown retains the right to ownership of all unmarked mute swans in open water, but The Queen only exercises her ownership on certain stretches of the Thames and its surrounding tributaries. This ownership is shared with the Worshipful Company of Vintners, one of the “Great Twelve” livery companies of London, and the Worshipful Company of Dyers, who were granted rights of ownership by the Crown in the fifteenth century.

Once rounded up on the water, the birds are taken ashore to be weighed and measured each July to obtain estimates of growth rate and the birds are examined for any sign of injury caused by fishing hooks and line. www.royalswan.co.uk for dates and times.

Swan Upping on the Thames — Mind the Swan Uppers!

Further Information

A good place to start is at Marlow Museum, a treasure trove of local stories and history of the town and surrounds. Free admission.

The Stanley Spencer Gallery is in nearby Cookham, dedicated to the life and work of the local artist Stanley Spencer.

A significant local industry has been brewing, and much of this heritage can still be seen around town. It is also home to Rebellion Beer at the nearby Marlow Bottom. Opening times and tastings

It doesn’t get more gothic than a tour with Mary Shelley! Mary tells the stories of some of Marlow’s famous and infamous residents. ‘Mary Does Marlow’ tours can be booked marydoesmarlow.eventbrite.com

Spend time in the glorious Chilterns villages of Goring and Streatley.

Chilterns Gifts

Celebrate the seasons in the naturally outstanding Chiltern Hills with our range of beautifully designed Chilterns Gifts and souvenirs. UK mainland deliveries only.

The Hampdens

August 9, 2021May 14, 2023 by Mary Tebje, posted in Buckinghamshire, Chiltern Hills, Travel in England, Visit England

Not the Hamptons, but a tucked-away Buckinghamshire parish about three miles south east of Princes Risborough. It incorporates the villages of Great Hampden and Little Hampden and hamlets of Green Valley and Hampden Row.

Due to difficult geography, no major roads or rail links ripped through this countryside.

You’ll find instead deer, the tips of hares, countless butterflies, dozing horses and dappled footpaths through beech woods in an historic landscape. Churches, farms, a manor house and memorials to old family names and their legends.

Classic Chilterns

Setting off from the mysterious Whiteleaf Cross on the hillside above Princes Risborough, we followed one of the very good National Trust countryside Trails that leads from the familiar into the pleasing unfamiliar.

Above Princes Risborough, Whiteleaf is where the walk to Little Hampden starts — The view from Whiteleaf towards Bledlow.

Leaving an overgrown Whiteleaf Cross at the WW1 trenches, apart from some dog walkers, we had the route to ourselves. A beautiful August day, we passed through Kingsfield Wood and walked parallel to a Grim’s Ditch Iron Age earthwork. A feature of the Chilterns, I’ve heard many theories about who it was meant to keep in or out: cattle or the Danes?

A style to nowhere — Would this have kept the Danes out?

Hampden House

The 400-year old cedar tree hinted at our approach to Hampden House. The Gothic-style battlements and arch windows resemble an overblown wedding cake. Perhaps an influencing factor when the current owners bought the house from the family in 1985 to market as a wedding venue. They refurbished a structure that had seen wear and tear as a girls school and latterly as the location for the Hammer film company who churned out horror films and TV series in the 1980’s. An extraordinary sight in this quiet valley.

Once home to the Hampdens (later the Earls of Buckinghamshire), who lived here continuously from before the Normans right up until 1938. Imagine that!

A famous son of this valley (who has a statue in Aylesbury), is commemorated across the county, is John Hampden. Notorious for his refusal to pay 20 shillings for the dodgy ship-money tax, brought in by a near bankrupt King Charles 1 in 1637. This indirectly led to the Civil War and his death at Chalgrove Field near Thame. St Mary Magdalene church doubtless has a rich heritage inside, but is still under Covid-restricted opening hours and was closed.

Hampden family church — The 13th century church of St Mary Magdalene, probable burial site for John ‘the patriot’ Hampden is adjacent to the Manor House.

We continued our walk down an avenue of lime, plane and horse chestnut trees that must have shaded many a visitor over the years. We did as instructed and pushed the button on the large gate and turned to cross the hot fields, alive with butterflies and the scraping of crickets. I love that high summer sound.

Hampden House from Queens Gap — Hampden House from the grassy ‘Queens Gap’ avenue

We spotted deer jumping over the wheat, making it look so easy. Rabbits and probably hares too as we climbed up through Warren wood towards the isolated hamlet of Little Hampden and our second local family.

Little Hampden Church

This gem of a church is tiny, and looks quite fragile. Yet it has survived the rigours of the Reformation and a Victorian make-over. The church is of course locked, and access has to be arranged to see the medieval wall paintings and alter stone.

The church at Little Hampden — Little Hampden church

The 15th century porch has two storeys, the upper one housing a bell, cast in 1791 that is once again working, the locals vying for the privilege of ringing it across the valley.

The Little Hampden church — Memorial stained glass window

The Gingers

Not only is the building spectacular, the graveyard is too. Surprisingly large, with an uneven surface, evidence of long-forgotten burials. I was drawn to a headstone, tucked away at the boundary and noticed the unusual surname.

Headstone in the church at Little Hampden — In memory of Ann, wife of John Ginger

“The Yeomanry family of Ginger constantly resident here, during more than two hundred years; as the principal tenants and occupiers of the land, have obtained some celebrity, on account of the great age to which some of them attained, ….that the head of each of four generations, had arrived at the age of upwards of ninety years.” [The History and Antiquities of the County of Buckingham, by George Lipscomb, 1847].

I found further evidence of the Ginger generations on the Ancestry genealogy website, including an incident of stock theft and a funeral. I wonder if there are Gingers still living in the area?

What a walk! Eight miles packed with nuanced history, places, people, outlandish buildings and beautiful scenery. Tucked away in a quiet corner of Buckinghamshire, this really is classic, unexpected Chilterns.

Further Information

There are several circular walks from Whiteleaf, including a spell on the Ridgeway National Trail.

You’ll find another link with the Civil War in the Buckinghamshire hamlet of Dinton. A heady mix of local legend, the shadow of a ghost, a hermit and a royal executioner.

There are plenty of other delightful Chilterns churches to visit across the seasons.

Celebrate the seasons in the Chiltern Hills with a NEW range of beautifully designed gifts and souvenirs from Chilterns Gifts.