Pete's Walks - The Chiltern Way
If you are considering walking this route yourself, please see my disclaimer. You may also like to see these notes about the maps and GPX files.
Day 18 20/07/05 Sonning Common to Whitchurch Hill (7.2 miles each way)
Parked at the Millennium Green at Sonning Common.
From the Millennium Green at Sonning Common, the Chiltern Way (still the southern extension) had a short road section and then crossed a large field - this was presumably ‘set aside’ or else the crop had failed, as it was full of totally brown, parched pea plants with many thistles and occasional pieces of oil-seed rape sticking through. A couple of small fields followed, and then the Chiltern Way went through a garden to reach a lane at Chalkhouse Green. After about a third of a mile of lane walking, I turned onto a bridleway in a green lane, which descended to a valley that was followed for a short while before ascending the other side to reach the village of Tokers Green.
Another ½ mile of lane/road walking followed. Having crossed a busy road, I then came across the first totally blocked part of the Chiltern Way I had encountered (there was that field near Flamstead where the path was overgrown with some tangly stuff, but at least it was obvious there where the path went). The field I had to cross was planted with maize, with no sign of the footpath at all. I had no option but to make my own way through, which fortunately wasn’t too difficult as I could part the crop with my hands and walk through without having to trample the maize down. I was glad to reach the far side of the field, where I followed the edge of a wood to another road
So far the walk had been a bit disappointing, as it had been very ’bitty’, lots of short sections between residential areas that were very close together. But the rest of the walk improved a great deal and was thoroughly enjoyable. The path led downhill and around part of a golf course, then along a farm track and through a farm yard (there was a modern-looking shed standing on some old ‘staddle stones’, intended to prevent rats from eating the grain). Shortly after, the Chiltern Way left the farm track to cross a field (I saw four Red Kites here on my way back), and then followed a long path through woodland that gradually worked its way round the side of a hill before descending to cross a cow pasture and reach another farm track into Mapledurham.
Mapledurham House 26/10/05
Mapledurham was definitely one of the highlights of the entire Chiltern Way, almost too picturesque to be true. There was a very impressive house, a church, almshouses and a watermill (the oldest and only working one on the Thames). All the houses (not many of them, it was not much more than a hamlet) looked old. My parent’s neighbour Tony was born and brought up in Mapledurham, and has said that there has been no new building allowed there for over a hundred years (everything belongs to the estate, i.e. the Lords of the Manor). The house and mill were not open when I got there (not that I’d have had time to visit them), but it’s another place I’d like to go back and visit.
The watermill at Mapledurham 26/10/05
From Mapledurham, I followed a bridle way parallel to the Thames, before the steepest ascent of the Chiltern Way so far took me up to the edge of a wood (looking back, there were terrific views of Mapledurham and the Thames valley). The path the went through the wood (mixed, but mainly beech), gradually descending (I saw two Muntjac deer on this section) before ascending more steeply in a sunken lane to the hamlet of Collins End. From here, more fields were crossed (horses, sheep, bullocks) to another hamlet, Paths End and then more fields led on to Whitchurch Hill - the last field being deliberately seeded with wild flowers.
The paths on the first part of today’s walk seemed less well-used than I’ve generally come across - they were perfectly clear (apart from that field of maize!), but had vegetation trying to grow over them. Strangely, though, I saw more walkers today than on any other day so far - I saw two groups, one of 5 middle-aged walkers with a leader (I assumed he was leading them - he was wearing a fluorescent yellow safety jacket, which I assume was to identify him as the leader as I can’t think of any other reason for wearing it!) and then a group of about 12 people who looked like they might be students. I also came across two or three pairs of walkers. Generally, I have been surprised at how few walkers I have met while I’ve been walking the Chiltern Way - on two successive days recently I only met a solitary dog walker, most days I meet only one or two pairs of walkers. The paths have almost always been very clear and look well-used, so I suppose a lot more people must come out and walk at the week-end (I usually walk midweek) - understandable, I know, but I would have thought more retired people would be out walking midweek.
Overall, today was another really enjoyable day, the highlights being Mapledurham and my first sighting of the Thames on this walk. After 31 miles in two days, I was quite tired when I got back to the car - it got much warmer in the afternoon, about 26C I think, but a cool breeze helped. I have now completed two-thirds of the walk. The next walk will reach Goring after about three miles, and then the Chiltern Way turns to head back north-east towards my finishing point at Dunstable Downs.
Total Distance: 131.9 miles (each way)