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.
Google map of the walkDownload GPX file of the walk
I did this circular walk of about 14.9 miles on Sunday, 28th April 2019. It was a new route for me, which as usual I'd just put together from the OS map by linking a number of paths, bridleways and byways that I'd not walked before with a few more familiar ones. I think about 50% of the route was new to me, roughly 30% on paths I'd only walked two or three times before, and the remainder on paths that I've walked often on other routes.
I parked by the remains of the old church of St James in Bix Bottom (grid reference SU 727866) - there is room for a few cars on the verges either side of the lane here (the lane incidentally is a dead end, running from Middle Assendon to the Warburg nature reserve, and its surface deteriorates considerably shortly after passing the old church). I've walked past the remains of the church many times (including very near the end of my previous walk), but this was the first time I'd parked here. I started walking about 9.40am, setting off along a footpath that started just next to the church (the finger-post said Crocker End 1 mile) - I'm fairly sure this was the first time I'd walked this path since the second time I walked the Chiltern Way in 2007. The path ran gradually uphill following a track with a hedgerow on my left. After about a third of a mile the path entered Wellgrove Wood, and continued through the wood for about another half a mile. It was glorious to be in the woods today, despite the mainly grey skies, because the trees had their fresh green leaves on - at times it was hard to believe how bright and vibrant the colours were! Just for a change, as I reached the far side of Wellgrove Wood there was an extensive area of evergreen Yew trees on my right.
The remains of the old church of St James, Bix Bottom
The start of the path to Crocker End
The old church again, from the footpath
The path continuing to Wellgrove Wood
Wellgrove Wood
Wellgrove Wood
Wellgrove Wood
Wellgrove Wood
Wellgrove Wood
On leaving the wood, the path followed another hedge on my left through a huge pasture (it only occasionally has cattle in it, there weren't any today). There are mature and ornamental trees dotted around the pasture, so it is (or was) part of the park around Soundess House (which I could soon glimpse over to the right). I eventually reached a corner with both a farm gate and a pedestrian gate, going through the latter brought me into the attractive hamlet of Crocker End. I kept left along a drive or lane (the Chiltern Way forked slightly right, along the right of the central green here), and went left at a junction. I'd not walked this short stretch of lane in Crocker End before, but when I kept left at the next junction I was back on very familiar ground as I followed the hedge-lined lane the quarter of a mile or so to Catslip. The lane then continued a short distance through an attractive bit of woodland to reach the A4130. Across this a bridleway continued through Lowercommon Wood, heading due south for two hundred yards or so, then turning right for a short way, then left and then right again - the bridleway doesn't look too clear in one or two of my photos, but it was easy enough to follow and there were white arrows as usual to guide me. Eventually the bridleway dropped down into a small valley, where I turned left along a byway.
The path continuing from Wellgrove Wood
Approaching Crocker End
The green at Crocker End
The lane through Crocker End after I turned left
The lane from Crocker End to Catslip, after I turned left a second time
The lane continuing from Catslip to the A4130
The bridleway through Lowercommon Wood
The bridleway through Lowercommon Wood
The bridleway through Lowercommon Wood