On Saturday 11th June, Phil and Tina led their first walk for us. Eight of us turned up in Turville on a grey and humid morning. For a short while we thought we had more than eight but it turned out to be another group of walkers starting from the same location.
We set off on the Chiltern Way heading south-west but we didn't follow it for long, turning off and heading south-east through Poynatts Wood to Poynatts Farm at Skirmett. Walking through this little hamlet, we passed The Frog pub and continued on a well-established footpath heading south towards Hambleden. On the way we passed a strange, man-eating, hedge-like creature, with the boots of a recent victim poking out of its mouth!
Just before entering Hambleden village, we turned off and headed up Pheasant's Hill. Steep at first, it soon levelled off and the route took us across fields and through woodland to Woodend Farm. Here we stopped at a grassy spot by the edge of a field to have our picnic lunch.
Suitably refreshed, we turned south into Homefield Wood and joined Shakespeare's Way. This we followed until reaching Davenport Wood, where we left it for another section of the Chiltern Way, taking us to Bovingdon Green near Marlow. We were now about half way round our fifteen mile route and the rain was still holding off, despite the abundance of dark clouds.
Next we descended to Mundaydean Lane and then made the long ascent to Copy Farm at Copy Green before descending again to Shillingridge Wood. We continued through Moor Wood and Moor Common, eventually reaching the tiny village of Fingest. Here we re-joined the Chiltern Way, following it back into Turville. See our route on Bing Maps.
It was about 5pm when the walk finished but most of us had time to stop for a drink at the Bull and Butcher pub. For a first walk, the leaders were quite ambitious with this long and complex route, but they carried it off flawlessly, putting some more experienced leaders to shame. Well done Phil and Tina!
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